Living Gifts

GIVE TRAINING

In the densely populated nation of Bangladesh, employment opportunities for women are scarce. At Sacred Mark in the city of Mymensingh a series of innovative projects are creating new hope. Former sex workers are starting new lives producing handmade soaps. At the research and design center, new threads are being created from readily available plants. On market days, discarded pineapple leaves are gathered and used for their fibre. Mina Begum (pictured) combs pineapple leaves to separate the fibres, which will be made into continuous thread. The program trains rural women to weave the thread into fabric and create clothing and products for sale. By empowering artisans to use the resources at hand, entire communities are being changed.

Your gift of empowerment creates new income generation opportunities for women in Bangladesh.

$35 design training
Assist Bengali women to develop fabrics and crafts from new types of fibre.

GIVE AN EDUCATION

Global Family sponsorship supports over 50 community-based education programs worldwide, providing tuition, room and board for students, and funding the development of school infrastructure. Global Family empowers children not only to go to school but to excel. School supplies and uniforms purchased through the program give children who could not otherwise afford to go to school the same opportunities as others while allowing their parents to focus on providing other basic needs and improving their family’s situation. Health programs and kits keep students in the classroom. In the Sangthong district of Laos, staff from a local hospital traveled 20 kilometres on a gravel road to provide children with a thorough lesson on tooth brushing.

Your gift of opportunity helps students expand their horizons and gain knowledge and self-confidence for a brighter future.

$24 school supplies
Provide school uniforms and supplies to a child, giving them access to education.

$300 give education
Sponsor a Global Family program for one full year.

GIVE TREES

In Haiti’s Dezam region, trees are vital to life, providing fruit for healthy diets, protection from erosion and a source of income. Recently, however, a combined lack of awareness and an increased need for income have resulted in deforestation of the region. MCC’s tree planting program provides not only trees but also the instructional materials and professional support to help teachers in 15 schools teach students how to care for seedlings and improve the soil. Teachers work with students to create small tree nurseries, transplant seedlings near students’ homes, grow plots of trees near schools and organize trash cleanup days. “My family grows trees so we can pay for school and other things,” says 13-year-old Beethovens Jerôme. “Now I know to plant ten trees for every one we have to cut down.”

Your gift of hope plants trees and educates students about the important role they play in protecting Haiti’s fragile environment.

$20 plant a seed for the future
Provides trees and environmental education to ensure a greener future for Haiti.

GIVE A SHEEP

The gift of an animal provides for generations. In Ethiopia, an MCC-supported initiative helps families raise sheep for income. Families are paid cash for their work in soil and water conservation projects such as planting fast-growing trees and constructing earthen dikes. The money earned enables them to buy local breeds of sheep that provide protein-rich food, wool for clothing and offspring for sale. Student Yelfign Walle, 16, is among some 80 young people who have been able to return to school through the project. Farmer Lingerew Ayele no longer works as a day labourer. Now, he concentrates on raising sheep and cultivating his land. “Thank you for the people who supported us,” he says. “I am very happy and am able to feed my family properly.”

Your gift of livestock does more than provide an animal. It gives families and communities the power to improve their own lives.

$57 give a sheep
Supports a program that helps Ethiopian farmers purchase sheep.

GIVE A FARMYARD

For farming families around the world, tending animals is a job for everyone, from young to old. Your gift enables families to develop healthy herds, broods and flocks. The meat, milk and eggs that animals provide can make a significant difference in helping families make ends meet. But owning a sheep, goat, pig or rabbit is only the first step. Success depends on developing skills to feed, care for and market animals. From teaching small animal management in Palestine and Kenya to introducing new ideas for raising goats in Bangladesh, MCC helps livestock producers and families learn new methods to keep their animals healthy and productive.

Your gift of food does more than provide an animal. It empowers families and communities to improve their own lives.

$350 fill the farmyard
Fill a farmyard with animals and help families change their economic status by providing a healthy diet and income.