10 GIFTS OF KINDNESS TO GIVE NOW

Kindness is a beautiful gift. We all want to receive it. We all need to give it.  With Thanksgiving around the corner, reminding us of the gifts we have, and with this year’s prime gift giving coming up soon, we’d like to suggest putting some gifts of kindness on your shopping list.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development organization. It helps people in over 40 countries and 22 US cities whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. It offers a collection of gifts that you can give to bring kindness and relief to people who need it most. We’re showcasing a selection of IRC gifts for your consideration.

Every human being needs and deserves kindness, no matter who they are or what their circumstance. People who have survived the atrocities of war, violence, rape, natural disaster, and other assaults to their humanity need kindness even more. In just this past year (2016), IRC helped more than 26 million people.

The American Institute of Philanthropy gives the IRC an A+ rating; the Forbes Investment Guide named the IRC one of 10 gold star charities, so you know your IRC gifts will really have an important impact. Check them out below.

1. GIFT: SHELTER

Each gift provides four families with a roof over their heads. When disaster strikes, families run for their lives, often fleeing with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Millions end up in refugee camps, seeking food, water and safety. At camps around the world, the IRC hands out shelter materials, such as rope and sturdy plastic sheeting, so uprooted families can put a roof over their heads. $54 can provide four families with the materials they need to construct a temporary shelter that will help protect them from harsh weather. Give the Gift of Shelter.

2. GIFT: A BABY GOAT

Beyond being adorable, a baby goat is a very valuable asset to people in places like South Sudan, where ongoing conflict has spurred a food crisis and milk can be scarce. The IRC is helping families to survive and rebuild their lives with the delivery of baby goats. A goat can give a family in need nourishment as well as a sustainable source of income and a chance to regain economic independence. Give a baby goat.

3. GIFT: CLEAN WATER

Clean water is essential to life. But when a crisis hits it is in scarce or non-existent supply. The IRC is there, supplying families with clean water and other emergency aid. Clean water and proper sanitation reduce the risk of deadly diseases in crowded environments, like the displacement camps in war-torn Syria. The IRC gives millions of people access to clean water and sanitation, helping to prevent dehydration and stop the spread of disease. Give a Gift of Clean Water.

4. GIFT: A YEAR OF SCHOOL

Give a Year of School to give a young child who has been a victim of a humanitarian crisis a chance at a brighter future. A safe learning environment, in places like Congo and Syria, can provide children with a sense of normalcy, helping them to heal from trauma and protecting them from abuse and exploitation. Being in a classroom gives conflict-affected children hope as they continue to learn and plan for a brighter future.

The IRC helps to educate millions of children around the world. Give the Gift of a Year of School.

5. GIFT: SCHOOL SUPPLIES

A backpack of school supplies, along with caring guidance and support, can help ease a refugee child’s transition to a new school. The first day of school can be an anxious one for any child. Imagine the first-day jitters of a refugee child—the new kid not only in class, but in an entirely new country. The IRC offers school supplies, along with caring guidance and support, to help thousands of refugee children settle into their new schools in the United States. Give a Gift of School Supplies.

6. GIFT: A NEW CLASSROOM

In places like South Sudan, Syria, and Lebanon, conflict and displacement have left many children without access to an education. Each year, the IRC helps educate more than 1 million girls and boys in crisis zones around the world. Your gift can help reopen a school by outfitting a classroom with chairs, tables, chalkboards and other essentials so students and teachers can return, learn and thrive. Give a Gift of a New Classroom.

7. GIFT: SAFE SPACE FOR CHILDREN

Daily life in the aftermath of disaster is especially traumatic for children. The IRC moves quickly after a crisis to set up dedicated play areas with supervised art, sports and music activities, enabling young survivors to interact with each other and begin to heal. Games, toys, art material, sports equipment and other playthings help children cope with fear and stress and let kids get back to being kids. Give a Gift of a Safe Space for Children.

8. GIFT: COMMUNITY GARDEN

What better way to connect people to a new land than through the soil itself? The IRC New Roots Program helps recently resettled refugees in the United States to grow and sell crops through community gardening. The IRC provides the plots and planting materials. The people bring the agricultural knowledge from their homelands. The result: fresh food, extra income and a shared sense of community pride. Simple seeds, tools and gardening supplies can help a refugee family reap a bountiful harvest in a new land. Give a Gift of a Community Garden.

9. WOMEN’S SMALL BUSINESS TRAINING

In the aftermath of war, survivors must pull together to rebuild their communities. Bolstering local economies is a key to recovery and women have a critical role to play. The IRC provides small business training in places like Liberia, where market-savvy women are often natural entrepreneurs. Small businesses help women generate income for their families and lift the fortunes of entire community. Give a Gift of Women’s Small Business Training.

10. GIFT: A HEALTHY PREGNANCY

Every day, approximately 800 women die during pregnancy or childbirth—often from preventable causes. In places like Kenya, we train local women to be midwives, who provide critical care for expectant mothers from pregnancy through childbirth. A trusted midwife provides a mother-to-be with the advice, medical assistance and other support she needs to keep herself, and her baby, healthy. Give a Gift of a Healthy Pregnancy.

Beyond your gifts of kindness, consider supporting other important current IRC initiatives. The IRC has spearheaded a campaign urging the United States to pass the International Violence Against Women Act, which is now before Congress. The organization has also advocated for the United States to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; 196 nations have signed this UN convention; the US is the only UN nation which so far has not. The IRC needs our support.

Read more about Beautiful Kindness all this week on BeautifulNow.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: Tara Todras-Whitehill. Courtesy of International Rescue Committee UK. Lesbos, Greece.
2. Image: Courtesy of International Rescue Committee UK. Ethiopia.
3. Image: by Tambako The Jaguar. “Baby kissing the mother.” Fontaine-André Abbey near Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
4. Image: by Mulugeta Ayene. “Year 8 student pours water as student waits at Rephi Primary School, Lanfuro Woreda, Ethiopia. The IRC provides water to the town.” Courtesy of International Rescue Committee UK. Lanfuro Woreda, Ethiopia.
5. Image: by Aubrey Wade. “Children during a class in a school of North-Kivu, DRC.” Courtesy of International Rescue Committee UK. North-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
6. Image: by Peter Biro. “Girls at an IRC-supported school, Logar, Afghanistan.” Courtesy of International Rescue Committee UK. Logar, Afghanistan.
7. Image: “How Education is reaching children in Pakistan.” Courtesy of International Rescue Committee UK. Pakistan.
8. Image: The International Rescue Committee & Sesame Workshop working to help displaced refugee Children. Courtesy of International Rescue Committee UK. The Middle East.
9. Image: by Sandy Huffaker. A gardener tends to her crops at the New Roots Community Farm run by the International Rescue Committee. San Diego, CA. Courtesy of International Rescue Committee UK.
10. Image: by Tommy Trenchard. Gborlu Koiwo & her daughter Mamie. Courtesy of International Rescue Committee UK. Lofa, Liberia.
11. Image: “Ihab was born as his mother fled the battle for Mosul. His father was killed in the early days of the fighting.” Courtesy of International Rescue Committee UK. Mosul, Iraq.
12. Image: “Healing Classrooms.” Courtesy of International Rescue Committee UK.
13. Image: by Rod Waddington. “Wolayta Woman.” Ethiopia.
14. Image: by Albert Gonzalez Farran, UNAMID. ”A disabled woman building her own house.” Abu Shouk camp. North Darfur.
15. Image: by BN App - Download now!
16. Image: by Juliette Delay. Courtesy of International Rescue Committee UK. Nigeria.