The twelve days of World Gifts this Christmas
All through Advent, wonderful people just like you have been showing true love for our global family by buying World Gifts as Christmas presents. Whether you bought your nearest and dearest a Happy Queen Bee or Community Water Supply, your incredible support has inspired us to thank you – in song form!
On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…
A partridge in a pear tree
Over 1,000 Trees for life were bought as tree-mendous gifts this year, meaning children like Rakhi in Bangladesh can help their parents to grow fruit to eat and sell. Rakhi told us that she now loves her garden more than she loves playing!
Two turtle doves
These doves represent everyone who bought a Promoting peace gift! Funding projects that make peace not war, these peaceful presents help support refugees with the basics, as well as bringing them together with their new host communities.
Three French hens
You’ve done a bit better than three! An incredible 1,400 Chirpy chickens have been bought this year, making this an eggs-tremely popular choice. A great gift for farmers without much room, these feathered friends can help feed families and extra eggs can be sold on.
Four calling birds
Calling birds, fancy frogs, precious plants and life-giving trees – the Forest school gift helps to protect all the treasures of the rainforest by training families on how to farm in harmony with nature. We’re sure each teacher who got this in their stocking was as happy as a lark!
Five go-old rings!
Fifty of you took up the golden opportunity to change someone’s life for the better. When a start-up fund is loaned to someone like Yenenesh to get their business up and running, it can be loaned to another member of the community once it’s paid back! Yenesnesh has grown her bread-making business with the help of a Life-changing loan and can now afford to send her grandchildren to school.
Six geese a-laying
For families in Afghanistan and the Holy Land, winter brings much bigger risks than goosebumps. You’ve really warmed our hearts this Christmas by buying hundreds of Winter survival kits, which give families battling harsh weather the cash they need to buy blankets, fuel and food to get through the winter.
Seven swans a-swimming
It’s swanderful how many of you bought the Water for a family gift for your own friends and family. This graceful gift lets families raise a glass of clean, safe water this Christmas and it’s no swansong – solar powered water pumps can change lives in whole villages, and make sure that children grow up healthy.
Eight maids a-milking
We’re not just milking the puns in this musical thank you! 100 Marvellous moo cows were bought for your loved ones this year – udderly fantastic charity gifts that will make an enormoooooos difference to a vulnerable family like Radha’s with their milk, strength and even their manure!
Nine ladies dancing
We’re dancing with delight to see that so many of you chose to empower women refugees this Christmas! Women refugees have challenges to overcome once they reach safety, but training and support can help them to build a new life for themselves. Hiba is a Palestinian refugee living in a refugee camp in Lebanon, but she is now working as a hairdresser to support her family.
Ten lords a-leaping
With an incredible 2,206 of you buying Teach someone to read as a Christmas gift, adults and children have been given the chance to leap into reading – helping them to understand new surroundings, escape from their daily lives, and find better work – not bad for £10!
Eleven pipers piping
Lots of you piped up for local, indigenous communities by buying the Remarkable radio gift. Radio is a essential channel in remote areas, keeping isolated people in touch with others, and giving them early warnings of extreme weather or threats to their homes.
Twelve drummers drumming
On the twelfth day of Christmas, a huge thank you to all of you amazing World Gift buyers. You’ve drummed up fantastic support for our global family, helping so many women, men and children make a real difference in their own lives – and taken a huge step to beat poverty for good. THANK YOU!
Have a wonderful new year and if you already have Christmas pennies burning a hole in your pocket, why not delve back into World Gifts for another life-changing present?
