Give that Little Gift Called LIFE this X-mas

Give that Little Gift Called LIFE this Christmas

 “You can give without loving but you can never love without giving.”

– Robert Louis Stevenson

When I sat down the other day to go through the Survival Gifts catalogue that UNICEF sends me every year, it wasn’t particularly the photos that moved me to action; it was the stats.

The number of children dying in the world every day is not only staggering, it’s completely unacceptable. The vast majority of these deaths are easily preventable.

Here are a few stats – and simple ways we can help:

FACT: Every day, 1000 children die from unsafe drinking water

UNICEF survival gift: $29 purchases water purification tablets (3741 tablets), which will provide clean drinking water to 10 families for a year

FACT: Every 2 minutes, a child dies from malaria

UNICEF survival gift: $10 purchases 2 insecticide treated bed nets

FACT: Every day, 330 children die from measles

UNICEF survival gift: $10 purchases 22 measles vaccines

As an example as to how far a small financial gift can go, here’s where I directed my $99 UNICEF donation this December:

1. Water purification tablets: $29 = clean drinking water for 10 families for one year

2. Counseling one child for a month: $18

3. Measles prevention kits: $10 each x 2 is $20 = 44 measles vaccines

4. Bed nets: $10 for 2 nets x 2 = $20 for 4 nets

5. Plumpy’ Nut peanut based food packet: $12 for 21 packets (3 packets a day can help a malnourished child gain up to two pounds in one week)

So that $99 will help – or save – at least 100 lives.

Now that is a Christmas gift I can get behind. And perhaps you’ll be able to, as well.

Maryanne Pope is the author of A Widow’s Awakening, the playwright of Saviour and the screenwriter of God’s Country. Maryanne is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and the Chair of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. If you would like to receive Maryanne’s weekly blog, please sign up here.