Looking to give to someone less fortunate this holiday season? Or maybe give a gift in the name of a loved on? That would be a double gift, right ? Here is a great gift idea for many budgets looking to give back.
What are UNICEF Survival Gifts?
UNICEF Survival Gifts are a collection of 54 gifts essential for child survival and development grouped into six main categories: Water, Food, Health, Education, Play and Emergency.
These are real, life-saving and life-changing gifts – when someone orders a UNICEF Survival Gift the actual items are shipped from the UNICEF warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark, to children and families in need around the world.
Gifts range in price from $10, enough for 55 polio vaccines, to $38,159 for an all-terrain vehicle needed to reach children safely in conflict zones and in remote regions.
As part of the UN, UNICEF is active in almost every country helping the poorest, most vulnerable children in the world’s most inaccessible places. UNICEF is funded entirely by voluntary donations.
Canadians and Survival Gifts
Survival Gifts are growing in popularity with Canadians – last year, UNICEF Canada ranked third in contribution for children and families in need. The top five countries ranked by contribution:
- Sweden
- Japan
- Canada
- USA
- Italy
Top five most popular gifts Canadians bought in 2011 include:
- Bed Nets
- Water Purification Tablets
- Plumpy’Nut (a peanut-based paste used to treat severe acute malnutrition)
- Pencils for a School
- Storybooks
Some of the Survival Gifts that generous Canadians sent to the field last year:
- 9,713,261 (nearly 10 million) vital water items
- 362,737 education items so children can learn
- 773,022 vaccines to keep children safe from polio, measles, and tetanus
- 1,633,919 water purification tablets providing 8,169,595 litres of vital clean water
- 308,008 oral rehydration salts
- 284,714 packages of Plumpy’Nut therapeutic food – enough to feed 13,557 children 3 times a day for a week
- 361,120 pencils and notebooks so children could write and learn
New in the 2012 Survival Guide
New gifts available this year include:
- Anti-Infection Tablets: $20
- New Mother Pack: $30
- HIV Test Kits: $10
- Anti-Malaria Tablets: $10
- Polio Vaccines: $10
- Girls Education: $85
- Exercise Books: $23
- Learn and Play: $40
- Clean Water Kits: $28
- Silent Emergency Bundle: $20
- First Responder Kit: $50
- Soccer Balls (2 Balls): $12
- Soccer Balls for a Team (11 Balls): $60
While UNICEF Canada’s first priority is to save children’s lives, it is also essential to help children
develop.
- Gifts of education give girls and boys the knowledge, skills and confidence to overcome challenges and shape their own futures.
- Gifts of play help heal trauma, fuel imaginations, and let children forget their burdens and enjoy being kids.
About Purchasing UNICEF Survival Gifts
Canadians looking to give ethically this holiday season can place Survival Gift orders starting on October 1st, 2012.
Canadians can place orders online anytime at www.survivalgifts.ca or by phone at 1 888 777 0380.
Humanitarian Issues UNICEF Survival Gifts Address
Last year, UNICEF gifts helped children in 72 countries survive and thrive. Over the course of 2011, UNICEF responded to 292 humanitarian situations in 80 countries.
Of the close to 900 million people who lack access to clean water, almost half are children. Globally, waterborne illnesses are the second leading cause of death for children under the age of five.
Every year, 1.4 million children die from pneumonia, which is the leading killer of children under five. Despite this, only 30 percent of children with pneumonia are treated.
Each day, about 8,000 babies die within the first 28 days of life. Providing skilled care at birth is essential for the well-being of both mother and child.
Quality education is a basic human right yet approximately 67 million children of primary school age do not attend school.
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