Include a child in your Christmas List

Do you spend hours looking for meaningful gifts for Christmas, only to return home feeling disappointed that you haven’t yet found the ‘right thing’? Every year we have a Gift Catalogue for you to look through and choose a gift that could change a life.

Every gift, large or small, has a lasting impact on our children, children like Sena whose life has been transformed by items from the catalogue. Having lost her father to HIV, life became bleak as Sena’s mother struggled to provide for her four children. Living with HIV and constantly sick due to a lack of nutritious food, Sena was unable to attend school.

In 2014 Sena was enrolled into our Abdi Academy school in Ethiopia where she receives a quality education and nutritious food to help her cope with her HIV. Sena was overjoyed, “Before I saw myself inferior to other children, now I have good clothes, shoes, food and school materials, I’m equal to them.” These items were more than just gifts to Sena – they brought her a sense of worth, hope and belonging.

Life for Sena’s mum also changed when she was selected to receive a family grant, enabling her to invest in produce to grow and sell at the market. She is making a small profit each month and is now able to provide for her family. Sena recalled the difference this has made, “Our big problem was food but now we have enough food as my mum brings vegetables and fruit for us from what she sells. I am very proud of her.”

What seemed like a small gift from us has given Sena’s family a means of escaping poverty and has grown to mean so much more – greater dignity, more opportunities and more hope.

In our 2015/2016 Gift Catalogue we have highlighted items that are priorities so that you can see where we need your help the most, but every item is needed and will make a lasting impact on our children and their families.

If you would like one of our catalogues please email us with your address at hi@standby.me or request an electronic copy. We hope you enjoy browsing the catalogue and will find gift ideas that inspire you to add a needy child to your Christmas list and make a lasting difference in their lives, not just this Christmas but long into the future.