When you choose a gift like goats, chickens, or bees, you really are giving the Best.Gift.Ever. These symbolic gifts are fun gift-giving ideas for your loved ones - and are life changing for children and families around the world. Here’s how:
“I feel so good when I have eaten. In fact, I concentrate more in class now. That is why I get good grades.” Whitney, a bright nine-year-old in Uganda shares with us.
In her community, high food prices mean that many families often go without enough food. “The food is too expensive on the market. That is why you find that some families eat one meal a day,” explains her grandmother, Betty. However, thanks to a school meals program supported by local gardens, Whitney now enjoys three nutritious meals plus snacks every day, giving her the energy to thrive in school.
This support has brought Betty much-needed relief. “I used to spend so much money packing lunches for my grandchildren,” she says. Now, with Whitney's meals covered, Betty can save money for their future and invest in her market stall.
When you give gifts like school meals and community gardens, you help create lasting change. When children like Whitney have enough to eat, they can focus on their education and dreams. Food security lays a foundation for health and success, opening doors to a brighter future.
Whitney and her grandmother, Betty
Sheyla is a vendor who sells her nutritional confectionaries in her local market. Business is booming thanks to the support she received through a greatest need gift, which helped her expand her opportunities and flourish. Before receiving this transformative gift, Sheyla was carefully managing her income, but it was difficult to make ends meet while fully supporting her children. She would travel long distances to shop, spending what money she had. But since receiving gastronomy and pastry training, she’s been able to sell her baked goods and make a substantial profit. Sheyla now has enough to buy the school supplies her daughters need and even has extra money to treat them to gifts.
Alemitu and her husband in Ethiopia often faced challenges in earning enough income, leading to difficult decisions, such as providing their children with food or sending them to school. The gift of goats gave Alemitu the skills and resources she needed to pursue her long-held dream of starting a small goat rearing business. After applying the training she received into practice, Alemitu expanded her business to three goats, all of whom are thriving and providing a steady income for Alemitu’s family. Now, she can easily provide for her children, including her son Tewodros, and save for his future. When you give the gift of goats, you provide families with opportunities to build stable, sustainable livelihoods and create a pathway to a brighter future for their children.
Despite food insecurity being significantly higher in Indigenous communities, families across Turtle Island (Canada) are making great strides towards household food security and Indigenous food sovereignty. The gift of a greenhouse is helping the community in Natoageneg (Eel Ground First Nation) in New Brunswick grow healthy food all year round, providing fresh food for all. The 30- by 40-foot heated structure contains raised beds and mini-greenhouses to provide homegrown fruits, herbs, and vegetables. It also gives students a hands-on opportunity to learn about growing, planting, tending, and harvesting food. As the greenhouse's produce output grows, it will support the school's breakfast and lunch program as well. When you give the gift of a greenhouse, you not only give families access to food all year long, but you also give children an opportunity to learn about nutrition by reconnecting with the land and reducing food insecurity for all.
Girls need to stay in school. Period. Often when girls are menstruating, they cannot attend classes because of an absence of sanitary pads. Girls tend to fall behind in their studies during menstruation, which can lead to them dropping out altogether. Aisha from Uganda was one of these girls who was missing classes while menstruating and quickly falling behind at school. The gift of a period kit changed everything. Aisha now has the reusable sanitary pads she needs during menstruation and is able to continue going to school. Girls deserve their education and thanks to period kids, they're able to stay in school during menstruation.
School meals play a crucial role in school nutrition programs, ensuring that children in Indigenous communities across Turtle Island (Canada) have the nutrition needed to nourish their bodies, minds, and spirits. Kinvia’s school food programs — like this one here in Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick — provide well-balanced breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. These programs not only provide healthy food, but also teach children about culturally appropriate nutrition. School nutrition programs have a long-term impact on food security, health, and overall well-being for children, and parents, and entire communities.
As our greatest pollinators, bees help make up a crucial part of the biodiversity we rely on for survival. Without bees, the availability of fresh produce would decline and human nutrition would suffer. Edrako, a beekeeper in Uganda who manages 12 hives, has seen the transformative impact these insects can have as her honey sales provide extra income for food, healthcare, and education for her family. With her stable income, she no longer worries about providing for her grandsons. Her grandson, Andra, also feels the positive impact of the bees as well and tells us that she was able to buy him a school bag which he now uses to comfortably carry his books to school. Beekeeping has given Edrako a secure livelihood and her family a brighter future.
For seven-year-old Wendy in Bolivia, fresh produce can be difficult to access due to large peri-urban areas where poverty levels are high and produce can be quite expensive. That's why the gift of school and vegetable gardens is crucial to providing fresh and nutritious vegetables to children and families. Wendy's school received supplies to build a garden, and the children are harvesting their crops for their school lunches, increasing access to healthy food. As well, Wendy's family received materials to create their own garden, which allows Wendy to enjoy fresh, delicious vegetables at home. Wendy loves picking her homegrown produce for her mother to make her favourite food - a big hearty salad. When you give the gift of school and vegetable gardens, children and families receive delicious and nutritious produce both at school and in their homes.
Families in Asana's community in Ghana face challenges in providing essential school supplies like exercise books, writing utensils, and school bags due to limited resources and economic constraints. Without these supplies, children may miss out on valuable educational opportunities. That’s why the gift of school supplies is crucial in ensuring students have the materials they need to thrive in their education. When Asana's school received new supplies like exercise books and textbooks, classroom performance improved significantly, and students gained confidence. The gift of school supplies ensures primary school students have what they need for a successful academic year.
In communities around the world access to clean, private, easily accessible, and gender-segregated latrines is vital. Open defecation poses risks to dignity and safety, forcing women and girls to wait until night for privacy. Even when toilets are available, they are often inadequate, particularly for individuals with specific needs and for women and girls managing menstrual hygiene. That’s why building latrines near schools is critical. When these facilities are accessible, the drop-out rate for girls during puberty decreases. Since Raihana’s community in Uganda received a gift of new latrines, she told us that infections went down in the community, and the whole community is healthier.
Due to ongoing stigma, many girls are denied access to quality education and are instead kept at home or sent to work in nearby cities, putting them at risk of trafficking, forced marriage, and poverty. That's why the gift of girls' education is imperative. For the last 17 years, teacher Sinkenesh has run the sexual health and reproductive rights (SRHR) club for girls, offering guidance on critical issues. As a result, the girls have gained confidence, confidence, improved academically, and absenteeism related to menstruation has nearly disappeared. Thanks to these clubs and teachers like Sinkenesh, girls like Biftu are stepping up as leaders, actively challenging gender inequality and driving change in their communities so that every girl has the opportunity to learn, thrive, and achieve her full potential.
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