Posted on 1st Dec 2010 @ 4:20 PM

Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped has got Turkeys voting for Christmas!

Q: What do 786 cows, 1,023 sunflowers, 1,284 piglets, 1,465 cooking stoves and 1,842 footballs all have in common?

A: During 2010 they helped thousands of people in countries such as Kenya, Rwanda and Zimbabwe to have a better life!

With an Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped gift, when you change the present you really do change a future.  Choosing an Unwrapped gift like a Cow or a Cooking stove means you are giving someone living in poverty in the developing world the chance of a better life.

The Unwrapped gift goes to a family or a community who needs it most in the countries where Oxfam Ireland works, so when you choose an Unwrapped gift you make a real difference to people’s lives.  You also receive a gift card and fridge magnet, which can be sent to friends or family.

This year the Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped range of gifts has increased again, with eight fantastic new gifts including: 3 bags of seeds (€7), Turkey (€20), Feed a family (€23), Mum and baby (€36), Teach a teacher (€45), Pair of rabbits (€25), Emergency kit for a family (€39) and, new and exclusive to the Unwrapped range of gifts in 2010, the Unwrapped Gift Voucher.The Turkey gift is another new Unwrapped gift for 2010.  Unwrapped Turkeys are a breed apart.  These industrious avian types are only getting started during the festive season, because for the recipient they represent a valuable source of breeding stock as well as a source of nutrient rich manure to help crops grow.  These Turkeys may not fly but for the recipient they help crop yield go through the roof.

The Mum and baby gift is new to the Unwrapped range in 2010 and an ideal gift for Irish Mums, Dads and even babies.  Pregnant mothers and new mums living with HIV and AIDS receive counselling and testing, pre- and post natal care, access to medicines, support and advice to minimise the risk of transmitting the disease to their baby.  Every baby deserves to be happy and healthy and this gift helps that happen.

The Emergency kit for a family gift is given to families to help them in the aftermath of emergencies such as the Haiti earthquake of January 2010.  The kit contains 2 towels, 2 tubes of toothpaste, 8 bars of soap, 8 bars of laundry soap, 4 toothbrushes, 2 hairbrushes, 12 packets shampoo, 40 sanitary napkins, 4 sets of bowls, plates, knives, forks, spoons and large cups.  Local people are paid to assemble the kits, which helps to stimulate the local economy.  The kits help to maintain hygiene, in order to prevent the outbreak of disease and also preserve a person’s dignity in times of adversity.

Teachers are always important, they inform and educate us, but with Unwrapped they can do even more!  The Teach a teacher gift provides training on HIV and AIDS awareness and education in school health clubs.  It encourages them to try new teaching techniques and teaches them about specific techniques for helping orphans and vulnerable children; so with this gift teachers become life-savers too.

Making a welcome return to the Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped range of gifts this year is the goat gift and the pair of goats gift.  Since receiving his goat gift Fred Kabambe from Malawi is a very happy man.  Having received a goat thanks to Oxfam Ireland’s Unwrapped shoppers he is now able to make proper compost manure that enables him to grow a new early-maturing, high-yielding type of maize.  According to Fred, “Now I can have food throughout the year and a source of income too”.  The eight bags of maize Fred grew last year earned him enough income to put a tin roof on his house.

Between the new catalogue and online options there are now 33 gifts to choose from in the Unwrapped range.  Prices start from just €7 for the 3 bags of seeds gift, up to €3,120 to provide fresh clean drinking water to an entire community in countries such as Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.  So there is a gift to suit any and every budget.

Other gifts include Flock of chicks (€13), Piglets (€29), Cows (€105), Cooking stove (€15), School books (€18), Fruit and veg garden (€48). 2010 also sees the return of an old favourite, the Goat gift (€38), or for the romantics among you a Goat couple gift (€76); every single gift is tailor-made to empower people and improve the lives of people and communities in Africa.

What’s Unique about Oxfam Unwrapped?

1. Gift Voucher – You choose the amount, as much as you like and the money goes to wherever Oxfam and our overseas partner organisations need it most.
2. All our Unwrapped gifts are real items chosen by people we work with to help them overcome poverty.
3. Every Unwrapped gift is sourced locally in the developing world, to help boost the local economy.
4. We can send your gift card directly to friends or family for you with a personalised message.

Unwrapped gifts can be purchased online, in your local Oxfam shop, by post and by phone (1850 30 40 55). Simply check out the website www.oxfamireland.org/unwrapped or visit Oxfam Ireland stores to find out more.

Notes to the Editor

Countries where Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped gifts apply: Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

This is the 7^th year of Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped and Oxfam Ireland has exceeded 110,000 gifts given to date.

Since the scheme launched in winter 2004, worldwide it has sold more than 3 million gifts and it has raised over €50 million to help fund projects in more than 50 different countries.

Since 2004, Oxfam Unwrapped has built over 200 classrooms around the world, constructed over 35,000 toilets, sold more than 200,000 goats, raised more than €1 million for teacher training and distributed more than 3.5 million bags of seeds and saplings.

Oxfam currently works in 84 countries around the world, as well as humanitarian crises where they arise, such as Pakistan and Haiti. Oxfam Ireland works primarily in Africa with local partner organisations to develop effective solutions to poverty and injustice. Oxfam Ireland currently has programmes in Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. From practical work supporting communities’ efforts to help themselves, through to influencing world policy, we work to empower the world’s poorest people to achieve their right to a future without poverty.

For further information or to request images, please contact Media Intern Alan Roche on 01 635 0428 / alan.roche@oxfamireland.org