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"The venerable IRC provides humanitarian relief (from water to schooling), resettlement help, and advocacy for refugees and internally displaced people. Some of these refugees are fleeing persecution; others are caught in the crossfire of war. The IRC helps reunite children separated from their parents during conflicts, particularly children who were forced to become soldiers. It helps up to 10,000 people find refuge in the United States annually (though it reports that because of policy changes in the wake of 9/11, the total number of refugees admitted this year may be at a 25-year low). The committee works in 30 countries." (Worth Magazine) |
Adopt-a-Minefield - after getting pelted with email from religious and veterans groups for money to clear land-mines, i went to find a group that would use all of the money i gave them for that purpose. Adopt-a-minefield is a U.N. administered organization; they claim 100% of all funds received goes to landmine removal. "One hundred percent of all donations to Adopt-A-Minefield® are applied toward mine clearance projects. The Better World Fund (BWF) ensures that every dollar raised by sponsors is forwarded to the United Nations for mine clearance operations." (i found this site from a link off of Paul McCartney's charity page. :-)
Central Tibetan Relief Committee - non-profit relief group that seeks to aid Tibetans living in exile in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Two refugee settlements in India this year were hit with a devastating drought that ruined their crops almost entirely, so CTRC is desperately in need of funds.
Unicef - United Nations effort to help children. There is a U.S.-specific site, but there's a lot more information at the main international site. You can donate online; they also sell some nice gifts to support themselves as well (clothes, cards, etc.) that you can buy. They also have a link to the Convention for the Rights of the Child online; which the U.S. and Somalia are the only countries that have not ratified it. Read the declaration, then email your representatives to ask them why.
Buddha Memorial Children's Home - help a principal keep his boarding school open for destitute children in Nepal. Buddha Academy is a charitable institution managed by All Nepal Himalayan Buddhist Association (ANHBA), where Dorje Namgyal Lama has been the principal for 12 years. At present, the school has more than 500 children between the ages of 4 and 18 from many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds of Nepal, who share a common origin of destitute and poor circumstances and would otherwise have no access to proper education.
Brady Campaign - (formerly Handgun Control, united with the Million Mom March) trying to stop the NRA from protecting Gun Manufactures from civil suits filed by the victims of gun violence, building momentum for the creation of a national ballistics database (which, if it existed, would have helped police catch the DC sniper sooner), and supporting to renew the currently in-place legislation banning Assault Weapons.
American Indian College Fund - About 85 percent of tribal college students live at or below the poverty level. The 32 colleges serve a total of about 30,000 students--including non-Indians, who make up an average 15-20 percent of enrollments. The schools are located mostly on poor, isolated Indian reservations and operate in trailers, converted warehouses and abandoned buildings.
Freedom from Hunger - Established in 1946, Freedom from Hunger is recognized for fighting hunger with innovative self-help programs. It began as Meals for Millions, the organization that developed and introduced Multi-Purpose Food, a high-protein powdered food supplement still used today in relief efforts around the world. In the 1970s, they shifted their focus to implementing Applied Nutrition Programs, focusing almost exclusively on the health and nutrition of mothers and children. In 1988, Freedom from Hunger developed the world's first integrated microcredit/health and nutrition education program. Today, their Credit with Education program is serving over 176,000 families in some of the poorest countries on earth.
Save the Children - In January 1932 in a small room in New York City, a group of concerned citizens gathered to respond to the needs of the proud people of Appalachia hard hit by the Great Depression. The inspiration and vision for Save the Children came in great part from the international children's rights movement begun in England in 1919 by Eglantyne Jebb, founder of the British Save the Children Fund. From this early effort in the hills and hollows of Harlan County, Kentucky, grew a self-help philosophy and practice still at work today in more than 45 countries: providing communities with a hand up, not a handout. (fyi, one of those 45 countries is Tibet...)
