The Red Cross... and cows? 
Are you struggling to find the perfect present this festive season? We have got a moo-velous idea for a gift that could really make a difference. By donating to our cows campaign, you will receive a beautiful cotton shopping bag and gift card – the ideal present for your loved ones this Christmas.
Following the Asian tsunami in 2004, one way families started to rebuild their lives was by buying cows.
The British Red Cross provides cash grants that allow people affected by disasters to buy necessary items to rebuild their lives. After Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh in 2007, for example, families bought ducks to rear for eggs and meat.
Dimudu Denesh and his family in Sri Lanka know just how important a cow can be. After the Boxing Day tsunami, the Denesh family applied for a British Red Cross cash grant which they used to buy Suddhi the cow (meaning White Lady). Not only does Suddhi provide essential milk for the family, but Dimudu, aged five, loves to ride on her back.
Q. How do they help?
A. Cows can provide milk and dairy products for a family and become a new source of income at market.
Q. How much did they cost?
A. Following the Asian tsunami, cows cost £103 each. So your donation would represent almost a third of a cow! Although cows are one way we helped in Sri Lanka, all over the world help is needed. Right here in the UK, £30 could help someone recovering from an accident, illness or spell in hospital to live in their own home and be given support by a Red Cross volunteer.
Q. Are cows the only way the British Red Cross helped?
A. No, after the tsunami in Sri Lanka we helped in many ways, and providing cow-rearing as a new livelihoods option is just one example. Cash grants were provided to many families following the tsunami to help rebuild their livelihoods. Nearly 23,000 people were helped by the British Red Cross in Sri Lanka alone.
Q. How can I help?
A. By making a £30 donation today, you will help us carry on our life-saving work around the world by making sure we are ready to respond whenever or wherever we are needed.
Although your donation may not specifically fund cows, it will be providing practical solutions to support people when it is most needed.
We know that simple, practical solutions can save lives. So please, donate to the Red Cross today.