charity

[baremission]

my dad wont tell me what he wants for xmas, says i shouldnt waste my money, but im 17 and so i can afford it just about! do u think it would be a good idea to get him one of those charity gift ideas, ie where u can buy a donkey for a family in a poor country on behalf of someone, if so can you reccomend any other charities that do this other than, oxfam, concern and wwf?

[B00]

Mr Boo got me a WWF one last year...Etin the Orangutan!! Despite being unsure why he bought me a monkey one (he trying to tell me summet???) it was an awesome gift, I got a DVD loads of info about him and a little cuddly orangutan (stuffed, not real). I've also received numerous updates about Etin throughout the year.

[Pea Pod]

I`ve told my daughters the same because I don`t need anything. I would rather they kept their money. Personelly speaking if they did this after telling them to save their money I would do my nut.

[BBWCHATT]

How about a donation to a children's home in his name?

[baremission]

even if it was just a little one, ie you can give about 9 pounds for some chickens or something

[lafrancaise]

Your dad would be most pleased if you spent some more time with him so why not get him a ticket for something (ie the cinema) where you could go together.

[saxy_jag]

My dad used to be like this. We'd go out and buy him pressies anyway and although he was grateful he'd still say, "you shouldn't have wasted your money - bar of chocolate would be enough."

Only thing is, Dad wasn't much of a one for charity (although he was generous to a fault with the family), so he'd still have said we were wasting our money. However, if you know your dad has his favourite causes and/or charities, then I think what you propose would be an excellent idea. If it was doing someone else some good, he couldn't complain really, could he.

What about sponsoring a child on his behalf through World Vision? Or what you could do is to first help a homeless person by buying a copy of The Big Issue, and then have a look at all the charity appeals/ads in its pages.

[teag1rl]

Apparantly the charities where you buy livestock for Africa etc(inc very well known ones!!) actually cause further problems for the people they are given to. Ie. they give family a nanny goat -they can drink her milk and use dung to fertilise garden. Then she gets preganant-offspring are males-no good for milk, not enough fodder to feed them up for meat cos of rubbish land and its arridity. They just end up extra mouths to feed and fetch water for. My source was the Mail on Sunday last Sunday-a paper I loathe but I wanted the Duran Duran CD however I don't doubt the story!

[Mograt]

Beware of people who tell you not to waste your money! I bet they'll be really disappointed if they received nothing - even if you made an 'ethical' donation or gave to charity. I very much like the idea above about tickets for something to do together.

[Kingaroo]

One charity that does what you are talking about is called the Heifer Project. They supply goats, chickens, donkeys, pregnant cows, etc. They are very careful to choose animals that are of maximum value and breeds that are appropriate for the climate (eg, cows don't do well where it's very hot... goats can eat nearly anything but sheep need grass... etc). I live in the US but I bet there's a way to donate from the UK too.

I think a gift like this will make your dad very proud of you, especially if presented with a card with a heartfelt note from you about how grateful you are to have been raised in comfort by your hardworking da. He'll keep the card forever, no matter how he feels about goats and chickens.