Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger| ACF International  is a global humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger. The organization saves the lives of severely malnourished children and helps vulnerable communities become self-sufficient, through long-term sustainable systems.

The Numbers:

• Lifesaving impact in 40+ countries
• 5000+ field staff assisting more than 6 million people each year.
• 30+ years of expertise in contexts of conflict, disasters and food crises

Where Your Money Goes: 

93% of all funding goes towards program services. (That's $0.93 of every dollar). 4% goes to general operating and management expenses, and 3% goes to fundraising. One of the reasons fundraising costs so little, may be because there are so many, easy, ways to get involved. Donors can contribute directly via the website, shop in the organization's online store, or even use free tools through the Action Against Hunger website to create their own fundraising campaign to end hunger. 

So what does that 93% in program services look like? Well in 2012:

• 550,000 small farmers were provided with tools after drought and displacement
• 42,000 severely malnourished children in the D.R. Congo were treated
• 170,000 people gained access to clean water in Kenya

Programs:

• Nutrition: "Action Against Hunger’s methods for identifying and rescuing populations afflicted with acute malnutrition are internationally renowned, having pioneered revolutionary nutrition products and field tested treatment protocols that have become industry standards. From rural mountain villages to the confines of refugee camps to ethnically divided cities, Action Against Hunger treats and prevents malnutrition in over 40 countries around the world. [Action Against Hunger's] programs are launched most often during times of crisis and focus on the most vulnerable, including young children and women who are pregnant or nursing."

          What They Do:

• Evaluate nutritional needs: To assess the root causes of a malnutrition outbreak, ACF collects baseline data on key nutritional indicators like local capacities and resources, cultural practices, infrastructure, and geography. These nutrition surveys are essential for mounting an effective, customized response.
• Treat acute malnutrition: ACF treats cases of severe acute malnutrition with inpatient care (for those with medical complications) and with community-based, outpatient programs. Without treatment severely malnourished women and children would likely face imminent death.
• Prevent acute malnutrition: ACF’s prevention activities provide Ready-to-Use-Foods to patients discharged from therapeutic care, children with moderate acute malnutrition, and children in communities faced with seasonal hunger. Prevention can save millions of lives while long-term solutions are developed.
• Build local capacity: ACF strengthens public health systems to combat malnutrition. They field teams that consist overwhelmingly of local staff and integrate their programs into existing health structures. When crises subside, they ensure local capacity is in place to support continued improvements in communities’ nutritional health.

• Food Security & Livelihoods: "Encompassing a wide array of activities customized to meet a community’s specific needs, [Action Against Hunger's] programs are designed to bolster agricultural production, jumpstart local market activity, support micro-enterprise initiatives, and otherwise enhance a vulnerable community’s access to sustainable sources of food and income."

           What They Do:

• Evaluate local needs: To determine what’s causing hunger in a given area, Action Against Hunger carries out comprehensive evaluations by collecting and analyzing key data on local assets, resources, and livelihoods strategies. Their teams meet directly with community members to better understand local conditions and create a collaborative plan of action.
• Respond to emergencies: When disasters destroy infrastructure and food supplies, when violence forces thousands to flee, or when drought disrupts food production, Action Against Hunger responds with distributions of food, cash, and other items to prevent hunger in the short-term and ensure that crops can be replanted and livestock restocked in the future.
• Provide long-term solutions: Designed in collaboration with local populations, Action Against Hunger's strategies are context-specific: micro-grant support for families recovering from conflict; seeds and tools for agricultural recovery; livestock and veterinary services where needed; small business assistance; and other programs that help families regain self-sufficiency.

• Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene: "Every day 4,000 children die from illnesses like diarrhea, dysentery, and cholera caused by dirty water and unhygienic living conditions. [Action Against Hunger] can’t fight malnutrition without tackling the diseases that contribute to it. As part of [their] integrated approach to hunger, [they are] getting safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services to communities in need all over the world."

