Give a Little, Change a Lot: Six Charities Worth Supporting This Christmas
The festive season is synonymous with abundance – tables brimming with food, gifts stacked under trees, and shops laden with lights and tinsel. But as we indulge in this time of celebration, it’s also a good moment to take stock and give back to those who need it most. In a world that often feels stretched, there are organisations quietly working to rebuild lives, uplift communities, and heal the planet.
This list highlights a diverse range of charities—from well-established organizations driving long-term change, to time-sensitive emergency responses, and heartfelt one-off Christmas drives. Together, they represent the many ways we can make a positive impact, no matter the season or scale.
This Christmas, consider shifting a fraction of your festive spirit towards these six remarkable charities making a real impact. From well-established organisations driving long-term change to time-sensitive emergency responses and heartfelt one-off Christmas drives, here are the causes that deserve a place on your giving list.
Rainforest Protectors Trust: Safeguarding Sri Lanka’s Last Virgin Rainforest
The Rainforest Protectors Trust works to preserve the biodiversity of Sri Lanka’s last virgin rainforest, the Sinharaja UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Through this project, the Trust purchases and permanently protects privately-held tropical rainforest lands that are in danger of being clearcut. These lands provide critical habitat for endangered and endemic species, and safeguarding them is vital to the health of the entire ecosystem.
For just $50 USD, you can protect five perches of pristine rainforest, ensuring its survival for generations to come.
Supporting Young Minds: Essential School Packs for Kids
For many children, education is a path to a better future, but for families struggling to make ends meet, the cost of essentials can be a roadblock. Supporting Young Minds is an annual drive that provides essential school backpacks for kids, ensuring they have everything they need to start school with confidence. Each pack includes a uniform, shoes, textbooks, a pencil case, glue, scissors, a water bottle, and a lunch box – a simple yet transformative toolkit for learning.
100% of your donation goes directly to creating school packs. By helping a child access education, you’re not just filling a backpack – you’re opening the door to a brighter future.
SeaSisters: Empowering Women Through Surf and Swim
On Sri Lanka’s vibrant coastlines, SeaSisters is more than just a surfing program. This social enterprise empowers Sri Lankan women and girls by teaching them swimming and surfing, skills that were often inaccessible to them due to cultural and societal norms. SeaSisters creates a safe, supportive environment where women gain confidence, build community, and reclaim their relationship with the ocean.
For many, the waves are more than water – they’re freedom, empowerment, and opportunity. By supporting SeaSisters, you’re helping provide access to these life-changing programs while championing gender equality in a country where it’s still needed most.
Sambol Foundation: A Safe Future for Women and Children
Unfortunately, physical, sexual, or psychological violence affects a high proportion of people in Sri Lanka. The Sambol Foundation is dedicated to helping women and children escape cycles of violence, supporting them through shelter, therapy, and legal aid. In a safe and protected environment, victims of gender-based violence can heal and begin rebuilding their lives.
Currently, the foundation is undertaking its most ambitious project yet: building the Sambol Safe Village in southern Sri Lanka. Scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, the village will include a school, therapy centres, workshops, playgrounds, and adaptable housing tailored to family needs. Constructed by a female-led team, this pioneering project will provide not just safety, but opportunity for women and children to live empowered, self-determined lives.
Your support helps turn trauma into triumph, ensuring survivors of violence can look forward to brighter futures.
Basecamp Weligama: A Toy Drive for Local Orphanages
This Christmas, Basecamp Weligama, a yoga retreat on Sri Lanka’s South Coast, is hosting a Toy Drive to bring joy to local orphanages. From December 18th to 24th, guests and visitors are encouraged to bring gifts that will brighten the lives of children who need it most. It’s a simple yet impactful way to share the spirit of giving during the festive season.
Tea Leaf Trust: Education and Empowerment in Sri Lanka’s Tea Estates
Tea Leaf Trust has become a beacon of hope for young people in these regions. Over 14 years, the charity has empowered 39,182 youth through education, helping over 80% of them progress into employment, further education, or training. These young people, in turn, have supported an incredible 349,397 members of their communities.
The Tea Leaf Trust focuses on creating ‘change agents’ – young individuals who are not only equipped to improve their own lives but are also inspired to uplift their communities. By supporting the Tea Leaf Trust, you’re investing in education, empowerment, and a ripple effect of positive change in Sri Lanka’s tea estates.
Give Thoughtfully This Christmas
This season is a chance to share more than gifts. It’s an opportunity to support those who are working tirelessly to create a better world, one person, community, or ecosystem at a time. Every contribution, no matter how small, can have a meaningful impact. Merry Christmas Sri Lanka!
