MEDIA RELEASE Friday 5 February 2009

Celebrate the Year of the Ox with a Bovine gift

The Year of the Ox means prosperity and fortitude in Chinese tradition, yet as many Kiwis ring in this Chinese New Year with lavish festivals and feasts, children in impoverished countries have nothing to celebrate.

ChildFund New Zealand is encouraging Kiwis to recognise the Year of the Ox by gifting a bovine to a child's family in need.

ChildFund's Gifts that Grow catalogue allows you to buy a cow to make life far more prosperous for families living in poverty.

The $100 that could quickly be spent on Chinese festival lanterns, celebratory treats and drinks, could instead supply a family with milk and breed calves. It would also train farmers in developing countries in vital agricultural and animal husbandry techniques. The ChildFund Gifts that Grow catalogue also contains a number of affordable Chinese zodiac-themed gifts that you can give over the festive weekend.

Goat

A gift for those of the sign renowned for their artistic talents and creativity, $49 will buy a tough pair of breeding goats. The male and female pair will produce (goat) kids for sale and milk for (human) kids.

Rooster

For the self-absorbed yet romantic rooster in your life what better pre Valentine’s gift to give them than a crowing cock! $26 will buy a breeding rooster and partner hen and training in animal husbandry in order to kick-start a chicken farm.

Pig

A person born under the sign of the pig is said to be honest and straightforward. $47 buys a pig for a needy family. When mated with a neighbour's pig, it produces regular litters of piglets that can be used for food or sold for income.

Kiwis can find a range of thoughtful gifts to celebrate the Year of the Ox – and many other occasions – from ChildFund’s Gifts that Grow selection. To order online visit www.childfund.org.nz or call 0800 223 111.

ENDS

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