          What They Do:

• Provide access to safe water: During emergencies, ACF trucks water into affected areas and installs storage tanks and reservoirs. Where water is scarce or unsafe, they drill and decontaminate wells, install hand-pumps, protect natural springs, tap aquifers, rehabilitate damaged infrastructure, and pipe water into hard-to-reach villages and health centers.
• Promote sanitation & hygiene: To prevent outbreaks of disease during a crisis, ACF’s teams distribute hygiene kits and build latrines and hand-washing stations. In communities at risk, they construct water filters made from basic materials and teach healthy practices like hand-washing, cooking with clean utensils, and drawing water from protected sources.
• Ensure lasting change: ACF’s commitment to community participation ensures long-term capacity: the organization trains community-based water committees to manage their water and sanitation infrastructure themselves, and organize village health teams to model good sanitation and hygiene practices for their communities long after ACF leaves an area.

• Emergency Response: "From cholera epidemics sweeping through refugee camps, to catastrophic natural disasters, to spikes in malnutrition rates brought on by drought, Action Against Hunger responds to humanitarian emergencies all over the world, delivering immediate life-saving services to populations in distress. With emergency teams on call 24 hours a day, and pre-positioned stocks of essential supplies ready for deployment, [their] internationally renowned rapid response capabilities ensure that life-saving assistance can be delivered anywhere in the world when needs arise."

Praise:

• Four Star charity rating by Charity Navigator
• A- rated organization by Charity Watch
• 2012 Top Nonprofit by Great Nonprofits

To learn more about Action Against Hunger|ACF International please visit their website. The site is definitely worth a visit, as it provides comprehensive information on how the organization implements their program services, the organization's impact, news from the field, and of course, all the financial and reporting documents savvy funders are looking for.

Working Solutions

Today features a nonprofit organization that serves the for-profit small business community in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Developed as a pilot program, before receiving its nonprofit status in 1999, Working Solution's supports entrepreneurs to start or grow successful local businesses. They provide microloans/ small business loans and long term business advising.

• Small business loans $5,000 up to $50,000
• Five years of post loan business coaching and advising
• Referrals to small business resources

Working Solutions strives to support microenterprise development in an effort to strengthen the local economy, create jobs and build strong communities. Having made it's 100th loan in April 2012 to a vintage furniture store, here's the organization's impact to date:

• Jobs Created: 313
• Entrepreneurs Educated: 8,182
• Funds Loaned: $3.254 million
• Repayment Rate: 97.64%
• Businesses graduated to conventional financing: 20
• Start-up Businesses: 51%
• Existing Businesses: 49%

And my favorite statistics... Entrepreneurs served:

• 64% women
• 39% minority
• 59% low-income

Fore more information, please visit Working Solution, here.

Artists for a Cause

Creatively Building Better Communities

Artists for a Cause is a Stuart, Florida based, national nonprofit that improves communities by using art as a catalyst to achieve incredible results. The organization was founded in 2009 by countertenor Terry Barber, and received it's nonprofit status in 2010. It creates professional and educational opportunities for visual and performing artists whenever art is being used as a vehicle for community improvement.

Programs:

• Artist Auction Packages: puts professional performance and visual artists to work, generating new sources of revenue and awareness for third party charities. 
• Dance for Food: is a dance performance to feed the hungry where admission cost is nonperishable food donations.
• Therapeutic Music Day: sends the healing power of music into nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities and the prison system.
• A4AC Scholarship Program: provides arts education opportunities for less fortunate children.
• Benefits Concerts: the organization has produced almost 40 performances with almost 40 charities.
• Homeless Choir: performing group comprised of homeless people with the goal of creating sustainability and reintegration into society.

From my research it seems like this newer organization is still in its expansion and growth phase. For this reason I was concerned about featuring it on NA. That being said, I think it's important for potential donors to learn about nonprofits in various stages of their lifecycle. Your support has the power to make a good organization great, good ideas are always worth spreading, and quite honestly some nonprofits need your support more than others. Artists for a Cause may just be finding its way; however it's another great example of how people are using their talent and skills to help create stronger communities.


