Archive for category: Charity

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Biking Across Canada to Raise Funds for Female Farmers in Ghana

Bike_to_GrowMay 15, 2015 was a big day for Sarah French and Mary Fehr. It was the day they began their fundraising campaign called Bike to Grow, in which both undertook an 8,710-kilometer trek across Canada.

Former interns at the Mennonite Economic Development Associations, or MEDA, French and Fehr were both inspired by their experiences and have since topped $100,000 in their crowdfunding campaign approaching Ontario. “Complete strangers have opened their homes, hearts and wallets to provide a place to sleep, a complimentary meal or a friendly face in unfamiliar places,” said French. “We’ve met so many people who are inspired by our efforts and MEDA’s work. Mary and I in turn are equally touched by their generosity and kindness.”

During their internships with MEDA, both saw poverty firsthand, witnessing it in Nicaragua and even experiencing it for themselves in Tanzania. One issue that stuck out to them was the inequality that female workers faced. In both Nicaragua and Tanzania, many women worked to help support their families, but they either couldn’t contribute as much as men could or they were single parents, among other situations. French and Fehr saw an opportunity to help change that with a project called GROW, which stands for “Greater Rural Opportunities for Women.”

In order to help families grow, each member who is contributing financially should be able to reap fair benefits, no matter the gender. Check out https://www.meda.org/bike-to-grow to donate and find out more information about Bike to Grow. The journey ends September 1, 2015 in Newfoundland.

– Anna Brailow

Sources: MEDA 1, MEDA 2, Upbeat
Photo: Lsuag Center

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Experience Poverty Challenge: Empathy as the Catalyst for Change

Poverty_ChallengePeople may not find it easy to imagine the pains of hunger, the roaring grumble of an unsatisfied stomach that has to be ignored because sustenance is scarce. The Experience Poverty Challenge beckons those living at a higher and more generous standard to cross the economic threshold and step into the shoes, or lack thereof, of a person living in poverty daily.

The general challenge is to simply spend three days living on only $1.50. The provisions that can be bought on this insignificant amount seem near to none, but that is the point. The goal of the challenge is for those participating to be sponsored for his or her participation. Funds received for fulfilling the terms of the challenge go to a sponsored charity.

The sponsored charity is the Deworm the World Initiative. This charity focuses its efforts on the provision of life-saving medicines to those who live in poverty, conditions where individuals can hardly afford food, let alone healthcare.

Half of the world spends $2.50 or less on food a day and this quantity of income highly suggests an inability to afford basic healthcare. Furthermore, the charity does not limit its expectations and goals to resolving a lack of healthcare issues produced by poverty.

The Deworm the World Initiative aims to tackle poor living conditions as a whole through the “Evidence Action Beta” (EAB) approach. “Beta,” in this case, refers to the “beta” testing solutions that focus on efforts that have been tested and proven to maximize results and minimize possible consequences of intervention.

This means research-based solutions. An example of this is seen in the charity’s approach towards what they call “seasonal hunger.” During certain times of the year, some developing countries experience famine due to changing environmental conditions. One working solution that EAB noticed was a success with travel subsidies for work migration.

These travel subsidies would allow individuals to leave their families during these seasonal famines and work in neighboring locations. This would allow the families to receive capital and resources from the work-migrating individuals, which would show improvements in consumption and nutrition in these affected areas.

In order to participate in this challenge and support this innovative charity, one can visit www.experiencepoverty.causevox.com.

– Felicia L. Warren

Sources: WTXL, Experience Poverty, Evidence Action
Photo: Experience Poverty

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Gaming For Good: Changing Lives Through Gaming

The video game industry is a $10.5 billion per year industry. With the level of financial power held by this form of entertainment, there is a great opportunity for gaming to become a major force for good. Gaming For Good is an organization that seeks to fulfill this opportunity. The organization encourages players to purchase “points” through donations made to charitable efforts by Save the Children International. These points can then be spent on games such as Psychonauts, Splice and Worms Revolution.

Gaming for Good was founded by Bachir Boumaaza, better known by his online nickname “Athene.” Athene has been described within gaming media as “the best gamer in the world,” and holds records ranging from the first to reach level 60 in Diablo III to the most hands of online poker played in one month. This organization is a way for the online celebrity to take what is clearly more than a hobby for him and use it to make a difference.

This method is working incredibly well. Along with partnering with major gaming media such as Twitch TV, the site won a Webby Award in 2013. More importantly, the charity has been an absolute powerhouse in terms of fundraising. In 2013, the organization reached $10 million in donations. The organization’s recent support of charity efforts in Nepal came with a request of $200,000. It raised over $805,000 for relief in Nepal thus far.

Everybody has a hobby. For some it is collecting, for others painting and, for many, that hobby is gaming. With gaming being such a successful industry, this organization does something amazing by mobilizing that success to promote change in the developing world.

Gaming for Good can be visited here.