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"Save the Children's overseas programs in 40 countries include food aid (it sees the greatest need now in southern Africa), education (helping to rebuild schools and increasing girls' access to education in Afghanistan), health care (its recent State of the World's Newborns report describes low-cost ways to improve newborn survival rates), and economic-development programs. Save the Children focuses on mothers in particular, because when mothers thrive, so do children. Save the Children can teach other nonprofits a thing or two about marketing: The organization consolidates funds from its famous child-sponsorship efforts to benefit entire communities. All this effort is not dedicated strictly to people in the far reaches: In the United States, Save the Children provides more than 125,000 children with after-school programs." (Worth magazine) |
care - humanitarian organization for fighting poverty globally. Founded in 1945 to help WWII survivors, it is one of the largest private humanitarian organizations in the world. Their mission statement says their goal is to "serve individuals and families in the poorest communities in the world."
"Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere provides the world's poorest people with lifesaving and dignity-restoring services, from emergency relief (food, water, and shelter) and long-term educational and economic initiatives. In Niger, CARE teaches women to build businesses through community savings groups. In Peru, it has helped citizens lobby for legislation guaranteeing basic education for girls. CARE is massive, with a budget that would suffice for some small countries, and it has a big impact. Through its efforts, 18.6 million people in 31 countries gained access to clean water and sanitation last year, and 2.6 million people in 42 countries were trained in agriculture and natural-resource management. " (Worth Magazine)
Christel House - (my sister sent me this one :-) The Mission of Christel House is to help orphaned, abandoned and impoverished children around the world break the cycle of poverty and become self-sufficient, contributing members of their societies.
Root Institute for Wisdom Culture - A "socially engaged Buddhist center," the Root Institute sponsors a Community Health Care Center, a Homoeopathic Clinic, a Polio Recovery Unit, and Health and Nutrition Education.
FPMT (Federation for the Preservation of Mayahana Tradition) - FMPT (under the spiritual guidance of Lama Zopa Rinpoche) has a number of important and fundraising and charity projects on the board; contribute to the education and welfare of Monks and Nuns in India, raise money for Lama Osel (Lama Yeshe's reincarnation) to continue studying at Sera Je Monastery, help revive Buddhist traditions in Mongolia, help build the world's largest statue (of the coming Buddha Maitreya).
Tibetan Nuns Project - "educating and supporting Tibetan nuns in exile." Buy one of the t-shirts; I've got one -- they're awesome. :-)
Maitreya Charity - a Charity started by Venerable Panchen Ontrul Rinpoche to help Mongolian and Tibetan Refugees in India.
"Only when the last tree has been
cut down, the last river has been poisoned, the last fish caught—only then will
you find that money cannot be eaten."
--Cree prophecy
Earth Justice - "Earthjustice does its most important work in the courts. Recent victories: In 2001, it convinced the Supreme Court to reject industry challenges to higher air-quality standards for soot and smog. This year, because of an Earthjustice suit, a federal court ordered the Federal Aviation Authority to reduce noise pollution over the Grand Canyon. Pending cases seek to reduce asthma-inducing pollution in California's Central Valley, enforce the Clean Water Act in dozens of states, and preserve a program to eliminate most road building and logging in roadless areas of the national forests." (Worth Magazine)
Sierra Club - (send a donation get a free backpack :-) Founded in 1982, Serra Club was greatly influenced by the work of John Muir and Ansel Adams. They continue today to fight for and protect the natural environment they they felt was so dear. "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike." -- John Muir, The Yosemite (1912). According to a flyer i got, they were named America's "Most Effective Environmental Organization" by the Aspen Institute, a public policy group in DC.
Defenders of Wildlife - Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. They focus their programs on what scientists consider two of the most serious environmental threats to the planet: the accelerating rate of extinction of species and the associated loss of biological diversity, and habitat alteration and destruction. Long known for our leadership on endangered species issues, Defenders of Wildlife also advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that will help keep species from becoming endangered. Our programs encourage protection of entire ecosystems and interconnected habitats while protecting predators that serve as indicator species for ecosystem health.
*** check out the Compassionate Shopping Guide to see a list of charities that don't use animals to experiment on.
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