For more information please visit, Artists for a Cause.

Roozt

About:

Roozt was founded in 2009 by Brent Freeman, Nick Reder, and Norma LaRosa. Their objective was to create a mainstream online shopping destination featuring the best socially conscious brands they could find. With hundreds of great brands, with fashions for him, her, and home, Roozt is definitely living up to their tagline: 'Bringin' Sexy Back to Giving Back.'

Roozt is committed to fostering positive social change within everyday actions; every purchase has a positive impact. The staff hand-select fashion forward companies that are also doing good, for their community, the environment, their employees or humanity as a whole. The staff are social entrepreneurs who believe they can make a difference in the world by harnessing the power of a business model. Their goal is to help the public learn about the thousands of brands that have incorporated inspiring causes into their business operations.

Site visitors are able to browse by product, impact region, or initiative... and... Just by signing up you're doing good:

One Member, One Meal:  Is a partnership with Feeding America*, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief charity. For every member that joins, Roozt will provide a meal to an American in need.

Brands:

Companies interested in having a Roozt store must submit an application explaining how their operations meet one or more of Roozt's areas of focus.

Ethical: Companies that maintain and promote extraordinary ethical corporate policies both externally and among their employees.

Community: Companies that are committed to supporting and advancing their surrounding communities to benefit members in a positive way.

ECO-Friendly: Companies that demonstrate extraordinary commitment to reducing their environmental foot print and impact.

Humanitarian: Companies that give back to humanity and are doing their part to provide resources to help solve critical issues across the globe.

All applications undergo a review process to ensure the brand meets Roozt Approved certification criteria.

Roozt allows you to be fashionable and socially conscious. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." I say even the smallest purchase can be a positive vehicle for change.



*Feeding America's mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. For more information visit their site.

Project H.O.M.E.

Project H.O.M.E (Housing, Opportunities for Employment, Medical Care, Education)

None of us are home until all of us are home.

Background

Since 1988, Project H.O.M.E has been a leader in providing comprehensive and effective services to persons who experience chronic homelessness. The organization empowers people to break the cycle of homelessness, address the structural causes of poverty, and attain their fullest potential as members of society.

Co-founded by Sister Mary Scullion and Joan Dawson-McConnon, Project H.O.M.E is a nationally recognized organization that provides supportive housing, employment, education and health care to enable chronically homeless and low-income persons to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Under their leadership, Project H.O.M.E. has grown from a winter shelter to 447 units of housing and three businesses that employ formerly homeless individuals.

What makes this organization so effective, is its mission to alleviate the underlying causes of poverty, not simply treating the symptoms and its commitment to the dignity of every person.  They strive to create a safe and respectful environment where everyone supports one another in their struggle for self-esteem, recovery, and the confidence to move towards self-actualization. This mission is achieved through a continuum of care comprised of street outreach, a range of supportive housing, and comprehensive services. Project H.O.M.E. addresses the root causes of homelessness, through neighborhood-based affordable housing, economic development, and environmental enhancement programs, as well as providing access to employment opportunities; adult and youth education; and health care.

Project H.O.M.E is committed to social and political advocacy. An integral part of Project H.O.M.E.'s work is education about the realties of homelessness and poverty and vigorous advocacy on behalf of and with homeless and low-income persons for more just and humane public policies. It is also committed to nurturing the spirit of community among persons of walks of life, all of whom have a role to play in making this a more just and compassionate society.

The organization's website provides resources and facts about homelessness, particularly in Philadelphia, where Project H.O.M.E. is based. It is also important to note that Project H.O.M.E.'s board of directors include residents from the housing units, as well as program alumni.

