Pass the Present – for the child who has everything!
Oxfam Ireland Press Release
25 February 2008
Have you ever wondered if you could do anything about the huge amount of presents your child receives for his/her birthday?
Rosemary Lafferty, a Dublin mother of 3 young children, faced this dilemma, a problem familiar to many: “My children get so many presents on their birthday and they barely play with half of them. I started to wonder, what can I give a child who already has everything?”
That's when Rosemary had the bright idea for Pass the Present, a brainwave that will help with two problems at once: rather than have children receiving more birthday presents than they need, why not ask just a few of the party guests to donate to children living in poverty in the developing world instead? Other parents also loved the idea so Rosemary then approached Oxfam Ireland to further develop the fantastic new initiative and Pass the Present was born.
How it works
Here's how Pass the Present works – it's child's play! When you're preparing a children's birthday party, the parent/guardian or birthday child invites just a few guests to donate to Oxfam Ireland instead of buying the child a present. Oxfam Ireland in turn sends the birthday boy or girl a Puzzle Pack to acknowledge that they have shared with children less well off.
The fun part
The Puzzle Pack consists of a child-friendly letter, a Certificate of Thanks, educational activities and puzzles, a sheet on where the money raised from the party goes and some small Thank You cards to hand out to guests who donated on the birthday child's behalf. There is a different Puzzle Pack for each age group – so two children of different ages in a household will get different packs. The money raised from this goes all over Africa; whether it is bringing clean water to a village in Tanzania or medicines to a sick parent in Malawi , a child just like yours will benefit greatly from Pass the Present.
Alternatively, as a guest, relative or friend you can suggest to the parent or guardian that you donate the Oxfam Ireland 's Pass the Present instead of buying a gift.
For more information see www.oxfamireland.org/passthepresent
Contact:
For interviews with Oxfam Ireland fundraising team or Rosemary Lafferty please contact Oxfam Ireland 's Media Executive Paul Dunphy on 01 6350422.
Additional Information
All the Pass the Present print material is produced on 100% recycled paper.
Pass the Present is aimed at parents of primary school children, which is the age group where the biggest amount of presents is bought.
2008 sees Oxfam Ireland celebrate its own 10th birthday this year; Oxfam is celebrating its 60th anniversary of operations.
Sample Pass the Present packs are available.
Oxfam Ireland is an independent member of Oxfam International- a group of thirteen non-governmental agencies dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world.
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