This Christmas, Australians are encouraged to give the gift of hope to families living in poverty.
As the festive season approaches, Compassion Australia has unveiled its annual ‘Gifts of Compassion’ catalogue, encouraging Australians to make a meaningful impact to families living in poverty through small gifts of kindness.
Clare Steele, CEO at Compassion Australia, said “Gifts of Compassion not only provides an alternative way to give to loved ones, but also reminds us that even in the face of the world’s most difficult challenges, small acts of generosity can really change the reality for people living in poverty.”
“As a parent, I love that it also provides an opportunity to teach our kids this principle in a tangible way,” Clare said.
“One of the most urgent needs in our global neighbourhood at the moment is food security.”
“The global food crisis is far from over, with more than 238 million people still facing acute food insecurity—which means they haven’t eaten for a day or more.”
The compounding effects of the war in Ukraine, COVID-19, inflation, and extreme weather events are driving up food costs and leading to supply shortages around the world,” Clare said.
“Giving the gift of food security means families are provided with food packages and are equipped to establish a sustainable supply of food in the long term,” Clare said.
For 13-year-old Nirjoy and his family who live in Bangladesh’s northeast, the simple gift of a bag of fruit and vegetable seeds was the turning point for his family’s livelihood.
Their kitchen garden is their only source of income, so when it comes to planting, having good-quality seed is essential. Through Gifts of Compassion, they received high-quality bitter gourd seeds to help them increase their yields.
Nirjoy and his family worked hard to grow their crop and now produce sacks of bitter gourd and other vegetables to sell at the markets.
With the income from their produce, the family has cleared all their loans, repaired their house, and most importantly, they’re saving up to meet their children’s needs in the future. All these changes started with a bag of seeds!
CEO Clare Steele said it’s amazing the life-change that can occur through a simple gift.
“As Australians, we have an opportunity to make a real impact through the way we give this Christmas. We’re encouraging people that small acts of kindness towards our global neighbours can change a family’s life,” Clare said.
Abby caught up with Murray Murray from Compassion in Perth to chat all about the Gifts of Compassion which you can listen to below.
Gifts of Compassion includes over two dozen unique gifts with a range of amounts from $15 to $15,000, meeting critical needs such as clean water, vocational training, dental care, safe homes and care for expectant mums.
Each gift includes a beautiful card that describes the impact it makes.
To learn more about Compassion’s Gift Catalogue, visit Gifts of Compassion.