This holiday season a unique & meaningful gift is just one click away

Plan Canada offers shoppers more than 40 socially-conscious gifts for any budget

CANADA, Dec. 4, 2014 /CNW/ - Whether you're trying to find a gift for the person who has everything, or you're choosing to forego traditional presents this year, Plan Canada's Gifts of Hope catalogue is filled with meaningful and unique gift ideas. Charitable gifts continue to gain momentum and popularity because the holidays are also about giving back and helping families and communities in need.

"Plan Canada's Gifts of Hope support real projects that change real lives and create a unique opportunity to turn holiday gift-giving into support for families in developing countries," says Jeff Cornett, Vice-President of Donor Marketing at Plan Canada. "We have great gift ideas for every person on your list; from the Quinoa project for the foodie in your life, to the Stack of books for the reader, to the Mom shop for the entrepreneur."

This year's catalogue also includes an added option, the Help prevent the spread of Ebola gift that will help fight the spread of the deadly virus in West Africa. This gift will help to get lifesaving information and supplies to children and families and will help train health workers and volunteers on hygiene and infection control procedures.

Any of these unique gifts would be ideal for teachers, co-workers and even party hosts – and the best part is so many of this year's Gifts of Hope have matching programs in place, so your gift goes even farther. With a matched gift, your gift will be matched with a donation by a government, foundation or organizational partner, giving more children the gift of hope, helping more families live better lives, and transforming more communities.

Consider pooling money among family members this year. Instead of buying each other gift cards, bank it to Send a girl to school, which gives her the gift of choices, too. Change up the office's "Kris Kringle" gift exchange and go in on a Herd of goats. Or give your kids a budget and let them choose something for another child who needs a helping hand – Gifts of Hope can be a special way for parents to gently teach their children about the world beyond their backyards and about how their gift is making life better for other kids, just like them, who live in other parts of the world.

The Plan Canada Gifts of Hope catalogue offers an assortment of more than 40 items. Starting at just $10, there really is a gift to suit any budget. Here are just a few examples of how gifts have made an impact over the past year:

• More than 200,000 people in Niger benefitted from clean water and sanitation
• 1,200 families received 3 hens and a rooster, impacting more than 6,000 people
• More than 600 girls were kept in school with the help of girls-only latrines in Ghana
• 2,300 goats were delivered to more than 450 families in Zambia

Want to make it even more personal? When you purchase Plan Canada Gifts of Hope, you will receive a free greeting card for the recipient, which includes a photo and description of the gift. Here are just a few gift ideas and how they work:

NEW! Help prevent the spread of Ebola ($110) MATCHED 8X
What you are really giving: Help stop Ebola in its tracks. With this gift, you will be helping to get lifesaving information and supplies to children and families. This gift will help train health workers and volunteers on hygiene and infection control procedures, and hold community awareness sessions and public radio campaigns on how to prevent the transmission of Ebola. It will also set up handwashing stations to prevent infection and help families stay safe, and provide food and hygiene kits for families so they can stay strong and healthy. Prevent people from getting sick, prevent suffering and save lives. 

The quinoa project ($35) MATCHED 6X
What you are really giving: This superfood is a super gift for almost 6,000 families in developing countries, where poor nutrition and health run rampant. This gift of a family garden includes everything necessary for growing that garden: quinoa seeds and other grain crops; training for growing and harvesting the crops; and the know-how to turn those crops into nutritious meals with cooking classes and recipe books. With this gift, you can help families become healthy and strong for life.

Girls' take-home rations ($25) MATCHED 4X
What you are really giving: Give the gift of food and the gift of education! Many girls in developing countries are often kept at home and out of school because of existing gender roles and stereotypes. With this gift, each month that a young girl regularly attends school, she will receive essential food items such as cooking oil or grains to take home to her family. Feed families, feed young minds, and be part of changing communities, one educated girl at a time.

Goat ($75)
What you are really giving: It just might be the most unique gift you'll give this year. Goats may make us chuckle with their antics, but the impact they have on a family's health and income is profound. They provide milk, which means essential protein for growing children, and the sale of offspring means an income to pay for housing, health, food and schooling. We're m-a-a-a-d about this gift!

NEW! Girl power ($100) MATCHED 10X
What you are really giving: Girls have a unique ability to change the world and the lives of those around them. This gift is about unleashing that power in every girl. It's about offering girls nourishment, education and protection. It's about creating schools that are safe, clubs where girls have a say, and classrooms where teachers encourage and nurture every student. It's about engaging boys and men to help achieve gender equality, and opening up economic opportunities to women so they can lead themselves and their families out of poverty. It's about creating a world where every girl has the chance to harness her unique power to shape her own future and change the world.

Clean water for families ($75) MATCHED 2X
What you are really giving: When you don't have access to clean water, it's hard to think about anything else. You can't stop worrying that a small sip of water contaminated from poor sanitation, for example, could be deadly for your thirsty child, or could make you so sick you can't work, putting your family at risk. Community-based water solutions, including training on proper sanitation, will bring clean water – and peace of mind – to families.

Give a gift that gives twice
Also available through the Gifts of Hope program are Gifts of Hope merchandise – tangible items like a cozy alpaca wool hat or a cuddly, stuffed goat that you can give to loved ones during the holidays. The money from all Gifts of Hope merchandise goes toward a general Gifts of Hope fund which is used to support children and families.

Buy a gift today
Gifts of Hope can be easily purchased online at plancanada.ca/gifts or over the phone at 1-800-387-1418.

About Plan and the Because I am a Girl initiative
Founded in 1937, Plan is one of the world's oldest and largest international development agencies, working in partnership with millions of people around the world to end global poverty. Not for profit, independent and inclusive of all faiths and cultures, Plan has only one agenda: to improve the lives of children. Because I am a Girl is Plan's global initiative to end gender inequality, promote girls' rights and lift millions of girls – and everyone around them – out of poverty. Visit plancanada.ca and becauseiamagirl.ca for more information.

To view and download high-resolution images of these gifts, please visit here.

SOURCE: Plan Canada

Media contacts: Dena Allen, Senior Media and Public Relations Manager, Plan Canada, T: 416 920 1654 ext 326, C: 416 723 6340, [email protected]; Giulia Cifarelli, Media and Public Relations Coordinator, Plan Canada, T: 416 920 1654 ext 538, [email protected]