November 18, 2024

Your Extraordinary guide to holiday giving

This year, your holiday gift can support an Extraordinary Woman or empower an artisan. Check off your holiday shopping this year with BRAC.

A magenta designed graphic that reads "BRAC 2024 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE" alongside a portrait of a woman in BRAC's Ultra-Poor Graduation program in Bangladesh.

BY SARAH ALLEN

This holiday season, chances are you’ll see plenty of holiday gift guides offering everything from the latest tech gadgets to cozy sweaters or socks. Amid all the noise, it can be challenging to choose a gift that you know someone will use and love.

What if you could do something a little different for your holiday shopping this year? How about sending the people you love a gift that is quick and easy, sustainable, and makes a real impact

This year, you can. Keep reading for BRAC’s top holiday gift recommendations for any budget: deeply impactful gifts that you can feel good about, and that are guaranteed to make the people in your life smile. 

 

A girl holding up a workbook in a BRAC school with a big smile.

$5: Send a girl to school for a month

When you’re working with a small budget for an acquaintance, colleague, or friend, $5 might buy a stocking stuffer; like some chocolates or a fun pair of socks.

But when making a donation to BRAC, your $5 gift can send a girl to school for a month in a country like Bangladesh. 

Access to quality education is critical: Without it, girls the world over are at higher risk of child marriage, teen pregnancy, and becoming trapped in a cycle of poverty. But for just $5, you can power a month of school for a girl in Bangladesh who otherwise would not have access to primary education. 

Why not make a $5 gift in honor of a colleague or friend and send them an e-card to let them know? Your gift can power a girl with the tools she needs to reach her potential and grow up to be an Extraordinary Woman.

Want to deepen your impact? Consider making a recurring gift of $5 per month in someone’s honor to enable a girl to learn all year long. It would be a perfect gift for the teacher or education advocate in your life!

 

An image of a woman farmer standing in a rice field in Liberia and holding harvested rice.

$25: Train a smallholder farmer in climate-smart agriculture

During this season of giving, many of us will be gathering with family, friends, and loved ones to share food and celebrate. Why not give your loved one a gift that celebrates the smallholder farmers that produce nearly a third of the world’s food?

For $25, you could extend training and support to a woman smallholder farmer, enabling her to adapt to climate change, improve her yields, boost income, and provide nutritious food to her community.

Make your holiday gift today in honor of a loved one, and send an e-card to let them know.

 

Image of a woman community health worker providing a medication to a young boy in Uganda.

$100: Train a woman to deliver lifesaving care to moms and babies

Do you have a friend, family member, or partner in your life who works in health care? Consider a gift that speaks to their passion. 

For $100, your gift could train a woman in Uganda as a community health worker, enabling her to deliver lifesaving health care to mothers and babies in her community.

Give now and send an e-card to let your loved one know about their gift.

 

A group of four young women in a BRAC youth empowerment club in Tanzania smiling and posing.

$200: Enroll a young woman in a year-long youth empowerment program

Just $200 could enroll a young woman from an at-risk community in East or West Africa in BRAC’s flagship youth empowerment program, AIM. 

Over the course of one year, she’ll build community with other girls in the program, learn important life skills that help her make healthy decisions and stand up for her rights, and receive tailored support and mentorship. She’ll also train in a demand-driven trade of her choice, and receive the capital or connections she needs to start her own business or a career.

Looking for a more affordable way to empower a young woman? Consider a gift of $52, enough to sponsor a girl for three months of the program, or $17.33 for a month of participation.

Set up your gift now to extend tools, support, and knowledge to a young woman, and send an e-card to let a special person in your life know.

 

A portrait of a woman in BRAC's Ultra-Poor Graduation program in Bangladesh smiling.

$500: Power an Extraordinary Woman to lift her family out of extreme poverty

Looking for a gift that will make a big impact? For $500, you can power an Extraordinary Woman to sustainably lift her family out of extreme poverty. This holiday season, give the gift of hope!

Just $500 can fund a woman’s participation in BRAC’s flagship Ultra-Poor Graduation program, where she’ll have access to comprehensive services and support that enable her to learn a marketable skill, build a business, develop multiple streams of income, and become financially stable. 

95% of participants in Bangladesh graduate out of extreme poverty within two years, and economic gains continue long after the program ends. 

Investing in BRAC’s proven Ultra-Poor Graduation approach is a life-altering way you can make an impact this season. Send your $500 gift today to lift a family out of extreme poverty and send an e-card to let your loved one know.

 

Bonus! Looking for a more tangible gift?

Support a woman artisan by purchasing a handcrafted gift on any budget from Aarong, BRAC’s most fashionable social enterprise.

BRAC’s flagship lifestyle brand in Bangladesh, Aarong, now ships to the USA. Each product is handmade by an artisan in Bangladesh. BRAC trains women artisans in trades like screen printing, sewing, embroidery, woodworking, and more, and artisans can sell their items through Aarong while receiving fair prices for their work. 

As a social enterprise, Aarong’s profits are funneled back into social development programming supporting artisans. By purchasing a gift from Aarong, you can rest assured that your gift is supporting a good cause and empowering Extraordinary Women.

From clothing and jewelry to homegoods to traditional crafts and toys, Aarong has a variety of products at a variety of price points, perfect for anyone in your life. Personally, I love their table linens and their handmade soaps, and will be purchasing them as gifts for all of my friends this year!

Plus, right now, Aarong is running its year-end sale! Purchase your gifts by November 23rd for up to 70% off select items! Shop Aarong’s womens, mens, childrens, and home departments today.

 

Honor someone in your life with a gift for Extraordinary Women today.

Give the gift of hope this holiday season. Make a gift to empower an Extraordinary Woman in honor of a loved one, and select one of our special e-cards below to share news of your gift.

 

A gif flashes between five designed e-cards that speak to a variety of different gift options.

This season, we’re on a mission to raise $1 million for Extraordinary Women. Will you join us? Learn more about our Extraordinary campaign. 

 

 

Sarah Allen is Communications Manager at BRAC USA.