Give Mosquito Nets for Christmas

Give Mosquito Nets

When you get old enough, the question of “What do you want for Christmas?” can be hard to answer.

After all, if you’re an adult in the U.S. (right here), with kids (me too), you can usually go out and buy the necessities. And thinking of gifts you really want can be tough. A pain, even.

I’m not trying to be a Grinch. I know some people have it worse than others. But I’m saying that there’s an easy way to answer the question this year, depending on your situation.  Ask for something for someone else. Call it humanitarian, call it a load off your back — and a positive for someone who really needs a hand up.

The folks at the International Rescue Committee recently contacted me with a bunch of “thoughtful, last-minute, humanitarian holiday gifts.”

At the IRC Store , you can purchase  items for refugees, and the IRC will provide a nice acknowledgment card for your loved one.

These are gifts that can actually save lives. Remember what this season is about in the first place?

Some ideas from the IRC Store:

• A $24 first aid kit can provide a community health worker with the tools to treat basic ailments in a community affected by crisis;
• A $52 prenatal care gift can provide essential care for an expectant mother living in a war-torn area;
• A $60 farming kit, including seeds and tools, can help a family grow food;
• A gift of $100 pays for summer school for a newly arrived refugee child in the U.S.

Oh, and the mosquito nets. $18 can buy mosquito nets for a family of three living in a malaria-threatened area. Think about that the next time the cold and snow of winter has you down.

You may not have heard of the International Rescue Committee. They’re a U.S.-based nonprofit, have been around since 1933, and have been given high marks by charity organizations including The American Institute of Philanthropy.