While the festive season is usually a time when many of us like to splurge on gifts for loved ones, it can also be a time of enormous struggle for those experiencing poverty globally.

While data for 2021 and 2022 is not yet widely available, according to World Bank estimates, COVID-19 had a profound impact on health and wellbeing around the world, and drove an additional 90 million into extreme poverty in 2020.

Opportunity International Australia is ending poverty in developing countries – one family and one community at a time. By providing small loans to families in need, Opportunity helps them grow their own businesses and generate sustainable incomes – creating a new future for generations to come.

With Australians forecast to spend billions in the pre-Christmas sale period (according to Roy Morgan), despite cost-of-living pressures, why not be generous and spend a small amount on Gifts of Opportunity to make a world of difference? You can find the perfect Christmas present for friends and loved ones in the Gifts of Opportunity catalogue.

Starting from just $7, each gift represents an item that a family living in poverty commonly buys with a small loan from Opportunity – enabling them to grow their own business, earn a regular income and begin to leave poverty behind.

For Vandana in India, it was a chai stall that changed everything for her family.

Vandana used to earn just Rs.4,500 (A$80) a month working shifts in a label-making factory in Nagpur, India. Each day, she would look longingly at a little shop near the factory that sold snacks and drinks, dreaming that maybe one day she could own a shop and earn enough money to help her family out of poverty.

But with barely enough income to pay for everyday expenses, there was no money for her to begin.

A small loan from Opportunity changed everything. Using the loan to purchase supplies, Vandana set up a chai stall near a busy bus stop outside the city, selling the tea to workers on their morning commute.

Today, Vandana’s income is more than nine times what she made in the factory. Together with her husband they are using the profits to install electricity and make improvements to their home and hope to soon adopt a child.

“The last few years have shown us that we have never been more aware of our shared humanity,” said Scott Walters, Chief Executive Officer of Opportunity. “By buying a Gift of Opportunity you are helping families in need pave a pathway out of poverty this Christmas.”

To browse the catalogue and purchase your Christmas gifts, visit our Gifts of Opportunity charity gift catalogue.