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The World of Gifts campaign has begun!

October 4, 2019

By Janice Biehn

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It’s time to take your opportunity of a lifetime.

These specially selected 25 gifts are your opportunity to create opportunities for the people living and working in our partners’ communities. Gifts in this year’s guide align with many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. All of the gifts provide opportunities to improve Gender Equality (SDG#5), and:

Opportunities to drink clean water

  Opportunities to adapt to climate change

  Opportunities to grow healthy food and earn an income

  Opportunities to bring a baby into the world safely and maintain strong physical and mental health

  Opportunities to support Indigenous Communities

One of those gifts is an opportunity to support the Anglican Church of Canada’s Indigenous Ministries’ youth suicide prevention programs. Last year the World of Gifts raised $24,000 for this work and PWRDF is pleased to provide this platform to Indigenous Ministries to raise funds for their important work in this area.

Overall, last year’s World of Gifts campaign brought in $534,000 for our program partners ($468,000 from October to December 2018 with the rest during 2019). This was an increase from the year before and we hope to see another increase with the 2019-2020 campaign.

World of GiftsThe four-page guide (click on cover at left) appears in the centrespread section of the October issue of the Anglican Journal. It will also appear as an insert in the November issue and again as the centrespread of the December issue. But you don’t need the newspaper in your hands to order your gifts. Simply visit the online store at pwrdf.org/worldofgifts and get started. Our site is built on a Shopify platform and handles credit card orders safely and securely. You can also make your gift using your PayPal account. You can still fill out the order on paper and mail it in, or call us toll-free Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST) at 1-866-294-6899 and make your gift over the phone.

There are many popular and returning gifts, such as goats, cows, pigs, and seeds and tools for farmers. We are pleased to introduce two new partners to this category, St. Jude Family Projects in Uganda (pineapple seedlings) and ILSA in Colombia (chickens). We have also added organic farm supplies with our partner in Tanzania, the Diocese of Masasi. As climate change continues to threaten vulnerable communities, small holder farmers need continued support with diverse seeds, proper equipment and livestock.

Another new item this year — featured on the cover — are Shallow Water Wells with our new partner in Kenya, Utooni Development Organization (UDO). You have the opportunity to “pipe up” with a gift of $65, “get pumped” with a gift of $825 or “dig deep” and fund an entire well with a gift of $3,000. This type of “big ticket item” has proven popular with parish groups who are looking to fundraise for a large project.

The shallow wells are a classic example of climate adaptation. As the rainy seasons bring less rain, and higher temperature dries up traditional water sources, communities need to harness the water around them. Shallow wells are built creating a catch basin from the rivers as they flow to the sea. Local villagers dig the wells by hand. Culverts and porous membranes are installed to keep the water clean and the sand acts as a natural filtration system as the water overflows from the rivers into the wells. PWRDF plans to support UDO building 45 wells over the next three years. You also have the opportunity to make the clean water more accessible with a gift of $50 that will support UDO in providing large water tanks to elderly community members, or donkeys (who can carry the water) to younger families.

Another new opportunity in this year’s gift guide is a crowdfunding project to buy an ambulance. Our partner in Burundi, Village Health Works, knows an ambulance can save a mother’s life during labour. An ambulance costs $75,000, but with a 6:1 match from the Government of Canada, PWRDF needs to raise only $10,700. When you make a donation to this gift, you will be able to see the funds grow.

Throughout the World of Gifts guide you will see maple leaf icons wherever the Government of Canada is matching funds as part of our All Mothers and Children Count program. This four-year program comes to a close at the end of March 2020, so parishes wishing to fundraise through Lent should send their donations in by March 31, 2020.

In Your Honour

Many people wish to give gifts through the World of Gifts in honour of a loved one. We’re making it even easier this year. Simply indicate on your order form or online that you would like to have gift cards sent and we will mail you a card for every item purchased. You can also download the In Your Honour cards from our website and print them yourself. Ecards are also available when you order online.

How you can help

Be sure to promote the World of Gifts in your parish or community with this World of Gifts poster or bulletin insert. Share our posts on Facebook and Instagram, and retweet us on Twitter.