Giving at Christmas: Suggested International Charitable Organizations
If you’re puzzling about a gift for a hard-to-buy-for friend or relative, you might want to consider making a donation to a charity in his/her name. There are many very worthwhile non-profit organizations to choose from – those listed below are only a tiny sample!
Of course, local charities, and health organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society would also be excellent choices for donations!
Ryan’s Well Foundation - www.ryanswell.ca
As of the end of November, 319 wells have been built in 14 developing countries by the Ryan’s Well Foundation, and as a result, about 485,433 people now have clean water to use. However, many more people are in need of this basic necessity. The foundation, established by Ryan Hreljac when he was a grade 1 student, is trying to help. You can help to sponsor a well for the benefit of an entire community!
Note: You can read about Ryan Hreljac in Ryan and Jimmy and the Well in Africa that Brought Them Together, found in the library (lower floor, J 361.74092 Hrelj-S). This excellent book by Herb Shoveller was the recent recipient of the Carol D. Reiser Award, and is also a nominee for a 2008 Ontario Silver Birch Award.
Free Rice - www.freerice.com
This unique online game feeds hungry people ... and builds vocabulary too! Suitable for adults or children, there are many levels of play. For every correct answer, rice is donated to the United Nations World Food Program. Here, your time is your donation! To learn how this program works to lessen world hunger, check out the web site’s FAQ.
The Nature Conservancy - www.nature.org/
This organization seeks to protect the world’s diverse plants, animals, waters and unique natural communities such as coral reefs. It is one of the oldest and largest conservation organizations in the world. Based in the United States, the Nature Conservancy is currently working in more than 30 countries, addressing various threats to conservation, such as climate change, water pollution, invasive species, and more.
Kiva: Loans that Change Lives - www.kiva.org
By giving a loan to a small business in a developing country, you can give some of the world’s working poor the chance to help themselves! You can receive updates on the particular business that you have chosen to “sponsor”, and as loans are repaid, your loan money will be returned to you. The course of the loan is, on average, 6 to 12 months. In so many ways, this is a unique “business opportunity” – for both the donor and the small business owner!
Doctors Without Borders - www.doctorswithoutborders.org
Emergency help is given through this organization to victims and communities suffering as a result of war, armed conflict, an epidemic or a natural disaster. This medical humanitarian agency delivers aid regardless of race, religion or politics. Doctors and medical staff from many countries generously volunteer their help with Doctors Without Borders.
WebTip:
How can you check on the validity, viability or reputation of a particular charitable organization?
Visit www.charitynavigator.org , which evaluates and provides the financial ratings of thousands of U.S. non profit organizations and charities, or visit www.give.org/reports , the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, which regularly publishes reports on charities. The Canada Revenue Agency’s web site, www.cra.gc.ca/donors (see Charities Listings) can inform you if a charity is registered with the CRA, and if you can receive an official tax receipt for your donation.
The Stephen Lewis Foundation - www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/
Stephen Lewis’s Foundation is attempting to help the many people of Africa who are suffering from AIDS / HIV, as well as the children and families of those who have died from this devastating disease. Did you know that in Sub-Sahara Africa, 13 million children are orphans, having lost their parents to AIDS? Many of these children, in turn, are now trying to parent their younger brothers and sisters. They often can no longer afford to attend school, and struggle to find adequate food and shelter for their younger siblings.
Free the Children - www.freethechildren.com/
Craig Kielburger founded Free the Children in 1995 – at just 12 years of age – to fight child labour and exploitation. Operating in 45 countries, it is now the world’s largest network of children helping children through education. It has been awarded the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child, as well as various other awards.
Note: SPL has 3 books written by Craig Kielburger; the newest (2006) is entitled Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World, found at 171.8 Kie.
Friends of the Earth - www.foecanada.org/ The Friends of the Earth Organization campaigns for research, education and action to deal with our planet’s massive environmental problems – in order to protect the earth for tomorrow. This web site is that of FOE’s Canadian chapter.
Polar Bears International - www.polarbearsinternational.org/ The effects of climate change on the world’s polar bears has been widely publicized, and this web site (billing itself as “the Web’s most complete source of polar bear information”) will explain. You can learn about these magnificent animals, find out about polar bear research, and follow the movements of satellite-collared bears on Hudson’s Bay or on the Beaufort Sea.
The William J. Clinton Foundation - www.clintonfoundation.org This Foundation’s aims are many: to empower people throughout the world to be able to adapt to the challenges of global interdependence, by developing programs and partnerships which will provide them with better health (including fighting HIV / AIDS), economic opportunity, leadership, and the means to bring about racial / ethnic / religious harmony.
