Make gifting meaningful this year

The Christmas catalogue will show you how to adopt a penguin for R500 from SANCCOB and help to conserve our endangered seabirds, or purchase a pair of school shoes for R150 for one of the estimated 7 million South African children who have to walk several kilometres to school every day from the Bobs for Good Foundation.

Alternatively, sponsor a globe for the St. Luke's Hospice Christmas Tree on behalf of a loved one. The lighting up of the Norfolk Pine tree has been a Cape Town tradition for the last 21 years, but this may be the last year they light up their 30-metre high tree due to financial constraints. You can help by sponsoring a globe for R375.

Alternatively, why not help a carthorse in need? For R355 you can provide a carthorse with a set of shoes, a bale of oat hay, a bag of horse meal and a bale of lucerne. As an additional stocking filler, donate a tree to a school or community for R90 through Food and Trees for Africa.

All of these worthy charitable organisations are the charity's beneficiaries, which means that after you have bought the special gift to support them over Christmas, you can keep supporting them for every time you shop and swipe your card.

Pieter Twine, MySchool GM says, "Globally, individuals are opposing mindless consumerism and long to be associated with organisations that care for those less fortunate than themselves. Christmas provides the ideal opportunity for giving back and we have a number of ways for the public to make a difference.

"Since the festive season is often a difficult time for the less fortunate, we want to reach out to as many as possible. We want to demonstrate that by supporting these initiatives you can give the gift that keeps on giving throughout the year - not only at Christmas time."

To spread more festive cheer, MySchool has begun an online customer competition that runs until 16 December, in which one supporter will win a prize each week by voting for his or her favourite Christmas gift idea featured on the website. In the final week of voting, the public can vote for their favourite 'gift that gives back'. The competition will culminate with the organisation donating R10 000 to the organisation whose charitable gift receives the most votes.

About the charities

MySchool acts as a channel that raises and delivers essential funding to schools, charities and environmental organisations in order to improve education and social development in South Africa. This enables members of the community to participate in the future development of our nation in a sustainable way.

MyVillage organisations are charities that care for people; MyPlanet organisations care for animals and the planet.

To choose a gift, go to www.myschool.co.za/christmas.