This Holiday Season Give Up Your Gifts for Africa

Canadians can accept donations instead of gifts

TORONTO , Dec. 1 /CNW/ - A new campaign is giving Canadians a chance to accept donations instead of gifts for the holidays.

The Give Up Your Gifts for Africa campaign challenges Canadians to give up their gifts for the holidays and to instead accept donations to help provide African communities with some of life's most basic needs: clean water, adequate food, primary health care and a safe and healthy environment.

The campaign was inspired by 8-year-old Gabriella Laws who traded in her birthday gifts last year for clean water in Africa and raised $950 to help provide Tanzanian school children with safe water.

Canadians can give up their gifts for the holidays by signing up at www.giveupyourgifts.ca.

They can choose to support critical projects in rural Africa to provide clean water, adequate food, and primary health care, etc., by setting up a fundraising goal and then asking friends and family members for donations instead of gifts.

The Give Up Your Gifts campaign is not just for altruistic individuals but teams and groups can also get involved. Instead of having office gift exchanges, companies and organizations can opt to Give Up Their Gifts for Africa .

Proceeds raised from the Give Up Your Gifts for Africa campaign go to support Canadian Physicians for Aid & Relief's (CPAR's) health and development projects in rural Uganda , Tanzania , Ethiopia and Malawi .

CPAR works in partnership with vulnerable communities and diverse organizations to overcome poverty and build healthy communities in Africa .

For further information: Roxane Tracey, Communications Manager, CPAR, [email protected], [phone] ext. 26, www.giveupyourgifts.ca