Help a child beat hunger this Christmas

How’s your Christmas shopping going? Have you got off to a flying start or are you tripping over your feet?

No matter how far you've come (or not) take a break and learn about World Vision’s awesome alternative Christmas gifts. 

Help a child beat hunger

This year, your Christmas gift could give a child and their family enough to end childhood hunger – for good. Read on to learn about World Vision's Must Have Gifts and how they’re changing lives.

Give more for less… 

When you buy a Must Have Gift, you’re really buying two gifts. Not only does your friend or loved one feel special, a second person feels valued too. Someone living in one of the world’s hardest places where there are fewer resources.

Your gift to them will come at just the right time.  

A Christmas gift for a fussy friend?

Everyone has at least one person they struggle to buy for – an awkward aunt, a fussy friend or a conscientious colleague. So look no further, because Must Have Gifts could be the answer to all your Christmas shopping woes!

How do Must Have Gifts work?

Must Have Gifts are a vital part of World Vision’s work. As a children's charity, we're helping children and families living in some of the hardest places do more than just survive.

You can choose gifts like chickens, a goat and seeds, which not only feed families but also help them generate additional income. Or an emergency bundle including the necessary items they need to stay safe during times of conflict and natural disasters.

You can also pay for things like mental health support or empowerment classes for teenage girls.

With our wide selection of charity gifts, there really is something for everyone!

Once you’ve made your choice, you can select an e-card for your chosen recipient. Or you can have us send a physical card, which you can add a personal message to.

How does my gift help?

When you buy a charity gift, you can be sure that the money will be used to support children and their families. At a time when millions of people are facing acute hunger, your gift couldn’t be needed more.

A Must Have Gift gives children an opportunity to break free from the cycle of poverty and build a future of hope.

Here are some examples of what your gift could achieve:

• A chicken will add nutrition to a family’s diet through eggs and meat, but can also provide extra income in the sale of surplus produce.
• Books for an after-school club help children learn to read and grow in confidence at school – increasing their enjoyment of learning as well as their earning potential in years to come.
• Clean water for a family lowers the risk of water-borne illnesses, but also means less time spent fetching and carrying water – so more energy for school and play time.

But don’t just listen to us

See what those who benefit have to say…

“World Vision has given us two hens and a rooster to raise in order to boost the income and wellbeing of the sponsored children's parents," says Rousse, 12. "Now we have seven chickens and eight chicks and some eggs for laying. Now we have eggs at home, we can eat them whenever we want. For us, it's no longer a luxury because we have them at home."

Rousse is a sponsored child living in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here’s what else he has to say about the hens he was given through World Vision:

“Today, we are very happy with the support of World Vision in two hens that have allowed us to have many chickens, chicks and eggs. It's a permanent source of wealth that contributes to our growth and our future. We eat the eggs and chickens whenever we want and sell them to buy our traditional items and clothes.

“I'd like to thank World Vision for supporting us with the chickens, which have enabled us to raise and solve our own problems, and also to think of those in difficulty.”

“I help my mother grow kales, cabbages, maize and spinach after school,” says Stella in Kenya.“The plants look beautiful. Of all the crops, I like spinach because it looks beautiful and it is sweet. My mother is happy and says it now feels like [we’re] growing up again.

“I don’t worry about lunch anymore because there is enough food at home. My mother’s food is now delicious because she cooks it with sweet pepper and fresh cucumbers.”

In areas prone to increasing droughts, Must Have Gifts have played a vital role in helping families navigate the changing climate.

Stella and her family benefited from drought resistant seeds as well as training in agricultural techniques and a drip-feed irrigation system.

Take a Must Have Gifts tour

Now that December is here, it’s the perfect time to get your Must Have Christmas Gift. Take a look for yourself at our range of gifts to suit all budgets.

Don’t delay – shop now and get Christmas all wrapped up. More importantly, be a part of something that is bringing greater change and making a long-lasting difference to children’s futures.

PS Last date for posted Christmas cards is 28 December – so even if you're late it's not too late!