Handcrafted Gifts from World Vision #FMEGifts14

Many Canadians give year round but the Holiday season tends to bring out the giving side in all of us.  If you are looking for a great way to give back this season there is no better option than the World Vision Gift Catalogue.  I started to sponsor a little girl in Mozambique through World Vision a few years ago as a way for me to give back year long. I know that World Vision works hard to make a difference in communities world-wide and they are always at the top of my list when it comes to charities.  The Catalogue offers many different gifting options including gifts of necessities to those in need worldwide as well as handcrafted gifts that help women to create for themselves a sustainable income.

Handcrafted gifts through World Vision are truly gifts with twice the giving power, and what could be more meaningful than that?  With the mission of helping parents around the world build brighter futures for their children, World Vision handcrafted gifts offers you the opportunity to give a gift to a loved one while helping to provide struggling families with a sustainable income.

New items this year include a spectacular silk scarf from Vietnam, a hand-carved cuff bracelet from India, and beaded bracelets from the Maasai women of Africa along with favourites such as the Haitian Hand-beaded Necklace.

Ma Chau village, a part of Quang Nam province in Vietnam, has been famous for silk since the 15th century. Here, the resilient and skilled artisans still preserve their traditional handcrafted work to produce   the best silk in Vietnam. This is one of very few villages where the artisans work together to help each other do the entire process of silk production – raising silkworms, feeding them mulberry leaves, harvesting  cocoons, extracting silk threads, dyeing, spinning & weaving. $95, with a tax receipt for $65

The artisans in India who create these intricate cuff bracelets are  between the ages of 24 – 40. Formerly living in poverty and exploited by local  middlemen, this artisan group is now benefitting from fair  trade practices to help them break the cycle of poverty. Now, every bracelet purchased not only helps prevents starvation, but provides: fair and sustainable income; dignity, respect and self-esteem; good and safe  working conditions; an education for their children; and a “hand up” out of poverty. $100, with a tax receipt for $75

This intricately crafted porcelain and paper necklace, also seen in high-end fashion,  helps give struggling families in Haiti a better life.  $85, with a tax receipt for $45.

Check out the World Vision Gift Catalogue for more great ideas!  You can sponsor a child for only $39 a month or even just make a one time donation through gifts that empower and help others survive.  For example, you could donate $30 to buy 5 fruit trees for a family so they will have plenty to eat and with enough left over to sell.  There are plenty of gifts available to choose from that will help those truly in need at a variety of different price points.

Elizabeth Lampman

Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!