Spending It
Spend and Save the World
Did you know that in Europe alone we spend over £7 billion on ice cream each year? This alone is enough money to provide safe water for every child on earth. If this sort of fact - or the recent pictures from Indonesia and Sri Lanka - make you want to take action, don't delay: here's a simple guide to providing immediate and sustainable aid to vulnerable people all over the world.
Providing aid has become especially important after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean after Christmas. You can donate money directly to the Disasters Emergency Committee, or give money at local shops or banks.
However, you might want to think about doing more than making a single one-off donation. One of the most important sources of support to many charities comes from those who give small amounts regularly - by standing order or monthly donations. The advantage of this is that if you give via Gift Aid, for example, charities can claim extra money from the Government.
Gifts that give
Another way to donate is by buying your family or friends gifts that give. For instance, last Xmas saw a rush on a new kind of present: goats! Huge numbers of people visited Oxfam and other charities and purchased goats, chickens or even whole herds of pigs. They didn't take these animals home gift wrapped - they simply paid for the creatures to be supplied to needy communities in third world countries, and presented a friend or relative with details of the animal they had 'received'.
The really great thing about this kind of gift is that these animals provide a continuous source of cash or food to the people who receive them. And this kind of giving needn't stop when Christmas is over.
However, you might want to think about doing more than making a single one-off donation. One of the most important sources of support to many charities comes from those who give small amounts regularly - by standing order or monthly donations. The advantage of this is that if you give via Gift Aid, for example, charities can claim extra money from the Government.
Gifts that give
Another way to donate is by buying your family or friends gifts that give. For instance, last Xmas saw a rush on a new kind of present: goats! Huge numbers of people visited Oxfam and other charities and purchased goats, chickens or even whole herds of pigs. They didn't take these animals home gift wrapped - they simply paid for the creatures to be supplied to needy communities in third world countries, and presented a friend or relative with details of the animal they had 'received'.
The really great thing about this kind of gift is that these animals provide a continuous source of cash or food to the people who receive them. And this kind of giving needn't stop when Christmas is over.