Values 

The work of Project H.O.M.E. is rooted in their strong spiritual conviction of the dignity of each person. They believe:

• that all persons are entitled to decent, affordable housing and access to quality education, employment, and health care.
• in the transformational power of building relationships and community as the ultimate answer to the degradation of homelessness and poverty.
• that working to end homelessness and poverty enhances quality of life for everyone in the community.
• that the critical resources entrusted to Project H.O.M.E. to achieve its mission must be managed honorably and professionally.

Programs

Housing & Street Outreach- designed to deal with the complex issues of persons with special needs such as mental illness and addiction. The program consists of street outreach, a range of supportive housing from entry-level to permanent housing, and comprehensive services including health care, education, and employment.

• Street Outreach: Outreach Teams develop trusting relationships with homeless individuals who have severe mental illness or substance addiction.
• Women's Emergency Respite Center: serves women with a long history of street homelessness, many of whom are incompatible or resistant to city-run shelter services.
• Supportive Housing & Services: enables each person to break the cycle of homelessness, move towards self-sufficiency and achieve his or her full potential.
• Alumni Program: provides residents with the opportunity to stay connected to Project H.O.M.E. community even after moving out of the supportive housing programs.
• Affordable Rental Housing: an eleven-story building developed to help address the gap in Philadelphia's affordable housing inventory.
• Affordable Homeownership Program: designed to stimulate housing production in North Philadelphia, create positive community impact and scale, and increase development and transformation of a distressed urban community into an attractive place to live. The program includes Block Preservation and Place Making Initiatives, and  the Homebuyer Reservation Program

Community Development- The organization's revitalization work is focused in the North Central Philadelphia community known as 'St. Elizabeth's/Diamond Street" neighborhood and Ridge Ave commercial corridor, (a 33-square block neighborhood).

Since 1995, Project H.O.M.E. has been working in partnership with neighborhood residents, corporations, foundations, government, faith communities and others to revitalize this neighborhood. Efforts include the development of affordable rental housing, renovation of affordable homes for homeownership, greening of vacant lots, adult and youth education and enrichment programs and community based health care services.

• Economic Development: the program addresses the persistent challenges of long-term economic disinvestment: "vacancy, blight, and high rates of unemployment."
• Health Services Program: is committed to addressing the health and wellness needs of the urban community.
• Community Organizing: works in cooperation with local Block Captains and civic associations on activities such as community emergency food banks, block clean-ups, and the nationally ranked youth drill team, the North Philly Footstompers.
• Honickman Learning Center & Comcast Technology Lab: programs at this 38,000 square foot, three-story technology center are tailored to help residents of the community- children, youth, adults and families- move towards greater prosperity by increasing their educational and employment opportunities.

Education & Employment- Project H.O.M.E recognizes that education and employment are critical tools to help all people improve the quality of their lives. This is particularly vital for formerly homeless people and people from economically distressed neighborhoods that may not have access to meaningful educational and employment opportunities.

• Honickman Learning Center & Comcast Technology Lab
• Kindergarten-Sixth Grade Program
• Teem Program
• Adult Education and Workforce Development
• Employment Services
• Employment Initiatives
• Art Program
• Social Enterprises: Cafe & Thrift Shop

Awards & Honors

(Just to name a few)

• The National Alliance to End Homelessness' Nonprofit Sector Achievement Award
• STAR award from The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty
• Named as one of the "16 most efficient and innovative charities [they] know of anywhere," by Philanthropy Roundtable.

Click here for more information on Project H.O.M.E.'s initiatives.

I'd love to hear about any organizations in your city that are addressing the underlying causes of homelessness and poverty in the community.

Center for Development in Central America

Center for Development in Central America (CDCA) is a nonprofit organization seeking to address human needs created by poverty in the Western Hemisphere's second poorest nation: Nicaragua. This mission is accomplished by helping communities become self-sufficient, sustainable, democratic entities. CDCA works with the Nicaraguan community to help them realize their own goals, rather than bringing in "ready made solutions."

