Pay It Forward This Christmas With World Vision Canada

Christmas!  The season of bright lights, and magic, family gatherings and gift giving will be here before you know it.  It’s a mad dash to the finish line, a blur, and sometimes chaos!  Once those Christmas trees are put away, and the lights are taken down, will your children have a pile of toys that is left relatively untouched?  Do they fall into the category of a little bit spoiled?  I can admit that mine do.  They don’t ask for a lot, but they don’t want for much either.  Now as my girls approach their teenage years I think it’s more important then ever for them to realize that it’s crucial, wonderful, kind and yes even necessary to pay it forward whenever they can.  We participate in toy drives, donate to used clothing stores, and the food bank, and this year I had the pleasure of introducing them to World Vision Canada.  World Vision Canada gives you the unique chance to give a gift that can change a life. 

My daughters and I have been fortunate enough to do a little bit of travelling.  They’ve seen first hand that not all children in the world have the same things,  or live the same way.  They recognize that they are blessed.  So when I suggested to them that we take an hour from our sunny Sunday afternoon and do some shopping for children far away this Christmas, they were interested, eager and even a little opinionated about what we should, and could be doing next!  We poured over the pages of the World Vision Catalogue looking for just the right gift.  What were we looking for?  Something that might interest girls just like them. 

I loved the idea of….Raw Hope.  It had to be done. 

For a donation of just $40.00 you can give hope. 

For Children and families in countries like south Sudan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, every day can be a struggle to survive. Your gift will provide things like clean water, education, nutritious food, healthcare and shelter. Give a one-time gift of Raw Hope.  

 

 

My daughters felt we should put our donation to supporting this;

Support For Street Children.

Care for street children to keep them safe!
Your gift will help homeless and vulnerable children by providing things like beds, books, sports equipment and rehabilitation programs. You’ll also help ensure that World Vision can advocate for these innocent girls and boys

So we did both.

 

 

Then another thought occurred.  My Dad, he always asks for the same thing, every single year!  A new hat and golf shirt.  So why not get him a new hat, a golf shirt and a piglet.  Of course the piglet was not for him, but for a family sponsored by World Vision Canada, and this was so much more than a cute farm animal, for only $40.00,  it was a pathway to meaningful change and independence!

Pigs are a great source of food and income. They’re easy to raise and can plump up to 90 pounds in 3 months. One sow can produce a litter of piglets every year to sell at market and help families break the cycle of poverty. Bring lasting change with the practical gift of pigs!
Gifts of livestock and agricultural products will also support programs that provide education in animal husbandry, sanitation training and business skills to help families increase their income over the long-term so their children can have brighter futures.

Christmas Shopping just got easier and a lot more meaningful.  We started to fill our cart.  I have teachers as friends.  Teachers, they are good people.  Teachers, they get a lot of chocolate, coffee and mugs at Christmas!  I know they appreciate the gifts, but what if we gave them a gift certificate for coffee and a Hen. Yep, a Hen or two!  Or a basketball.  See where we were going with this?

Two Hens and a Rooster are $50.00 or Three Soccer balls and other sporting equipment like volleyballs and uniforms for just $30.00?  Brilliant.

We have chosen to make meaningful purchases for Christmas this year instead of buying “stuff” that will get lost in the shuffle, or “things” we truly don’t need.  We’ve also already made a New Years Resolution.  From now on, gifts from this family will include a little something for the children on the World Vision Canada shopping list. 

Does the idea of paying it forward this Christmas appeal to you?  World Vision Canada has a presence in over 100 countries and would love your support.  You can find the on twitter, facebook, and fulfill some wishes and dreams by shopping their gift catalogue this Christmas.