Trócaire’s Global Gift plan celebrates fifth year

Now in its fifth year, the annual pre-Christmas Global Gift plan from Trócaire offers a collection of practical life-saving gifts for the most vulnerable families in the developing world.

The appeal offers the public the chance to buy ethical and non-commercial gifts that are cost-effective and meet the real needs of families overseas by having a positive impact on their lives and helping them control their future.

Since the start of the programme, 30 Trócaire Global Gifts, costing between £10 and £100 each, have been offered to the public and 46,400 gifts have been purchased in NI raising nearly £1.5 million for valuable development programmes.

“The success of the Global Gift programme is partly due to its having captured the imagination of increasingly jaded consumers,” said Trócaire’s Fundraising Manager, Paul Kane. “This offers people a chance to do something that really benefits others and at the same time to enjoy the more traditional spiritual meaning of Christmas instead of the more commercial one that’s now commonplace.”

This year, Trócaire will offer eight gifts aimed at people in the following areas, including a family survival kit for Sudanese families in Sudan and Chad affected by the current conflict.

The gifts are as follows:

• £10 - Chicks Central & South America
• £18 - Gift of Peace Worldwide
• £21 - Seeds & Tools for families in Rwanda & Burundi
• £28 - Goat Southern Africa
• £42 - Family Survival Kit Sudanese families in Sudan & Chad
• £60 - School Kit Haiti/Afghanistan
• £80 - Fish Farm Colombia
• £100 - One Hectare of land Honduras & Guatemala

Once a person has decided to buy a gift, they will receive a certificate enclosed in a Christmas card, showing how the selected gift will be used. The card can then be sent to the person of their choice as a ‘gift’ to them.

There are a number of ways to buy a gift: Call 0800 912 1200 or log on to www.trocaire.ie/globalgift/introduction.htm or

E-mail: globalgift@trocaire.ie or Text Gift to 61123 from NI and an information pack will be sent to you (operator rates for texts apply).

(SP/MB)