CDCA's involvement includes community organization, a flexible approach to needs and priorities as they shift over time, identifying areas where the CDCA can be of service, and following through in those areas, while empowering Nicaraguans and gradually phasing out the need for CDCA's assistance.

The organization's projects are focused in the municipality of Ciudad Sandino, which has been a dumping ground for victims of natural disasters, and is located just outside the capital city of Managua. Ciudad Sandino is the most densely populated area of Nicaragua and the poorest urban area in Nicaragua, with an estimated 80% of the population lacking formal employment, and many living on less than $1.00 U.S per day. 

CDCA works in the following areas:

• Sustainable economic development- developing long-term jobs so families can feed their own children
• Sustainable agriculture- so that poor farmers don't lose their land
• Primary health care- in the face of privatization of health care
• Education- both technical training for Nicaraguans as well as education of first world volunteers both in the U.S. and Nicaragua
• Appropriate technology- seeking to care for the earth as natural resources are consumed, and introducing work techniques that are maintainable

Since its founding in 1994, the organization has:

• Organized 1,600 small farmers into a cooperative business to market their organic crops
• Built three health centers and one school in rural communities
• Built a preschool/feeding center in a community where they also got water and latrines to every house
• Organized five cooperatives of workers from the poverty-stricken resettlement community of Nueva Vida (created in response to Hurricane Mitch in 1998)
• Started a full-time health clinic to meet the health care needs of poor people in Ciudad Sandino
• Hosted nearly 100 delegations and 400 individual volunteers in Nicaragua, all of whom go back to their homes and teach people about Nicaragua
• Developed solar composting latrines, stoves that use less wood, and a bio-diesel project

For more information on CDCA's projects and how you can get involved, please visit their website.

These Numbers Have Faces

I want to thank Executive Director Justin Zoradi for making me aware of the wonderful organization he founded, and Communications Director Jonathan Saur for providing us with such amazing information on this organization.

"These Numbers Have Faces is a Portland, OR based nonprofit organization working in Cape Town, South Africa. These Numbers Have Faces exists to confront generational poverty in South Africa by providing college scholarships for youth in the township of Gugulethu. It is our goal that through education, we can give young people the opportunity to make positive change in their own communities. These Numbers Have Faces isn't about a cause, it's about people.

No matter what the news media tell us, our dear friends in South Africa are not numbers. They are not color coded charts, pie graphs, or economic statistics. These Numbers Have Faces."

These Numbers Have Faces- The Introduction from These Numbers Have Faces on Vimeo.

For more information please visit the These Numbers Have Faces website. You can also watch more videos about the organization by visiting their Vimeo page.

Southern Bancorp

Southern Bancorp (Southern), a development bank holding company, was formed in 1986 as the brainchild of then Governor Bill Clinton and Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation to end decades of economic decline in rural Arkansas. They are committed to helping transform rural economics by creating new trends of investment in people, jobs, business, and property.

The organization combines the vision, passion, and creativity of nonprofit organizations with the fiscal discipline, financial capacity, and permanence of the FDIC- insured banks. Southern's family of companies include three commercial banks and three 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations.

"Because of the unique public-private partnership, Southern is able to access both the grassroots individuals most affected by regional change as well as the community leadership base of professional, civic, and governmental institutions that traditional nonprofit organizations are unable to reach. Southern's goal is to organize all of the above in a manner that promotes action and stimulates fundamental community change.

Southern believes that successful regional change must be initiated by communities and that such change will be driven by anchor communities in the region. Anchor communities maintain critical mass of business, industry, and population and have the potential to attract and promote economic activity and growth.  Anchor communities are an economic and cultural force within a 50-mile radius that support and transform smaller communities in their sphere of influence. Regional change is possible only when several anchor communities can combine to drive revitalization in the larger region."

