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Here are the most important gifts to add to your list this year if you're in the spirit of giving

Even if you feel like you've finished your holiday shopping for the season, there's one more easy-to-grab, affordable and life-changing gift that you should definitely add to your list: a Gift of Hope.

Plan International Canada has been helping advance children's rights and equality for girls in dozens of countries worldwide for decades, and this time of year is the perfect time to give one of the organization's charitable Gifts of Hope, which go directly to real projects that change real lives.

Unlike a general donation, a Gift of Hope funds a tangible gift of your choosing, whether it's sending a girl to school in a country where she may otherwise not be able to; providing communities with much-needed water purification kits and mosquito nets; or stocking up a pharmacy in a low-income nation with basic medicine needed to save lives.

Here are a few other popular Gifts of Hope that you can give right now to meaningfully impact the lives of children around the globe:

Food Basket

As we approach the season of gathering with loves ones and feasting here in Canada, there are millions of children who have to wonder daily where their next meal will come from.

plan canadaWith Plan International Canada, you can provide pregnant women, children and young families with stocked food baskets full of nutrient-dense staples like beans, cereal blends and more to help prevent malnourishment and worse.

This gift is matched, so each $50 purchase by you gives a whopping seven times more in value.

Goat

While some children might expect a kitten or a puppy as a pet, children and their families in other parts of the world are hoping for an animal that has a specific benefit to help them earn a living — like a goat.

plan canadaAt just $80, a goat can provide nutritious, protein-rich milk for children for years and can even give a family future income-earning potential. This best-selling choice through Plan International Canada — which has already delivered more than 6,900 goats supporting more than 19,000 people — may be the most unique gift you give this year, or ever!

School Meals

For just $10, you can help students in other parts of the world get through their school day with bellies full of nutritious meals. Funds go toward ingredients, cookware and clean water for school meals in their classroom.

This gift is another matched item, supported by the organization's partners, meaning your donation also goes five times further!

School Essentials

Through Plan International Canada, you can provide a child (just $18), multiple children ($54) or an entire classroom of children ($265) in a low-income country with school essentials like textbooks, writing utensils, teacher training and more so that they can get an education and the best possible start at life.

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LGBTQ+ Safe Spaces

For LGBTQ+ youth in parts of the world, the building blocks of survival include not only food, fresh water and education, but also confidence, advocacy and spaces where they can safely be themselves.

plan international canadaWhen you give $50 to this cause, Plan International Canada directs funds to create these spaces for such youth to learn about their rights, become empowered and access legal and psychosocial counselling and health services. This gift is matched six times.

Check out all of the 60+ Gifts of Hope that you can give through Plan International Canada today. Donate and make a difference at PlanGifts.ca.

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Plan International Canada


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