The Unusual Gift Guide for Christmas 2019
13 Dec 2019 - 7:18pm
The Unusual Gift Guide for Christmas 2019
Did you know? The tradition of giving gifts during Christmas goes long back in history to Bethlehem, where The Wise Men brought their gifts to baby Jesus – Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Even if your picks are not such a royal mix, you might already have a list of Christmas gifts to purchase for your friends and family. Or you might be winging it, going for a last-minute hunt.
How about a little tweak to your plan this year?
Here is a list of some unusual gifts you can pick this year and be a blessing. Gifts that go a long way (quite literally) and make a lasting change in someone’s life. Someone who is in great need. Someone who is the most vulnerable. Someone who has been hungry/thirsty for days. Someone who just needs love or know that there is someone out there who cares. Pick a gift, dedicate it in the name of your friend and send a blessing their way ( See How You Can Dedicate a Gift). Pick a gift as a family with your children and teach them generosity. Pick a gift as a couple and spread your love.
1. School Shoes & Socks
We have the luxury of making a fashion statement – with our squeaky new sneakers, boots, pumps or heels. On the other end of the world, a worn and torn slippers to school is what a child has. Or at times, braving the road on his/her bare feet. You can gift a pair of comfy school shoes and socks to 2 needy children this Christmas.
Gifted to Children in: Thailand
Gift Worth: $402. Farming skills
Most of the needy children’s parents are farmers who plough the lands and rear animals to put food on the table. Climate change together with unexpected natural disasters like flood threatens their harvests, posing a risk on their income and food supply. You can gift training to 10 farmers to increase their competency.
Gifted to Children in: Nepal
Gift Worth: $503. Menstrual kits
Girls in developing countries are helpless, especially during their menstruation. There is a deep-rooted stigma against the natural phenomena. They are considered unclean and are isolated at home. With no proper sanitation, they also skip school in fear. You can gift menstrual kits and empower adolescent girls.
Gifted to Children in: Nepal
Gift Worth: $60 4. Fishing Materials
Fishing is more than an industry, it is a way of living in Philippines. With 7100 islands, there are over a million fishermen. Their traditional and low-cost techniques provide them with a minimal catch which is insufficient to feed a family and sustain a living. You can gift fishing materials to 3 families and strengthen their source of income.
Gifted to Children in: Philippines
Gift Worth: $805. Bicycle
Their schools are not around the corner nor do they have buses that carry them over safely. These children have to walk long miles in the hot sun and pouring rain to their schools. At times, the roads are unsafe with unknown predators (not just animals). You can gift a bicycle for a child to have a breezy ride to school.
Gifted to Children in: Vietnam
Gift Worth: $1406. Boreholes
Children carry their jerry cans and take a journey through forest, hills, valleys and deserts to just get water. Studies have shown that more children die every year due to diarrheal diseases from unclean water and poor sanitation practices than in war. Some become too sick that they even have to leave schools. You can gift a borehole that can draw clean water to an entire village.
Gifted to Children in: Ethiopia
Gift Worth: $1507. Healthcare for Child Laborers
School is where they are supposed to be but they are pushed into factories and construction sites. The arduous tasks and long hours which are more than what their bodies can withstand often takes a toll on their physical and mental health. The sad truth is, there are over 168 million child laborers in the world. You can gift 10 child laborers with hygiene kits and annual healthcare checkups.
Gifted to Children in: Bangladesh
Gift Worth: $2008. Coal
The scenic photographs of winter in Mongolio are breathtaking but also bitterly cold. The temperatures can drop as low as - 45°C degrees (that has been described to feel like a burning/screaming sensation). A lack of proper heater system leaves the children at the risk of suffering from frostbites and hypothermia. You can gift coals to 5 households to keep their homes warm in winter.
Gifted to Children in: Mongolia Gift Worth: $215
9. Piglet
Today’s pig is tomorrow's bacon. Pigs keep a home filled with happiness and prosperity. A sow can produce up to 12 piglets in a year which gives a family an abundance of food and sustenance. Their meat feeds a family and the poop fills the fields with nutrition. Truly, the bringer of good luck for many reasons. You can gift a pig and feed to a vulnerable family.
Gifted to Children in: Myanmar
Gift Worth: $35010. Child Sponsorship
What you give, gives them a chance at life, a childhood to remember and a future to hope for. From nutritious food, clean water, education to proper sanitation – a community is nurtured to provide a safe and happy place for these vulnerable children to grow in. More than that, having a sponsor reminds the children that there is someone out there who cares and wants the best for them.
Be their light. Be their wings. Be their sponsor.
Click here to view the children waiting to be sponsored.
Gifted to a Child in Need as well as to Yourself.
Gift Worth: $45 per month.
Let your gift be a meaning pick this Christmas.
A Blessed Christmas to all! – May the joy in our hearts be shared with one and all.
Written By:
World Vision Singapore