Their methods include:

• Asset Building: Southern Good Faith Fund- established in 1988 as a microloan fund, modeled after Grameen Bank. Over time the mission has evolved to better meet the needs of Delta residents. This now includes asset building, business development center, career pathways, and public policy programming.
• Community Banking
• Community Planning
• Development Lending
• Partnerships
• Property Development

To date Southern Bancorp has:

• Funded more than $1.7 billion in development loans
• Created or saved 7,000 jobs
• Assisted 930 individuals in obtaining a certificate or degree with 88% landing a job upon graduation.
• Developed more than 175 high quality housing units throughout the Delta.

For more information on Southern Bancorp please visit their website. 

MicroPlace

Today's feature shows how contagious a good, and more importantly successful, idea can be. We continue our focus on micro-finance by featuring MicroPlace, an organization founded by Tracey Pettengill Turner after her inspiring experience working at Grameen Bank, (Monday's feature).

MicroPlace's mission is "to help alleviate global poverty by enabling everyday people to make investments in the world's working poor."  The organization merged with Ebay in 2006, creating a "synergy between Ebay's mission to provide economic opportunity and MicroPlace's vision to empower the working poor."

The process is simple and you can invest as little as $20. All you need to do is open an investment account, search the site to find an investment you're interested in, and invest with your paypal or bank account. Investors receive their money back and interest payments directly into the account they paid from. You can then re-invest or cash out.

As we've already seen, micro-finance allows those living in proving to help themselves and their community. MicroPlace provides a simple, user-friendly and inexpensive way for anyone to get involved in micro-finance. 

For more information please visit the MicroPlace website.

Cambodian Children's Fund

Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF) was founded by Hollywood film executive Scott Neeson after a visit to Cambodia in 2003. Having been forever changed by his experience, Neeson left the glitz of Hollywood to live in Phnom Penh year round as CCF's Executive Director.

CCF was originally developed as one shelter providing a safe haven for 45 children in critical need. Today the organization has grown to five separate facilities, where nearly 400 children receive nutrition, housing, medical treatment, dental services, and vaccinations. The also receive an education, job training, and access to cultural and athletic activities.

CCF is also increasing  their community relief efforts to provide suffering families better access o education, healthcare, food assistance and safe drinking water- which is essential in an environment where an estimated 80% of illnesses are water related.

CCF Programs include the following:

• The CCF Education Program- which provides a comprehensive education, culture and sports and extra-curricular activities, and eventual public school integration. Subjects include: multi-level English,  local language reading and writing, social studies, and math. In addition evening cultural classes teach traditional Khmer music, dance and drama.
• Region of Lazio Community Leadership Program- designed for students who are smart, articulate and charismatic- children who are demonstrably natural leaders, regardless of their education status or grade level. The program emphasizes entrepreneurship, human rights issues, social activism and media studies, as well as land rights and community intervention. The goal of this program is to prepare a select group of promising students to enter Cambodian society with skills, ambition, and integrity to become progressive leaders and spokespeople for the emerging generation.
• The CCF Vocational Training Program- is invaluable to older children who came to CFF with limited schooling, as they are unlikely to complete high school at a reasonable age and go on to higher studies. The program encourages children to pursue on- and off-site studies in: computer training, cosmetology, hair-dressing, graphic design, restaurant management, and language instruction. In 2006, CCF also opened Star Bakery, a facility that provides training in baking techniques, bread production, food hygiene, and business management.
• CCF Healthcare Program- the program oversees the healthcare, nutrition, and medical treatment of over 300 students.

"Cambodian children are some of the most deprived and abused in the world. They've had no choice in being born into a country with some of the highest rates of child prostitution and domestic violence in the world... In such a plentiful world, it is inexcusable that any child should have to live this way."

The above statement appears to be ever-present in the minds of those working to advance CCF's mission. It is a call to action for all of us. As Bono has said, we cannot let the misfortunes of geography determine the fate of others.

For more information, including how you can sponsor a child, please visit CCF's website.