– Andrew Michaels

Sources: Polygon, Kotaku 1, Kotaku, Save the Children , Webby Awards, Save the Children
Photo: Dual Shockers

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How a Saudi Prince is Saving Communities

How a Saudi Prince is Saving Communities - TBP
Saudi Arabia is a nation with one of the highest per capita GDPs in the world, coming in at around $55,000; however, it is still affected by a decent amount of poverty, with an estimated 12.7% of the population living in poverty. Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud is seeking to change this in his own nation and several others worldwide.

Prince Alwaleed made his fortune through expert investment in American, Middle Eastern and European companies and now has a net worth of around $32 billion, making him the 21st richest person in the world. However, rather than spend this fortune on himself, Alwaleed has pledged to donate his entire fortune to charity over the course of his lifetime.

This is a model based off of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: he is seeking good investments and strong organizations that can help him better the global community and increase the amount of respect for Saudi Arabia.

Prince Alwaleed has begun his charity work with a project that is very close to home. Understanding that much of the Saudi native population is struggling, he has vowed to provide his people with 10,000 homes and 10,000 cars over 10 years. According to Arabian Business, this gesture is “an expression of [the prince’s] gratitude to the Saudi nation and its people,” and this small step is truly evident of the greatness that is to come.

The self-proclaimed “Warren Buffett of Arabia” has decided to enact these goals in order to promote cultural understanding, empower women and provide vital disaster relief throughout the world. Alwaleed’s philanthropic organization, Kingdom Holding, is not just focused on building communities: it also has interests ranging from a new Disney theme park to Citigroup, with much more in between.

Prince Alwaleed has recently signed a treaty with France, thus creating a French-Saudi investment fund that is worth upwards of $400 million. He has also invested some of his fortune in Kingdom African Management, which is a Nigerian company focused on exploring alternatives to oil.

While the current investments have mainly been aimed at fostering monetary relationships with other nations, the prince has several other plans to make a difference in the world.

The prince has a rough timeline of what exactly he wishes to do with his fortune, but this is subject to change as the state of the global community changes. Ultimately, it is an impressive and extremely altruistic goal that will allow for mountains of change and hope in the world.

With an increasing number of celebrities and wealthy individuals using their fortunes to do good, there is no telling where the world will be in a few years. The world has long existed in a state of haves and have-nots, but when people realize that society cannot progress without a little help, and are then willing to do what they can to help, it will become a better place and a stronger community because of that.

– Sumita Tellakat

Sources: The Huffington Post, Al-Jazeera
Photo: DW

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YouTubers Supporting Charity

YouTubers
YouTube has allowed millions of people to create content that will possibly reach an audience. For some YouTubers, creating content leads to an enormous amount of success, creating a massive following and giving them celebrity status. As a result, the past 10 years have seen a great increase in the number of online celebrities.

What these celebrities reveal is the power in social media. If top YouTuber PewDiePie, who posts comedy skits along with “Let’s Play” videos of games such as Grand Theft Auto V and The Witcher III, can have over 38 million subscribers to his channel, is YouTube not also a platform on which one can spread ideas to others?

PewDiePie thinks so. In 2013, the vlogger posted a video titled “10 MILLION BROS UNITE!-Charity: Water” on YouTube. In it, he challenged his subscribers (who at the time numbered 10 million) to support the efforts of nonprofit organization Charity: Water to promote access to clean water in the developing world. Along with launching an online campaign, PewDiePie agreed to donate one dollar to Charity: Water per every 500 views earned by the video. PewDiePie’s studio “Maker Studios” also agreed to donate one dollar per every 500 views on the video.

The campaign raised $446,462 for Charity: Water, becoming a huge success for the YouTuber. Perhaps even more great is the fact that PewDiePie is not the first YouTuber to promote making a difference.

For Lewis Brindley and Simon Lane, who form comedic gaming channel Yogscast, charity is part of what being entertainers is about. In December of each year, the team holds fundraising initiatives, streaming play-throughs of games and challenges to promote charity. Their most recent effort, titled “Jingle Jam,” raised over 1 million dollars for a variety of charities, including Oxfam International, Doctors Without Borders and End Polio Now.

Along with PewDiePie and Yogscast, YouTuber Connor Franta has taken advantage of the platform to promote social justice. Franta raised over $230,000 for The Thirst Project through crowdfunding platform Prizeo. To do this, Franta encouraged fans to enter a contest in which they donated to the charity, and the winner was given the opportunity to get coffee with Franta in Los Angeles.

The power of social media is the speed with which it allows us to spread ideas. For YouTube celebrities, using the platform that allowed them to achieve celebrity status to promote giving is perhaps the ultimate way to give back.

– Andrew Michaels

Sources: PC Games N, Reason Digital, Huffington Post , Youtube 1, Youtube, Charity: Water
Photo: Youtube

Johnny Depp and Stephen Graham Costume Up for Sick Children

Sick Children, Johnny Depp and Stephen Graham - TBP
This week, celebrities Johnny Depp and Stephen Graham reprised their roles as Captain Jack Sparrow and Scrum, respectively, at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, Australia.

