HELP CANADA'S CHF FIGHT GLOBAL POVERTY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH "GIFTS THAT MATTER"
TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CHF CHARITABLE GIFTS MATCHED 3 TO 1 BY THE CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (CIDA), QUADRUPLING CANADIANS' GIFTS
TORONTO, Dec. 9 /CNW/ - Canadians across the country can help CHF fight global poverty by shopping online at www.GiftsThatMatter.ca. With gifts including peanuts and piglets, sheep and shea butter, heifers and hampers, gardens and clean water, CHF's fantastic Gifts That Matter make meaningful gifts for friends, family and colleagues.
An initiative of CHF (www.chf-partners.ca), one of Canada's longest standing international development organizations, Gifts That Matter transform the lives of families living in poverty, struggling with drought and famine, or rebuilding their lives following disaster, by enabling them to become self-sufficient. Canadians can shop online for friends, family or colleagues. Best of all, the value of every gift bought is matched at least 3 to 1 by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)!
"We now know, thanks to a recent Ipsos-Reid poll, that the vast majority of Canadians (76%) would rather receive a meaningful gift that would help someone else than a traditional holiday gift," says Janet O'Meara, CHF's Manager of Fundraising. "Gifts That Matter can literally transform life for families in the developing world. For example, a goat can help a woman in Bangladesh provide income for herself and her family. They are easy to rear; they provide milk and produce offspring that can be sold."
NEW FOR 2010: PERSONAL, SCHOOL AND WORKPLACE FUNDRAISING PAGES
Starting this year, you can set up a personal page during the holidays and ask friends and family to buy you CHF Gifts That Matter instead of store-bought presents. With the easy-to-use personal page, you can specify exactly which gifts you'd like purchased and set goals for the total amount.
Schools (www.giftsthatmatter.ca/school) and workplaces (www.giftsthatmatter.ca/workplace) can also build their own fundraising campaigns, setting specific dollar amount targets or setting goals, such as the purchasing of large items like tree nurseries or veterinary clinics.
NEW GIFTS THAT MATTER FOR 2010
Piglet $35 (Cambodia)
In rural Cambodia, piglets provide an excellent source of income for poor women. They are generally reared and managed by women, as they can be raised right at home. Your gift of $35 provides a family in Cambodia with a piglet to rear.
Women's Farm Training $45 (Sudan)
A 2-for-1 gift! Give the gift of vegetables to eat AND valuable training skills to women in conflict-affected Sudan. Your donation of $45 provides the seeds and tools to start and develop a community demonstration plot for women in a conflict-affected area of Sudan.
Goat $50 (Bangladesh)
CHF loves goats! Give a goat to a vulnerable family in rural Bangladesh. Your gift of $50 provides ultra-poor families, especially female-headed households, with a goat and the support to care for it.
Bicycles for Milk Delivery $75 (Kenya)
Bicycles are needed in rural Kenya to deliver milk throughout the community. Your gift of $75 will provide 4 bicycles to transport milk from the local dairy to 25 families in Thika, Kenya.
Rickshaw $85 (Bangladesh)
Provide an ultra-poor man in Bangladesh with increased income and the pride of ownership by giving the gift of a reconditioned rickshaw. Your gift of $85 will provide a rickshaw to a family in Bangladesh. The increased income they earn will mean they can be self-supporting over the long term.
Women's Shea Butter Business $150 (Ghana)
Income for women in northern Ghana is hard to come by. This gift helps a whole group of women start a shea butter business to help themselves and their families. Your gift of $150 will provide the funds necessary for one women's group to start up and run a successful shea butter business. With your support, the group will gain important business skills training and access start-up loans, paving the way to earning sustainable livelihoods for their families.
HOLIDAY HAMPERS AND MORE…
Gifts That Matter gift sets are the best way to send meaningful gifts all year round! They feature a combination of assets such as livestock, chickens and seeds that are needed by vulnerable communities.
For example, the popular Holiday Hamper at $195 includes 1 set of maize seeds, 1 goat, 5 chickens and 3 piglets. New this year, the Crateful of Critters at $340 includes 2 goats, 3 piglets, 1 sheep and 10 chickens.
You can purchase gift sets with monthly donations or a single contribution. Either way, you'll be sending Gifts That Matter to help ultra-poor families build sustainable communities around the world.
HOW GIFTS THAT MATTER WORK
When Canadians buy a CHF Gift That Matters, the donation goes to the gift they select. Once enough funds are raised for a specific type of gift, CHF will apply donations to another aspect of our projects.
Since our bundled gift baskets offer items from several of our projects, this donationmay support more than one of them. All of our gifts are items that are urgently needed by people challenged by poverty. Our costs reflect the variations in inflation experienced in the respective countries. They also take into consideration all the factors needed to ensure that they have the greatest possible impact on the lives of people living in poverty overseas, including:
- Transportation, delivery and distribution, so gifts reach their new home.
- Veterinary training and care to keep animals healthy.
- Skills training to construct and maintain water systems.
- Training families to make best use of their gift.
- Market awareness education so families can make the most of their assets.
For each gift purchased, CHF mails or emails a Gifts That Matter greeting card that can be sent to recipients to let them know that a special gift has been purchased on their behalf (for online cards, donors can set a date when their card arrives). Donors receive their tax-deductible charitable receipt immediately by e-mail.
Those who prefer to donate by phone can call CHF at 1-866-242-4243.
ABOUT CHF (FORMERLY CANADIAN HUNGER FOUNDATION)
Established in 1961, CHF is a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to enabling poor rural communities in developing countries to attain sustainable livelihoods. Recognized as a leader in international development for almost 50 years, CHF has implemented over 800 projects in over 40 countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas, bringing food, water and most importantly, self-reliance to thousands of communities. Helping to change lives and create solutions to combat the effects of drought, disease and devastating poverty in rural communities throughout the world. CHF is headquartered in Ottawa, and has field offices in Africa and Asia.
For further information:
Media contact: Suki Lee, 416-529-7979, [email protected]
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