Spring Break
Spend less, give more for the holidays
Natalie Johnson
Issue date: 12/8/08 Section: Lifestyles
During this holiday gift-giving season, spend your money differently and you can save lives around the world.
Americans spend approximately $450 billion dollars on Christmas each year, according to the National Retail Federation. Although gifts undoubtedly bring joy to many people on Christmas day, it is often temporary and unnecessary. In contrast, various organizations bid the opportunity to spend any given amount of money on a gift that will last a lifetime. These gifts liberate people from suffering, and often death because of hunger, poverty, disease and life-threatening living conditions.
Ten billion dollars, which is only two percent of money spent on Christmas, could solve the clean water crisis of the entire world, according to the World Water Council. Gifts starting at $20 on Worldvision.org provide communities access to clean water. Improper water supply forces women and children to walk dreadful, dangerous distances to fetch dirty, disease-ridden water. World Vision, along with other organizations, offers pumps, shares of water wells and sanitation systems to provide clean water. For example, $20 will buy a hand water pump and $100 will buy a share of a deep well that will provide water for entire villages.
"When our drilling teams strike water, entire villages erupt in celebration because a clean water source can cut a community's child mortality rate by as much as half," according to http://Worldvision.org.
Heifer International celebrates the gift of self-reliance this Christmas season. People can buy an animal and Heifer will train people, who otherwise do not have essential resources to live properly, to use the animal for many resources. The animal can also be donated in a friend or family member's name and they will receive a card that tells what that animal will be doing for another family for years.
For $120, a sheep will provide food and wool, which can provide income for at least one family. Sheep can birth twins and triplets, so families can pass the gift on by giving the blessing of a sheep to another family. Along with goats and other animals, they can live in unfavorable conditions and their extra milk allows families to start dairies. Starting at $20 with a flock of geese or chicks, livestock will multiply far beyond their monetary value. Relief to communities ridden with disease, war and strife can be bought in forms of immunizations, defense training, schooling and much more. International Justice Mission sends investigators and lawyers to countries with trafficking, slavery and violence. One full day of investigative work is only $50.
One less present under your tree this year can mean the world to someone else. Web sites to consider are: http://giftofwater.org, http://globalwater.org, http://ijm.org, http://heifer.org, http://worldvision.org and http://mercycorps.org amongst others.
Americans spend approximately $450 billion dollars on Christmas each year, according to the National Retail Federation. Although gifts undoubtedly bring joy to many people on Christmas day, it is often temporary and unnecessary. In contrast, various organizations bid the opportunity to spend any given amount of money on a gift that will last a lifetime. These gifts liberate people from suffering, and often death because of hunger, poverty, disease and life-threatening living conditions.
Ten billion dollars, which is only two percent of money spent on Christmas, could solve the clean water crisis of the entire world, according to the World Water Council. Gifts starting at $20 on Worldvision.org provide communities access to clean water. Improper water supply forces women and children to walk dreadful, dangerous distances to fetch dirty, disease-ridden water. World Vision, along with other organizations, offers pumps, shares of water wells and sanitation systems to provide clean water. For example, $20 will buy a hand water pump and $100 will buy a share of a deep well that will provide water for entire villages.
"When our drilling teams strike water, entire villages erupt in celebration because a clean water source can cut a community's child mortality rate by as much as half," according to http://Worldvision.org.
Heifer International celebrates the gift of self-reliance this Christmas season. People can buy an animal and Heifer will train people, who otherwise do not have essential resources to live properly, to use the animal for many resources. The animal can also be donated in a friend or family member's name and they will receive a card that tells what that animal will be doing for another family for years.
For $120, a sheep will provide food and wool, which can provide income for at least one family. Sheep can birth twins and triplets, so families can pass the gift on by giving the blessing of a sheep to another family. Along with goats and other animals, they can live in unfavorable conditions and their extra milk allows families to start dairies. Starting at $20 with a flock of geese or chicks, livestock will multiply far beyond their monetary value. Relief to communities ridden with disease, war and strife can be bought in forms of immunizations, defense training, schooling and much more. International Justice Mission sends investigators and lawyers to countries with trafficking, slavery and violence. One full day of investigative work is only $50.
One less present under your tree this year can mean the world to someone else. Web sites to consider are: http://giftofwater.org, http://globalwater.org, http://ijm.org, http://heifer.org, http://worldvision.org and http://mercycorps.org amongst others.
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