Oxfam has launched a new generation of Oxfam Unwrapped gift cards in time for Christmas, encouraging Australians to think consciously about their gift giving this year.
The new gifts will help transform the lives of people living in poverty by providing life-changing essentials like food and clean water but also helping women entrepreneurs kickstart their businesses or working with communities to find positive solutions to issues like climate change through advocacy.
The Christmas Hand Loom gift, for example, will help us to connect women in Sri Lanka with opportunities in a range of industries, from spice production to handloomed textiles meaning women have the chance to earn a decent living and lift their families out of poverty.
Meanwhile, funds raised from the Megaphone gift card will help people in the Pacific region to connect with government agencies and the private sector in their countries to use their voices to advocate for better policy solutions on issues like climate change policy and disaster risk reduction.
Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Lyn Morgain said that the new range of Unwrapped gift cards are more important than ever given the current challenges that people are facing in low-income countries.
“Our new range of socially conscious gifts has been designed to help us tackle the inequalities that keep people in extreme poverty, such as empowering women with the skills and confidence they need to engage in business and politics,” Ms Morgain said.
“Rather than exchanging unwanted gifts at Christmas that may end up in landfill, Australians can choose to do something really positive at this time of year.
“The interest in our recent Naughty or Nice list shows that Australians want to do some good when they buy something and purchasing an Unwrapped card gives them that opportunity.
“Our Unwrapped gifts have been making an impact for 15 years now, and they have funded material solutions to help people tackle poverty — be it a goat for a farmer in Afghanistan or a new well for a water-deprived community.”
Launched in 2006, Oxfam Unwrapped was one of the first ethical gift catalogues of its kind in Australia, providing a way for everyday Australians to think consciously about their gift giving, particularly at Christmas time – a time when many unwanted and unused gifts are exchanged by families and friends each year.
Oxfam last week released its Naughty or Nice list of Australia’s favourite clothing brands, which revealed that some of the country’s top brands like Lorna Jane, Myer and Peter Alexander are still lagging behind when it comes to transparency around paying a living wage to the people who make their clothes in some of the world’s poorest nations.
About Oxfam Unwrapped: Oxfam Unwrapped cards are the perfect charity gift cards – they’re all about gifts that do good. Each card represents a donation to a range of Oxfam projects, helping to transform the lives of people living in poverty. You can view the 2021 Unwrapped gift range at: https://unwrapped.oxfam.org.au/
For interviews and high-res images, contact Jackie Hanafie on 03 9005 7353 or jackieh@oxfam.org.au
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