The very best charity cards

HOW IT WORKS

When you purchase an Unwrapped gift, your donation supports Oxfam’s lifesaving work around the world.

Your Unwrapped gift helps people living in poverty gain greater levels of self-sufficiency and control over their lives. Oxfam works with communities to determine what they need to change their own lives. Whether it’s a chicken, a cooking stove or a safe water source.

HOW PURCHASING A GIFT THROUGH OXFAM UNWRAPPED WORKS:

1. You choose your gift - HERE 

2. You choose the card-type (e-card, pdf, or print card) to be delivered to your recipient and personalise the message in the card (optional).

3. You will get a confirmation email after your purchase, containing your receipt.

4. Your symbolic gift is actually a donation - which goes to those who need it most. Because your gifts are considered charitable donations to Oxfam Ireland, your purchases can be tax efficient. For more information, please click here

WHERE THE MONEY GOES:

The money that you, and thousands of others, spend on Oxfam Unwrapped gifts supports the full range of Oxfam's work around the world, from emergency responses to advocacy projects. When you buy an Unwrapped gift, your donation will be allocated to one of four program funds:

1. Saving Lives Fund

We work with communities trying to adapt to climate change by creating emergency response plans and building infrastructure that can better withstand disaster. When it comes to saving lives during a disaster, fast action is critical. Oxfam staff are world leaders in speed and efficiency when it comes to delivering clean water and sanitation, food and shelter in a crisis situation. Oxfam Ireland uses the funds generated by the sale of gifts such as a Cooking Stove, Care for a Baby and Support for a Refugee Family to provide life-saving support to communities experiencing emergencies, whether they are man-made crises, such as the ongoing conflicts in Yemen and Syria, or natural disasters like Cyclone Idai. Climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of natural disasters – communities have to be prepared for when the worst happens.

Your Unwrapped gift provides a range of practical supports such as clean water, sanitation facilities, cash vouchers to allow households to buy food, mosquito nets to prevent malaria as well as personal hygiene items.  We also work to ensure that the rights of the most vulnerable – small children and the elderly, people living with HIV and those with disabilities – are recognised and supported.

2. Supporting Livelihoods Fund

We work with communities living in extreme poverty to develop their own solutions and work with them to make their vision a reality. Oxfam Ireland uses the funds generated by the sale of gifts such as A Goat, A Cow and Honeybees to work with poor communities to improve their livelihoods.

Your Oxfam Unwrapped gift helps communities which rely on livestock to earn a sustainable living. However, while the distribution of cows and goats may be the best solution for one community, agricultural training, grain banks or veterinary care might be more beneficial to another. We ensure that families living in extreme poverty have a say in finding the best solution for them and we work with them to make that solution a reality.  Because when people no longer have to worry about the basics, they can provide for their children and plan for their future.  This breaks the cycle of poverty.

3. Water For All - Safe water saves lives

It helps families to thrive. Oxfam Ireland uses the funds generated through gifts such as Safe Water for a Family, Get Well Soon and Water for a School to give communities access to clean water and sanitation facilities to help keep them safe from disease. Water and sanitation-related illnesses still cause significant health problems, while poor water supply exacerbates waterborne diseases including cholera and diarrhoea. Our water engineers look for the most effective and efficient ways to bring clean water to communities.

Your Oxfam Unwrapped gift could help set up or maintain a safe water supply with pumps, tanks and taps, purification systems or pipes. It can restore supplies after an emergency and provide health and hygiene training. These skills are critical to community well-being, not just now but well into the future.

4. Investing in the Future Fund

We work with vulnerable communities to ensure that they have access to key essential services such as education and healthcare. Oxfam Ireland uses the funds generated through gifts such as Educate a Girl, Road to an Education or Lifelong Learning to ensure that girls and boys, as well as men and women, have the right to the high-quality education and healthcare that can put them on a path to a sustainable future. Your Oxfam Unwrapped gift will help support girls and women of all ages to learn, grow and reach their potential. Girls are more likely to be kept or taken out of school, denying them life-changing opportunities. We are working to increase access to these vital services by advocating for the availability of resources and empowering poor communities to demand greater accountability from their governments on the allocation of funding for services.

Whatever gift you decide to give, we'll ensure that your money gets to the people who need it most.

If you have more questions about Oxfam Unwrapped, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions or contact us at irl-unwrapped@oxfam.org. To learn more about Oxfam, please visit www.oxfamireland.org