Gifts that make a world of difference World Gifts World Gifts are special presents. They are two gifts in one. When you buy a world gift, you help people who are living in poverty overseas to help change their lives. Let’s have a look at some World Gifts and find out how they have changed people’s lives in the past. Gifts that make a world of difference

The gift of a school starter pack Butterfly getting ready for school Pens, pencils, books, a uniform. At first, these items in the school starter pack might seem quite ordinary. But in developing countries – where many families can’t afford to send their children to school – they’re life-changing. Even when there are no school fees to pay, families are still expected to buy their children’s uniforms and books – sometimes they even have to pay for soap and toilet roll too! In fact, children are often turned away from class if they don’t have these basic items. So the school starter pack really is far from ordinary – for a child who really wants an education, it’s magical.

Butterfly is ten years old and lives in Cambodia – a country in south east Asia. In Cambodia all children have to pay to go to school, so not everyone can afford to go. Thanks to Butterfly’s school starter pack, he is now getting an education. His school day starts at 6am in the morning and ends at 11am. In Cambodia it is very hot in the afternoon, so it is good to go to school early in the morning, when it is cooler.

Butterfly at school Here’s what Butterfly has to say about his school day: “I like learning at school. I am in grade 4 and my favourite subjects are Khmer language and art. Every day we have to do exercises before school. We meditate when we are at school and ask Buddha to bring happiness and peace to our families.”

The gift of a community toilet Butterfly getting ready for school Thando and his family used to have to go to the toilet in the bush. But now our partners have built a toilet in their home. It is a solid concrete construction and private. Most toilets are simple squat holes but this one has been built up slightly into a low square seat so Thando’s elderly grandmother can use the toilet. Our partner has also built toilets in Thando’s school. The gift of a community toilet

“Having good toilets school has improved our health - it’s rare for pupils to be off school with stomach problems these days.” Thando, Zimbabwe Thando says: “Now that we have a toilet in our home and toilets at school I never have to use the bush system. Having good toilets at school has improved our health - it’s rare for pupils to be off school with stomach problems these days.”

One of Thando’s teachers, Miss Lehlohonolo Mbizo, says: “The law here says that every school needs a proper toilet. If CAFOD hadn’t come, one way or another, our school could have been forced to close. So thank you for constructing our toilets.”

The gift of life saving treatment for a new mum Did you know you can buy a gift of life saving treatment for new mums? In rural communities healthcare can be many miles away. This means that it’s hard for mothers and children to travel, but also it can be life-threatening too. This gift can pay for essential medical treatment for pregnant mothers and new-born babies, and also provides extra food for children who are at risk of becoming malnourished.

When Haoua first arrived at the CAFOD-funded St Augustine’s Health Centre in Niger, her 17-month-old daughter Hassana was severely malnourished and in danger of dying. The team of expert nurses assessed Hassana and put her on a programme of food supplements and vitamins. In three weeks she was healthy again.

“For me, the most important thing is the health of my children. My child is not suffering any more. I’m so happy about what I’ve received.” Haoua “For me, the most important thing is the health of my children,” says Haoua. “My child is not suffering any more. I’m so happy about what I’ve received.” This gift helps pay for a range of vaccinations, malaria treatment and extra food like this Plumpy nut food sachet in the picture, for children at risk of becoming malnourished.

The gift of chickens The gift of chickens, along with training and equipment to help look after them, will help a poor family to produce eggs to eat or sell, or to raise more chickens!

This is Erika who is 11 years old and lives in Honduras, a country in Central America. Her family raise chickens, and these chickens provide the eggs to eat and to sell and are an important part of her family’s diet and income.

”My mum has prepared the food – tortillas, beans and eggs from the chickens!” Erica, Honduras Let’s hear from Erica: “At 6am I sweep the house. I wash my hands and eat. My mum has prepared the food – tortillas, beans and eggs from the chickens. I go to school after breakfast. School starts at 8am. I come home after school at 1pm and go and collect the eggs we eat for lunch. We have them with beans, rice, sweet corn on the cob and spaghetti. I like beans. I wash the plates every day. Then sweep the house again. I feed the animals three times a day. I feed them maize and scraps from the kitchen. Then I do my homework.”

The gift of water for a family Imagine that you, and all the people living in your community, had to walk many miles every day to fetch fresh clean water to cook and clean with. Well, before the World Gift of two water pumps were installed in Odetta’s village in Zambia, getting water during the dry season meant that she had to walk 15km, and then had to dig for hours to fill just a few buckets. This is Odetta, the two pumps in her village pump water collected in the rainy season to the school and over 300 households, making sure the community has water throughout the year. The gift of water for a family

water can help keep a whole community safe and happy. The gift of clean water can help keep a whole community safe and happy. Long treks to collect water are now a thing of the past. Instead, Odetta and her sister Chipo here spend their time looking after the vegetables so that they can sell them at market.

The gift of a vegetable garden Many people across the world have very little money so they struggle to buy food for their families. Teaching them how to grow vegetables, and giving them seeds and tools, is often the best way to help them. Each year, they can plant their own seeds and watch them grow into strong and healthy plants. Now here’s the best bit! The vegetables will provide a family with a nutritious diet so they can stay healthy. You might know that the effects of climate change are causing problems for many farming families. Floods and droughts mean that the crops get damaged or won’t grow. We can teach people about special plants and farming methods that will keep their crops safe.

Eddie is 14 years old and lives in Mozambique – a country in Africa Eddie is 14 years old and lives in Mozambique – a country in Africa. He is an orphan which means that his mum and dad have sadly died. He lives in an orphanage with his brothers and sisters, and lots of friends. The orphanage is run by a group of nuns who pay for the children to go to school. The nuns and children have planted vegetables and trees in their garden. Eddie enjoys watering the plants. This is very important because Mozambique is a very hot country. The crops are very green and healthy and the children feel very lucky because they get three meals a day – many people in Mozambique don’t have enough food to eat.

The gift of a locally-sourced cow, along with training in how to care for it, can help a struggling family in developing countries in many ways. As well as providing milk to drink or sell, it can also be used to plough the land and its manure can help crops grow. The gift of a cow

The gift of a locally-sourced cow, can help a struggling family in the developing world in many ways. As well as providing milk to drink or sell, cows can also be used to plough the land and their manure can help crops grow.

you gave the world for us all to live on, Loving God, you gave the world for us all to live on, a world of wonder, beauty and plenty where no one should go hungry. We pray today for the people who work hard in the fields and for those who look after animals. May the seeds that we give grow and ripen under their care. Lord, teach us to look after the earth and to take care of our sisters and brothers around the world. Amen So now you can see all of the different World gifts that can make a huge difference to communities, from a community water supply, to a chicken! Let us say a prayer to think about all of the people who have been helped by a world gift, and for those who are in need.

World Gifts make a world of difference llustrations: Linda Bronson Photo Credits: Annie Bungeroth, Marcella Haddad, Nick Harrop, Caroline Irby, Caritas Internationalis