Real Gift, Real Impact: Supporting Community Development for over 15 years
Published: Dec 4, 2024 Reading time: 4 minutes
Over the past fifteen years, we have brought gifts worth almost €10 million to those in need through our charity e-shop, Real Gift (Skutečný dárek). Each year, we try to contribute more and more. With gifts supporting health, education, water access, climate resilience, aid to Ukraine, and much more, Real Gift contributions make a real difference.
The holiday season is a time of happiness, giving, and reflection. Around the world, millions will celebrate with friends and family, sharing food, gifts, and local traditions. This year, give your loved ones a gift and help those in need all at once through our charity e-shop Real Gift (Skutečný dárek) (CZ). Over the past 15 years, gift-givers have spent over €9.5 million through the site. Since 2009, we have distributed 7,761 goats and sheep, more than 15,300 poultry, 323 cows and oxen, and 328 donkeys and carts to farmers in countries across Africa and Asia.
This year, we also want to help people affected by the floods in the Czech Republic and the people of Ukraine. Thanks to last year's donations, we distributed over 31,000 barrels and bottles of water in Ukraine, helping around 1,700 people monthly. For 1,000 kids in the Czech Republic, this meant school supplies and other support for their studies. We also treated 600 children in the Democratic Republic of Congo for malnutrition and built 3,000 toilets in Angola.
"We all think about who to buy for and what to buy before Christmas. Some gifts are a bit out of obligation or cluelessness. Buy a REAL gift and show that you are thinking about your loved ones and about making a difference. You'll be helping someone on the other side of the world who really needs it. You'll make someone happy, and you'll do a good deed at the same time. Check out our site. I also buy real gifts every year as a reminder of how well off we are compared to many places on the planet," says Simon Panek, director of People in Need.
New certificates will help traumatised children after the floods in the Czech Republic
In autumn this year, a 100-year flood swept through many places in northern Moravia and Silesia. Thanks to the new gift, Floods, we will help people buy tools and household equipment, dry out their homes, and reconstruct them. The new certificates also go to children affected by the disaster.
Purchasing a Strength for the Child's Soul gift will give children in the Czech Republic access to expert care to provide relief from trauma. "I have struggled with mental health issues since I was a child: severe depression, panic attacks, and self-harm. Other children are now standing in my shoes. A lot of them don't get professional help, but that can be changed," says influencer Sofie Šarláková in our new video (CZ).
"Personally, I love the gift of Girl Power. I have seen how difficult it is for women in some countries, for example, in Nepal, where many are forced into child marriages," explains Tomáš Vyhnálek, the "father" of the Real Gift.
From Agriculture to Education
We believe that education is the way to a better future. The war in Ethiopia's Tigray region ended in November 2022, but the impact on people's lives continues. The conflict has resulted in the closure of over half of the local schools. That's why we've renovated 16 classrooms in four schools in the area and refurbished toilets and washrooms so that boys and girls can access safe facilities and drinking water. The dinner voucher is for those suffering from malnutrition, and The Childhood in War Certificate will support education for young refugees fleeing war.
Last year in the Czech Republic, thanks to Real Gift, we helped children from disadvantaged backgrounds with Czech, maths, languages, and other difficult school subjects, supporting over 1,000 children and young students. We also distributed menstrual supplies to more than 60 schools to keep young girls in school without disruption or taboo.
Hope for Ukraine was our most successful certificate last year, though animals are the best sellers every year. We donated 45 pregnant cows and 15 bulls to farmers in Zambia. "With the drought came problems, sometimes we eat only once a day. We never dreamed of having cattle. The cows are the reason we can make a living," said Nawa Lindunda and Kalaluka Lubasi from Zambia. In the country, we also distributed climate-resilient vegetable varieties and trained farmers in the use of biogas plants.
Can a Christmas present make a difference in the world? Last year, 1,785 people tried doing so through our Skutečný dárek (Real Gift) charity shop (CZ), contributing nearly €800,000 (CZK 21,172,800). People bought the Ten Chickens certificate the most, while Hope for Ukraine brought in the most money.
