Britons opt for ethical Christmas gifts
-06/12/05
Natural disasters such as the Boxing
Britons opt for ethical Christmas gifts
-06/12/05
Natural disasters such as the Boxing Day tsunami and tragedies like the London terror bombs have made people more compassionate and willing to give ethical and charity gifts this Christmas, from charities such as World Vision and Oxfam var uri = ‘http://impgb.tradedoubler.com/imp/inv/16162854/980712?’ + new String (Math.random()).substring (2, 11);
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reports the Independent newspaper.
One in four Britons has already signed up with a charity or is more likely to volunteer to help in the sector over this Christmas compared to other years.
Four out of 10 people believe that the death toll from events of the past year has made them more aware of the importance of the family during the festive season.
And one third said they have become more concerned with the suffering of others at home and abroad.
The survey of more than 2,000 people by YouGov for the homeless charity Crisis found that one in six of those questioned felt that their sense of community had been strengthened in the wake of the bombings and other disasters that have afflicted thousands of people around the world.
Shaks Ghosh, chief executive of Crisis, said: “What has been really heartening is that people have not just given money to appeals, but have wanted to get up and do something for others as well.
“At a time when there is a lot of commercialism around Christmas, I was surprised by the amount of people who are rejecting that message.”
She added: “I admit I have had some sleepless nights this year about the fact that a small charity like ours simply wouldn’t be able to compete with the sheer horror of the tsunami and the scale of the appeal that was launched for it.
“But this survey shows that people want to help in their own communities as well and do something close to home.
“It looks like 2005 will go down as the year when compassion was reawakened.”
The thinktank Ekklesia, which as part of its work raises money for peace and justice work around the world, also reports that thousands are opting out of the commercialism of the season and choosing alternative or ethical gifts this Christmas.
One of the most popular gift-giving schemes, run by a number of charities such as Christian Aid, Cafod, World Vision and Tear Fund, involves sending a herd of goats or a flock of sheep to the developing world as a gift on someone else’s behalf.
Ekklesia, which promotes such schemes, reports that during November visitors to its web site alone raised over £25,000 for peace and justice work by taking part in them. Ekklesia is on course to raise over £100,000 by the end of the year.
To find out more about Oxfam’s ethical gifts click herevar uri = ‘http://impgb.tradedoubler.com/imp/inv/16162854/980712?’ + new String (Math.random()).substring (2, 11);
document.write(‘‘);
To find out more about World Vision’s ethical gifts click here
You can also visit Ekklesia’s ethical Christmas section with lots of ethical gifts here
Britons opt for ethical Christmas gifts
-06/12/05
Natural disasters such as the Boxing Day tsunami and tragedies like the London terror bombs have made people more compassionate and willing to give ethical and charity gifts this Christmas, from charities such as World Vision and Oxfam var uri = ‘http://impgb.tradedoubler.com/imp/inv/16162854/980712?’ + new String (Math.random()).substring (2, 11);
document.write(‘‘);
reports the Independent newspaper.
One in four Britons has already signed up with a charity or is more likely to volunteer to help in the sector over this Christmas compared to other years.
Four out of 10 people believe that the death toll from events of the past year has made them more aware of the importance of the family during the festive season.
And one third said they have become more concerned with the suffering of others at home and abroad.
The survey of more than 2,000 people by YouGov for the homeless charity Crisis found that one in six of those questioned felt that their sense of community had been strengthened in the wake of the bombings and other disasters that have afflicted thousands of people around the world.
Shaks Ghosh, chief executive of Crisis, said: “What has been really heartening is that people have not just given money to appeals, but have wanted to get up and do something for others as well.
“At a time when there is a lot of commercialism around Christmas, I was surprised by the amount of people who are rejecting that message.”
She added: “I admit I have had some sleepless nights this year about the fact that a small charity like ours simply wouldn’t be able to compete with the sheer horror of the tsunami and the scale of the appeal that was launched for it.
“But this survey shows that people want to help in their own communities as well and do something close to home.
“It looks like 2005 will go down as the year when compassion was reawakened.”
The thinktank Ekklesia, which as part of its work raises money for peace and justice work around the world, also reports that thousands are opting out of the commercialism of the season and choosing alternative or ethical gifts this Christmas.
One of the most popular gift-giving schemes, run by a number of charities such as Christian Aid, Cafod, World Vision and Tear Fund, involves sending a herd of goats or a flock of sheep to the developing world as a gift on someone else’s behalf.
Ekklesia, which promotes such schemes, reports that during November visitors to its web site alone raised over £25,000 for peace and justice work by taking part in them. Ekklesia is on course to raise over £100,000 by the end of the year.
To find out more about Oxfam’s ethical gifts click herevar uri = ‘http://impgb.tradedoubler.com/imp/inv/16162854/980712?’ + new String (Math.random()).substring (2, 11);
document.write(‘‘);
To find out more about World Vision’s ethical gifts click here
You can also visit Ekklesia’s ethical Christmas section with lots of ethical gifts here