Somos Children's Village

Today's organization is working towards a significant goal- building a village for abandoned and orphaned children in Guatemala.

The Somos Project is creating Children's Village, housing 49 children, in seven homes with seven foster mothers raising the household of children. These children will not be adopted out. The homes are meant to be long-term,  creating a permanent foster family. The Village will focus on education, leadership, and the arts, with the children attending the local community school.

Beyond the seven homes, the Village will also have buildings for activities, guest rooms, art and music workshops, a library, administrative space, a larger playground and soccer field. The Village will be eco-sustainable, with alternative power, rain water capture, grey water recycling, solar energy, and organic gardens and orchards.  

The Village is working with the local Guatemalan community. Children's Village will be managed by the Village Director, who is a local Guatemalan. More local Guatemalans will be employed in various areas of the Village.

I urge you to visit the site. It's filled with detailed information about every aspect of the project. There is a very clear mission, and very clear plan how to achieve that mission. This is a wonderful project to provide a loving home and happy life for children whose young lives have already experience a great deal of sadness. For more information about Project Somos' progress or how you can get involved please visit their site.

John Legend

John Legend's mostly known as a grammy winning, multi-platinum artist, but today it's his philanthropic work that's getting recognized. Listed below are the organizations Legend has founded or advocates for. Inspired to create songs about the tragedies in Africa, Legend took those words and decided words weren't enough. And now he encourages us to move beyond words toward action. Please check out this amazing organizations, and visit their sites to find out more information.

The Show Me Campaign - Launched in 2007, the organization works to improve the living situations and prospects of victims of extreme poverty in Mbola, Tanzania. The mission of the organization is, "to fight economic and spiritual poverty through fostering sustainable development (personal, social, education, economic) at the individual, family, and small community levels. The Show Me Campaign is grassroots movement that engages all of its participants as agents of transformative change from the bottom up."

The Campaign supports Mbola, a remote village in Tanzania, in an effort to permanently lift itself from extreme poverty. The Campaign works with Millennium Promise and the local Mbola community to implement practical solutions to advance its mission. I highly recommend visiting the Show Me Campaign's website to see an outline of the seven initiatives to help this village. They range from providing fertilizer to help farmers to education and internet. They  not only provide relief, but also offer sustainable solutions. These life-changing initiatives can be secured for just $60 per villager per year over 5 years. 

Millennium Promise - their mission "is to support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals to halve extreme poverty in Africa by 2015. To that end, Millennium Promise works with impoverished communities, national and local governments, and partner organizations to implement high-impact programs aimed at transforming lives on the continent and engaging donor nations, corporations, an the general public in the effort. Our work is premised on the belief that, for the first time in history, our generation has the opportunity to end extreme poverty, hunger, and disease." They envision the end extreme worldwide poverty by 2025.

"Millennium Development Goals are the world's time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions-income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion- while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability. They are also basic human rights- the rights of each person on the planet to health, education, shelter, and security." 

These eight goals are:

• Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty
• Achieve Universal Primary Education
• Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
• Reduce Child Mortality
• Improve Maternal Health
• Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
• Ensure Environmental Sustainability
• Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) - a national nonprofit that develops African American, Hispanic and Native American young people for leadership positions in corporations, nonprofits, and entrepreneurial ventures where these minority groups are under-represented. The organization partners with MBA programs and blue-chip corporations to provide programming at critical career transition points: high school to college, college to early career, early career to MBA, and MBA to executive leadership. MLT provides high-potential minority talent with the skills needed to succeed. To date the organization has over 300 Career Prep alumni and 500 MBA Prep alumni.

The Gentlemen's Fund -  an initiative established in 2007 to commemorate GQ's 50th anniversary. The Fund has partnered with five charities and five celebrity ambassadors to support the five cornerstones essential to men: Opportunity, Health, Education, Environment, and Mentorship. As an ambassador, John Legend, raises support and awareness for organizations that embody these five principles.

