Caring Causes: World Vision's Gift Catalog

A child’s holiday wish list can be long - which can be hard for parents who know that toys are often forgotten or broken, sometimes rather quickly. This holiday season, consider giving children a gift that teaches generosity and gratitude.

World Vision’s Gift Catalog offers alternative gift ideas, from goats and chickens to life-saving medicines that honor the recipient and create a lasting impact for people in need. Choose a gift – such as a dairy goat, for $75. When you purchase, the animal is sent to a family in need in a developing community, and a personalized card is sent to the child or family who purchased it. There are a lot of options available that can reflect kids' interests: four soccer balls to children who may currently be playing with “balls” made from banana leaves or rolled-up trash; a family fishing kit to help put food on the table for years to come; a bicycle to a girl or young woman who will use the bike to safely ride to school.

You can help children understand the significance of their gift by: encouraging the child to invest in the gift and selecting a gift that makes sense to a child, or connects to a hobby or interest. You can also allow your children to help pick the gift, or they can even contribute allowance money toward its purchase. You can use stories to help children understand real needs in the world and learn about children in challenging circumstances through World Vision’s website or other sources; share these stories with your children and let them identify similarities and differences between their lives and the lives of others.

Need a gift for an adult? World Vision’s Gift Catalog offers gifts that will appeal to hard to buy for relatives, friends and colleagues. Three ducks, $18, will help a family establish a sustainable supply of protein-rich eggs; plant 10 fruit trees for $60; send a girl to school for $140; or $250 can help restore physical, emotional, and spiritual health in girls who have been rescued from sexual exploitation.

And if you still want a gift to wrap? Gift givers can receive a free gift – including handmade wire and bead ornaments from Kenya; plush stuffed animals for children; or a fair trade coffee set in a hand-sewn bag – with a donation of $25 or more.