So i came across an article in the paper last week that got me thinking about Christmas and gifts. The following is a rundown of the article.
No Kidding Give a Goat for Christmas
For that dreaded impossible to buy for person on your Christmas list, how about a goat? The $31 goat you buy from Ten Thousand Villages goes straight to Rwanda. The article goes on to say that in our country so many of us have more then we can shake a stick at and giving someone a living gift, as they call them makes sense.
For $40, 100 kilograms of corn will feed a farming family in Burkina Faso in West Africa, where crops have been devastated in recent years by locusts and drought.
$25 will buy school supplies for children in the impoverished Southeast Asian country of Laos.
$10 will buy 10 chickens that will give a new start to Croatian families returning to their farms after years of civil war.
I think this is brillant and would love to send something however i am having a bit of a struggle deciding what to send. I do not eat meat and cannot imagine sending chickens or goats but at the same time am not sure i have an extra $40 lying around to purchase corn....well i suppose if i'm being honest i technically would if i missed a night out. As well it got me thinking, i don't generally push my views on others and if chickens or a goat could really help these people out why am i so hesitent to send such a gift? Perhaps the school supplies would be the best way for me to go, not too pricey and i believe that education is everything. Unless someone would like to split on the corn with me ......... ahhh i'm such an indecisive person, thoughts anyone? I also struggle with the fact that there are alot of needy people in my own backyard...should i instead find an organization here in Canada and donate to them? Help me decide........
Just to give a bit of a background on Ten Thousand Villages they provide vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America.
Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed, providing sustainable income through fair trade. This income helps pay for food, education, health care and housing. Thousands of volunteers in Canada and the United States work with Ten Thousand Villages in their home communities.
For more information about these living gifts and possible locations near you visit:
http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/
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6 comments:
I JUST wrote an assignment about Ten Thousand Villages for my globalization and social change class *which I might add is my favorite class i've ever taken*. Like I literally just printed it minutes before I read your blog. I met with the manager of a local TTV store here, and she was lovely, and even gave me a free chocolate bar.
Fair trade is a wonderful idea, as it benefits women, promotes economic stability, provides job security, and disapproves of slave labor.
You know, the manager of TTV told me that it takes a YEARS worth of cocoa production from ONE tree to make 3 chocolate bars for companies like Reece's, Cadbury, etc. I just about died!!!
Also, if you are interested in buying fair trade prodcuts, there is a logo on the back, that guarantees the authenticity of it. Look for the logo people. *you can even get fair trade coffee at stabucks....although the manager of TTV was skeptical, becuase the logo wasnt the same*
right...
my email address is in my profile
get me that way ;)
Ash,
The goats and chickens aren't for them to kill right away and eat. Generally, the goats are milked and the chickens lay eggs. Actually, goats are really great because they don't eat a lot, they'll eat anything, don't need too much room and they can be pretty cute too.
There are a few other outfits that offer this opportunity, Oprah was pushing the Heifer Project a few years ago http://www.heifer.org/site/pp.aspx?c=edJRKQNiFiG&b=204586
I think it's pretty cool that they let you give honey bees and trees. I think this is a really worthwhile cause.
Also on the question of helping people closer to home vs. far away. I'd have to say that the difference between poverty in Canada and poverty in the third world is enormous. As much as I complain about the shortcomings of our social safety net the rest of the time, it's still hugely superior to the kind of thing you'd find in any of the countries where these organizations are operating. From the standpoint of cost effectiveness I'd have to say that a 20 or 30 dollar gift can completely turn around the lives of an entire family and make the difference between kids getting to go to school or have to risk their lives in some awful industry, it could mean the difference between some financial security or the mother of the family having to sell sex to feed the kids. That's a lot of bang for your gift giving dollar.
You were probably planning to get gifts for your family for Christmas why don't you get some of these things in the names of your family members, it's a nice thing to do, and probably tax deductable.
I would say send me some chickens...but I'm afraid of birds.
Miss Ash - I really think it's great to help anyone in need, regardless of where they live. Obviously there are more people per capita in need overseas. This sounds like a totally worthwhile cause and I'm sure that any gift you send will be greatly appreciated. You rock!
Linny - Me too! I've never met anyone else afraid of birds. Yeah us! They are so creepy!
So i've decided to go down to the store this coming Friday to make a donation...it will either be the corn or the school supplies i just can't send the animals even though i know they will help. Thanks for the input to everyone :)
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