Need a gift and not sure what to buy? Does the person you are buying for seem to have everything already? If so, why not help a charitable cause and give a gift that can be treasured as well as being of immense practical value.
Good Nature Gifts (RSPB) 
• www.goodnaturegifts.com
Alternative gifts with a countryside feel from the RSPB. Why not give a vulture chick care and help save vultures from extinction? Or maybe plant 10 metres of hedgerow? There are lots of gifts to choose from and each comes with a card (which can be personalised) and a voucher explaining its practival value. You can also request a catalogue. UK tax payers can tick the Gift Aid box and the RSPB can claim the tax you pay on the purchase back from the UK government.
Oxfam Unwrapped
• www.oxfam.org.uk
Oxfam has 50 "funusual" gifts from £15 to around £20,000 for those feeling particularly generous! All items on the website have been classifed as essential to the communities where Oxfam works, so whether you buy mosquito nets or build a classroom, you know that your money is making a difference. You can buy online or request a catalogue.
Practical Presents
• www.practicalpresents.org
Headers: Charity Gifts
Buying for someone who already has everything? Practical Action works with local communities to provide sustainable solutions to poverty. So you could, for example, buy a solar dryer to preserve fruit and vegetables for villages in the Northern Himalayas. There are lots of gifts such as this available from under £30 right up to £5000. You receive a special card highlighting the gift you have chosen plus a photograpah and details of the project. Practical Presents is operated by the charity Practical Action which was founded in 1966. It's aim is to reduce poverty in developing coutries by the sustainable use of technology - i.e. practical solutions. Make a difference to communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Unicef Shop
• www.unicef.org.uk
UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, champions children's rights globally, working with communities and influencing goverments. The Unicef Shop allows you to buy alternative gifts that make a difference, such emergency shelters, water pumps, "school in a box" and much more. Gifts start at around £9. There is also a range of "traditional" gifts for children and cards.
World Vision - Gifts
• www.greatgifts.org
Headers: Alternative Gifts
World Vision is one of the world's leading relief and development agencies. Gifts bought from here go directly to help someone in the third world. Your gift could be anything from a mosquito net (£5.00) to upgrading a school (£4800.00). There are 54 gifts to choose from. For each gift you buy, the recipient receives a gift card and certificate with a personalised message.
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