For more information about these organizations, their work and how you can help please visit their websites.

Play for Peace

PLAY for PEACE's mission is "to bring together children, youth, and organizations from communities in conflict, using cooperative play to create laughter, compassion and play." The organization seeks to prevent violence in conflict-torn areas by teaching people how to live, play, and work together.

PLAY for PEACE objectives:

• To promote positive relationships among the people of societies in conflict
• To foster leaders for peace around the world
• To build self-sustaining learning communities in which all regions work interdependently to build a more peaceful world
• To create a non-threatening environment, free from fear, in which people of all ages can experience the joys of play.

Based on the creation of ongoing learning partnerships, the organization allows each person to build positive, life-long connections with others. This community building strategy has a special focus among peoples with a history of intercultural tension. The organization believes cooperative play is an effective tool to promote cross-cultural relationships. PLAY for PEACE works in Guatemala, India, the Middle East, Northern Ireland, and North America.

PLAY for PEACE is a global organization. It works through Hub Organizations, who work with their community to instill change by cultivating local leadership. PLAY for PEACE, and its Hub Organizations, work through community leaders and youth facilitators to teach children, teens, and adults to trust and respect each other, and to break down cultural barriers.

PLAY for PEACE was kind enough to supply the following information on their organization and work:

"Currently operating out of six hub institutions (NEIU in Chicago, Hazlewood College in Northern Ireland, Illinois State University, Shaishav in India, Jerusalem International YMCA in Israel, and the University of San Carlos in Guatemala), "PLAY for PEACE" is a cross-cultural community that works together as a system to build lasting peace and give the children of the world hope for a better life.

In the past four four years, the global "PLAY for PEACE" community has provided over 4.1 million participant days to these communities. Through the cooperation of our regional Hub and Partner organizations, teenagers from conflicting cultures are brought together to be leaders for peace in their neighborhoods. These youth facilitators learn experience-based educational methodologies and models that empower them to be effective in their service. They come together week-by-week to facilitate cooperative, relationship building activities for the community's younger children. Then, motivated by the peace-building lessons they have learned, they frequently unite in creating and leading other local initiatives that promote positive, lasting relationships between the conflicting cultures of their community."

For more information please visit the PLAY for PEACE website.

Academy for Educational Development

Academy for Educational Development's (AED) mission "is to make a positive difference in people's lives by working in partnership to create and implement innovative solutions to critical social and economic problems."

To achieve this AED implements more than 250 human and social development programs throughout the US and in more than 150 countries. The organization works with local and national partners, developing sustainable strategies, to improve education, health, civil society, and economic development.

Programs focus on education, economic development, health, HIV/AIDS, and leadership. AED uses a variety of approaches to combat these issues, including research and evaluation, behavior change, partnerships, social marketing, and training.

Founded in 1961, the organization "envisions a world in which all individuals have the opportunity to reach their full potential and contribute to the well-being of their family, community, country, and world." 

Please visit AED's website for more information on how you can contribute.  And for anyone concerned about how much money goes to running an organization of this size, 91% of expenses are directly related to AED programs. In other words, you know your dollars are going to support AED programs.

Cross Cultural Solutions

Cross Cultural Solutions, (CCS), is an international volunteer program that matches volunteers with local organizations to work on community led initiatives.  Their mission is "dedicated to the vision of a world where people value cultures different from their own, are aware of global issues, and are empowered to effect positive change."

Founded in 1995, CCS operates in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. The organization offering three different volunteering experiences: Volunteer Abroad, Intern Abroad, and Insight Abroad. These programs range from from 1 to 12 weeks and volunteers have over 20 program sites to choose from. Volunteer placements are within the following categories: Caregiving, Community Development, Healthcare, and Teaching. The objective of volunteer placement is to match the immediate needs of the community with the skills and interests of each volunteer.

This organization is great for anyone who is interested in getting involved on a more international level. Or wishes to support the organization's global initiatives.