Last year my daughter was turning seven. I asked her whether she wanted a party or if she would like to use the money to help a family in another country that was very poor. I explained that we could either buy a goat or a vegetable garden to help make their lives better. Because she is so young I didn't want her to feel she had to do it so I told her that she could always do this another year if she wanted to have a party instead. She told me she would think about it.
About an hour later she came back and told me that she wanted to do both. I took a deep breath ready to launch into why I couldn't afford to do both the party and the charity when she carried on to explain that we needed to buy both a goat and a vegetable garden so the family could have food and something to drink!!!
She was delighted when her gift cards arrived showing the picture of the goat and the garden that she had bought. It was a really inspiring experience not only for my daughter and her very proud parents, but also for her classmates and teachers.
We used "The World's Most Useful Gift Catalogue" from TEAR Australia.
www.usefulgifts.orgTEAR Australia pioneered the idea of useful gifts for people who need them most. The concept is simple.
If you purchase a goat, for example, TEAR will allocate your $50 tax-deductible donation to one of their local partner organisations in Afghanistan (or another of the countries listed).
Author