insideKENT Magazine Issue 68 - November 2017 | Page 164
BUSINESS
SUPPORT A GROWING BUSINESS
THIS CHRISTMAS
For many people, buying christmas presents is a real
love/hate experience. WE LOVE THE IDEA OF IT, WE LOVE GIVING THE ACTUAL
GIFTS, BUT WE HATE THAT SINKING FEELING OF NOT KNOWING WHAT TO BUY
SOMEONE, OR WORSE, OF TRYING TO OUTDO THE IDEAL GIFT THEY FOUND LAST
YEAR. AFTER ALL, THESE ARE OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, SHOULDN’T WE
INSTINCTIVELY UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THEY WANT?
No, we shouldn’t. And we shouldn’t feel guilty about it either. People
are complicated, and Christmas is emotional, plus we’ve made buying
presents into something much bigger than it needs to be.
Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be. If you’re feeling stressed out by the
idea of getting your nearest and dearest something better than you got
them last year – even if they claim they don’t need or want anything
at all – the following ideas will definitely put your mind at ease. In place
of buying gifts, buying from an ethical business, or lending someone
start-up money that they would never otherwise be able to obtain is
an amazing way to turn Christmas back into what it should be: a time
of goodwill to all men, women and children on earth.
LEND WITH CARE
With as little as just £15,
you can entirely change
someone’s life through
www.lendwithcare.org.
The site works by
offering entrepreneurs
in developing countries
the chance to receive
investment from people
who are looking for
something good to do
with their money. And
of course, as it’s an
investment, you should be able to see a return on your money.
TECHNOSERVE
TechnoServe is another
excellent way to ensure
that your money goes
where it is most needed.
Focused on ideas that
have an unmet demand,
as well as potential for
growth that will not only
help the individual
behind the idea, but their
family and community
too, TechnoServe
welcomes one off
donations as well as long-term financial commitments.
www.technoserve.org/get-involved/ways-to-donate
GREEN TULIP
If you prefer to hand over
something physical to your loved
ones at Christmas, then why not
consider an ethical gift? The
products available at Green Tulip
are just that, ethically sourced and
all high quality too. Choose from
toys, furnishings, linen, stationery,
fashion and plenty more. There is
even a gift finder to help you pick
out the perfect present.
www.greentulip.co.uk
www.lendwithcare.org
WORLDVISION
There are over 700 million people
in the world who have to exist on
less than £1.44 a day. Worldvision
is there to help break the cycle of
poverty and allow people to do
more than just survive. If you
want to get involved in this
amazing scheme, you can do it
on one of two different ways. The
first is to give a one-off donation
of around £22, which will give
families support to help their
children. The other way is to
provide a loan for a
businesswoman, a scheme which starts with an investment of £90.
www.worldvision.org/our-work/economic-empowerment
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TRAID CRAFT
There are gifts galore
available at Traid Craft,
with something for
every member of the
family. And if you are
planning a Christmas
party, you can pick up
some gorgeous food
and drink to make it go
with a bang. You can
even buy your
wrapping paper and
Christmas cards
through this site which specialises in Fairtrade products.
www.traidcraftshop.co.uk