Amazon.in launches new initiative ‘Gift a smile’

Amazon.in has launched a unique initiative – Gift a Smile – that enables consumers to easily choose and gift products to a cause they believe in and would like to support.

The platform launches with ten NGOs that are working in the area of child development, education, health care and protection and women empowerment. Participating NGOs, using the Amazon wish list technology, will create and continually update a list of items that they need from the over 15 million products available on website.  Consumers can easily browse through the wish lists of their preferred NGO, select the items they would like to gift, and be assured that Amazon.in will deliver the item to the chosen organization. Any and all seller fees that accrue from these sales on the Amazon.in marketplace will be donated to the participating NGOs.

The  NGOs that have created their wish lists are: Magic bus; Make A Wish foundation; Pratham; READ India; Sahyog; Save the Children;  Bhoruka Charitable Trust;  Jagriti Bal Vikas Samiti; Lotus Petal Foundation and Nav Bharat Jagriti Kendra.

“We were very encouraged by the response that the NGOs received during our Diwali campaign. We believe that as an ecommerce platform, we have a very powerful technology at our disposal that can enable people to make meaningful contributions that could directly impact many lives positively,” said, Amit Agarwal, Vice President and Country Manager, Amazon India.

The  wish lists include but are not limited to  products like educational toys, books, dictionaries, sports equipment, clothes, personal hygiene products, as well as items that will help NGOs provide vocational training (for example, beauty products for beautician courses targeting girls between 16-20 years) to help develop sustainable livelihoods.