About Present Aid

Present Aid is Christian Aid’s online shop. The way it works is similar to other ecommerce websites, but the difference is that ours are virtual gifts. Our catalogue is full of unusual gift ideas – things that will make someone you love happy, and could also change the lives of poor people around the world More...

"So many kids use sport and music to escape difficult situations. In some African countries, like Burundi, where there has been long-term conflict, warring factions come together to play football or basketball to ease tension. The basketball, which costs eight pounds from Present Aid, is definitely a gift I would send, knowing it is helping kids in a war-torn country to come together and do something positive instead of fight"
Lemar, Singer

Christian Aid

Christian Aid is a development charity working in nearly 50 countries. Regardless of religion or race, we help people around the world improve their own lives and tackle the causes of poverty and injustice. But don't worry, we aren't missionaries: and there's nothing mysterious about what we do. We want peace, economic justice and basic rights for all. Working wherever the need is greatest, we use your money in three vital ways:

• Long-term development: we provide clean water, food, healthcare and education, and help people find ways to earn a living. Read more about our development work around the world.
• Responding to emergencies: we help people prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies of every description. See our current response to crisis situations.
• Campaigning against the root causes of poverty and injustice: we've been campaigning successfully for years on many issues, from apartheid to landmines, to trade and debt. In 1998, US$100 billion of un-repayable debt was written off at the G8 summit as a result of relentless popular protest. So it’s vital that we keep the pressure on, campaigning to change the rules that keep people poor Find out more about our current campaigns.

Working in partnership

We don't force our ideas on others. Poor people are the true experts on poverty. That’s why everything we do overseas is through our partners, who have deep roots in their own communities and understand their problems first hand. All the virtual gifts in our online shop were designed in consultation with local people to ensure they're as useful and effective as possible You can find out more about our partners here.