Gifts that Give Back

We all love December. December is not a month but an emotion for all. Christmas, New year, parties, vacation and CELEBRATION, aren’t we all the same when it comes to December? Gifts are an integral part of any celebration and the month of Celebration is all about gifts. We as a generation have brought a lot of awareness to us ‘The Society’ and that has made Gifts that Give Back a cool way of gifting our loved ones.

But how do we know which are the gifts that truly give back? Don’t worry I am recommending some of the amazing non-profit initiatives/ initiatives operated by persons with disability which I came across in last decade while volunteering and working with various initiatives.

 1. Pumpkin Patch Design Studio

Pumpkin Patch Design Studio was founded by a talented and neuro-diverse young adult, Alyx Alburquerque. Alyx was diagnosed with autism at an early age, but this didn’t stop her from developing an aptitude to visualize, design and create on her computer.

Something she wholeheartedly embodies and believes in, is her motto - “Keep trying and learning”. At Pumpkin Patch Design Studio, “making magic” is at the heart of everything they do, leveraging talent from diverse abilities with a larger endeavor to create a more inclusive and respectful community.

From cool water bottles to face masks they have a vide range of gifts you can choose from.

Online Shop Click Here

(Image taken from the website of Pumpkin Patch)

2. Sense Kaleidoscopes

Sense Kaleidoscopes is one of its kind Academic and Creative Arts School for Children & Adults with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. They take painstaking effort in building each child’s portfolio and position them as professional artists. From merchandising their creations enabling them to make their own money to getting commissions for budding artists so that they earn a livelihood from the from their work, they do it all, hence, creating a disability arts market.

They do have options where the masterpieces done by their artist can be printed on various products like Cups, T-shirts Masks etc.

Online Shop Click Here

(Image taken from the LinkedIn Page of Sense Kaleidoscopes)

3) GiftAbled

A platform that sells products sourced from over a hundred NGOs in the country that help people with physical and intellectual disabilities, GiftAbled is a social enterprise that

GiftAbled creates opportunities that transform the lives of People with Disabilities at the grassroots. They helps the underprivileged bring their artistic talents to the forefront and helps them attain some level of financial stability. Their e-store features all kinds of goodies from pretty glass lanterns to jewellery made from silk, bamboo, and pebbles too. They have a special collection of gifts for Diwali too, where you can find candle stands, boxes of chocolates, snacks, and coffee too. You can even get these hampers in bulk. 

When you buy a GiftAbled product your gift is environment friendly and you contribute to inclusion of persons with disability.

Online Shop Click Here

(Video taken from the website of GiftAbled)

4) Craftizen Foundation

Craftizen Foundation provide sustainable livelihoods through crafts while keeping Indian craft and artisanal skills relevant in a changing world. Craftizen Foundation has 20 centers in & around Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata to provide livelihoods and sustained income earning to marginalized communities including persons with intellectual disability and women from underprivileged backgrounds.

Impact made by this organization is not only providing livelihood but they make Holi colours and Rakhis from discarded flowers of Temples. They recycles tones of flowers every year.

Online Shop Click Here

(Images taken from the Craftizen Foundation's LinkedIn Page)

5) Thank U Foods

Thank U Foods is a livelihood initiative by the differently-abled persons to provide delicious packed Snacks - Cookies, Chocolates, Cakes, Sweets & Savories.

It is an initiative of Indian Association for the Blind - a 35 year old organization, which is a three time recipient of National award from the President of India and has changed the lives of more than 30000+ blind people across India.

Online Shop Click Here

(Images taken from the YouTube channel of ThankU Foods)

This list is curated solely based on my experience and I hope this will help you to choose a gift with more meaning to it.

An additional mention to Atypical Advantage, though I don't know them personally i recommend all of you to check out their store - Click Here I found them through LinkedIn and really loved the work they are doing.

If you like this article then please share with your network and also let me know in comments which one of these you are going to buy your next gift from.