Time to give back: Giving Tuesday 2023
Across the world, the holiday season is marked by gift giving. It’s estimated that in 2022 in the US alone $936.3 billion was spent on Christmas gifts. But with all of this spending, the fundamental message of the season can get lost. Giving back to important causes should occupy just as important a place in the popular imagination as buying presents for family and friends.
Giving Tuesday (celebrated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving) was created in 2012. The aim of the founders was simple: to establish an annual day that focused on inspiring people to do good.
This wasn’t limited to people making financial donations. It extended to encouraging people to donate their time, campaign for something they believe in, or organise a community event.
For the Haller Foundation, this Giving Tuesday we want to reflect on the tangible impacts that climate change is already having on smallholder communities around the world. The smallholder farmers our team works with in Kenya have struggled with successive years of drought, creating unprecedented farming conditions and threatening livelihoods.
Without urgent action from governments and institutions around the world, the future of millions of smallholder farmers stands in jeopardy.
This Giving Tuesday, we want to encourage our supporters to educate themselves, share that knowledge with others and donate to support our efforts in scaling access to the information and technology smallholder farmers need to navigate the increasingly challenging environments they find themselves in.
The first step towards action is education. One of the core principles of our work in Kenya, and our Haller Farmers App, has been to educate the next generation of smallholder farmers on climate change, and the importance of protecting natural resources.
Some of our recommended resources for educating yourself on the importance of supporting smallholder farmers, and pushing governments to do more in the face of a global climate emergency:
The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
Education precipitates a chain reaction. Equipped with a deeper understanding of the problems, we can collectively push for their discussion in political forums. But the conversation needs to extend beyond established institutions – speak with your friends, family, classmates and colleagues.
Finally, Giving Tuesday is a time to donate. No matter how small, recognising the impact that donations drive collectively is hugely important. Our work in Kenya would not be possible without generous support from the wider Haller community.
£10 will provide one family with start-up seeds so they can begin farming organically and sustainably.
£50 will fund the planting of fruit trees for an entire community.
£150 funds 3 days of farmer training; teaching 10 community members techniques for healthy, sustainable living.
Thank you for your continued support of Haller’s work, on Giving Tuesday and year round.
