This Holiday Season Give A Goat, Solar Power And Change Lives With Mercy Corps Gifts

Symbolic gifts for any age; Mercy Corps offers an array of creative gifts, beautiful cards, and help for families in need.

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It feels like the holidays come earlier every year and with that the stress of finding a perfect gift for a special someone. For the father that already has a tie for every occasion to the child with one too many pets, Mercy Corps Gifts provide shoppers with an array of options for everyone on the list.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121109/DC10131)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110818/DC54665LOGO-a)

This holiday season, Mercy Corps is offering 20 new symbolic gifts that provide a meaningful and alternative way to show someone you care while providing lifesaving support around the world. Among some of the new additions are mosquito nets, supporting a new mother and even outfitting a bakery. Mercy Corps' online catalog features a gift generator tool that makes it even easier to navigate through the total of 57 different symbolic gifts and find the perfect match. 

"The holidays have always been about giving back and helping those in need," says Dan O'Neill, Mercy Corps' founder. "With a Mercy Corps gift you show people the power one small act of generosity can have in some of the toughest places all over the world."

For that foodie friend of yours, consider purchasing a hive of bees where your gift goes to training women's groups around the world on how to supplement their income with honeybees. Or maybe food carts are more their thing: give a food cart and help supply kids with healthy street food in the slums of Indonesia. For your kid with all those pets; give a yak, a camel or a goat to help families in need and show your child what it means to give back.

The available gifts symbolize the work Mercy Corps does in over 40 countries to transform lives and build resiliency in local communities. A gift featuring rural solar power represents the introduction of solar lanterns to improve the lives of rural people in Uganda. Computer skills symbolize the technology training Mercy Corps does in the Middle East to help bring people out of poverty and join the global market of ideas and services.

With prices starting as low as $18, Mercy Corps provides a variety of symbolic gifts to choose from. When you send a Mercy Corps Gift, your recipient receives a beautiful, full-color, personalized card on behalf of the sender. If you wish to save paper, a PDF version of your card is available to send electronically. At check out, you can easily personalize your gift card with a message coming straight from you.

A few of the symbolic gifts offered this holiday season, include:

• Launch a Woman Entrepreneur ($50): Often, all that stands between the dream of a small business and the reality are a few resources and a little encouragement. Through microfinance loans and specialized training in countries such as Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, Mercy Corps helps enterprising women turn their ideas into income.
• Goat ($70): From high-value wool to nutritious milk (and cheese!), one little goat can make a big difference for families living in some of the world's poorest places. Mercy Corps provides assistance for rural families to buy goats and receive training to help their livestock and farms flourish.
• Heal a child ($18): When disaster strikes, children suffer most. Mercy Corps trains teachers, caregivers and youth workers to understand and respond to the needs of children affected by traumatic events. Our programs use art, drama, storytelling and photography to help kids reflect on the events they've experienced – and imagine a better future.
• Toilet ($45): A Latrine gives a person some well-deserved privacy and protects the well-being of entire villages. It keeps water sources clean and families healthier. Mercy Corps helps communities plan, build, maintain and manage latrines in locations ranging from schools to displacement camps.

Visit http://gifts.mercycorps.org/media to see the full selection of gifts and place your order today.

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps helps people turn the crises they confront into the opportunities they deserve. Driven by local needs, our programs provide communities in the world's toughest places with the tools and support they need to transform their own lives. Our worldwide team in 41 countries is improving the lives of 19 million people. For more information, see mercycorps.org.

SOURCE Mercy Corps