Starfish would like to encourage you to send a very different kind of Christmas card this year to your friends and family in support of Starfish.
The idea is simple – they’d like you to spread the Starfish story by choosing a Christmas Wish from their online gift list to support one of the children in care and in return they’ll send you a hand-beaded keyring from a community project in South Africa, complete with a special gift tag of thanks attached to it. In turn they’d like you to pass these on to your friends as festive gifts to encourage them to support Starfish too. And you can of course buy one for yourself too!
You can choose from donating as little as £3, which will pay for a home visit from a caregiver giving a family emotional support when they lose a loved one to HIV/AIDS. For a little bit more, £9 will fund a food parcel, hundreds of which are distributed to families each month and provide them with their main source of nutrition when they’d otherwise go hungry.
Another massive need for many children is school uniform and supplies — the new school year starts in January and a gift of just £21 would enable a child to return to complete their education after Christmas. So, when you’re buying presents for your friends and family this festive season, perhaps add one more online at www.starfishcharity.org.
If you’re also keen to do your little bit for the environment this year, then Starfish are partnering with Charitygreetings.com to encourage supporters to send e-greetings across the miles to friends and family in South Africa.
‘Instead of sending a traditional Christmas card, send an environmentally friendly virtual Christmas card that will let friends and family know you are thinking about them, while supporting a worthy cause,’ urges Starfish’s Events and Marketing Executive, Ruth Charlton. Providing an innovative alternative to traditional greeting cards, virtual cards allow environmentally, ethically minded consumers to donate to a charity of their choice, at the same time as sending a festive message.
It only costs £2.99 to send 20 Xmas Charity Greetings and makes life that little bit easier when sending Christmas cards abroad. Not only can you choose the Starfish Christmas Wishes campaign postcard design but also from a range of countless designs to suit the tastes of all your desired recipients.
And finally, if you’d rather send a festive message via your mobile phone, Starfish would like to encourage you to make the simplest difference of all. Simply text ‘Starfish’ to 88100 and you’ll help feed an orphaned child in southern Africa for over a week. Your text will cost only £1.50 and this donation will bring a smile to a kid’s face this Christmas.
Starfish supports children across South Africa who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. The charity is currently working with more than 34,000 children in need, but many thousands more have been affected by the devastating consequences of this pandemic. As you can see, it’s very simple to make a difference this Christmas. Please support Starfish by choosing to make a Christmas Wish online, send e-greetings through www.charitygreetings.com or send a text of happiness this festive season.
For further information on the work of Starfish Greathearts Foundation in South Africa or to find out more about any of their Christmas initiatives, please visit www.starfishcharity.org or call the team on 0207 597 3797.