The surprise event took place when the actors felt the need to bring joy to several of the hospital’s sick children. The actors, filming the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie off of the Gold Coast, decided to spend over three hours entertaining the children, all while in character.

Depp and Graham have made a lasting memory in these children’s lives that they will soon not forget. This marks yet another memorable difference these two actors have made in the lives of the less fortunate.

No stranger to charity work, Depp and Graham are both heavily invested in charities, fundraisers and events all aimed at helping those in need.

Depp supports several organizations such as the Actors Fund of America, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, the Environmental Justice Foundation, Much Love Animal Rescue, Project HOME and more. With Depp being as generous as he is, it should be no surprise that his patronage to these charitable organizations has influenced his fans to follow suit. “Johnny’s Angels” is a group of passionate Depp fans that follow his philanthropic spirit and fundraise, organize public charity events and make large donations to Depp’s charities in the name of “celebrating [their] admiration for Johnny and [their] devotion to embracing one another and spreading hope to those who need it most.”

Graham is no stranger to charity as well, as can be seen by his tremendous efforts with Stand up to Cancer U.K. and Cancer Research U.K. He has done everything from fundraise, attend charitable events, donate to participate in a dance-off for charity, and jump off a 12-story building (in an attached safety harness of course), all in the name of defeating cancer. Graham has literally put his life on the line and spent hours of his time with these charitable organizations.

It’s truly amazing to see celebrities care about those in need, and then physically go out of their way to make a difference in the life of someone else.

– Alysha Biemolt

Sources: Look To The Stars 1, Look To The Stars 2, Johnny’s Angels, Look To The Stars 3, YouTube, Look To The Stars 4, Stand Up To Cancer, Cancer Research UK

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XPrize Sets Sights on Bringing Literacy to 250M Children Worldwide

literacy

New data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics states that global literacy rates for youths and adults have been on the rise. Sixty percent of all countries that provided data in 2012 reported overall literacy rates of 95% or higher.

Still, there is a great need for a solution in this regard. The report also said that “An estimated 250 million children around the world cannot read, write, or demonstrate basic arithmetic skills. Many of these children are in developing countries without regular access to quality schools or teachers.”

These statistics ultimately became a project for a nonprofit called XPrize. XPrize runs competitions that aim to produce technology to benefit humankind. An ongoing competition that began in 2014 requires that teams develop an open source software that enables children in developing countries to teach themselves basic reading, writing and arithmetic.

XPrize launched a 6-month registration period and all teams have 18 months to develop their own solution. Currently, there are 198 registered teams. The top five finalists with the best results will receive one million dollars. The ultimate grand prizewinner will receive 10 million dollars as the top performing team solution.

Click here for more information on how to get involved and remain updated on the progress of the competition.

XPrize believes that children are a solution to global poverty, and that many of the world’s greatest minds are untapped due to a lack of basic education. “By enabling a child to learn how to learn, that child has opportunity–to live a healthy and productive life, to provide for their family and their community, as well as to contribute toward a peaceful, prosperous and abundant world.”

For the competition’s promotional video, several children  were asked what their ultimate life goals were. So many of those goals have seemed unrealistic due to their location and state of living. However, with support from XPrize, those dreams can become a reality.

– Anna Brailow

Sources: Xprize 1, Xprize 2, Tech Crunch, UIS, YouTube
Photo: CNN

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6 Cosmetic, Clothing or Accessory Brands Working for Good Causes

Brands_Working_for_Good_Causes
There are plenty of brands around the world that have philanthropic purposes or that have created programs and products that use certain designs in order to participate in charitable programs.

Clothing brands and cosmetic brands have also provided opportunities for many people to participate in charitable programs, while spreading awareness of causes that matter around the world.

Using fashion, jewelry or cosmetic products such as makeup or skin lotions, these brands convert their products into donations or awareness. In other words, their customer will not only be buying their fashion or beauty product, but they will also be contributing to a good cause.

1) LUSH

LUSH is a handmade cosmetic brand that works with organic ingredients to create fresh cosmetic products. This brand uses little or no preservatives in its products and uses vegetarian ingredients.

This brand believes in protecting humans, animals and the planet, showing that they are committed to create their products as natural and as ecologically-friendly as possible.

LUSH is also devoted to work as a campaigner brand that supports animal rights, environment protection and many humanitarian causes, using activism and charitable giving. The brand has a product called “Charity Pot,” which is a hand and body lotion that, whenever is purchased, 100% of the price goes to humanitarian causes in the country or around the world.

2) Satya Jewelry

Satya is a jewelry brand that created modern jewelry pieces with a meaning. The Satya Foundation, along with its jewelry, supports different children groups and charities around the world.

The brand’s foundation is partnered with different organizations, orphanages and projects. Some of the brand’s partners are Commit 2 Change, Charity: Water, and the Manjushree Orphanage, among others. These projects and organizations have different purposes, but each one is dedicated to a worthy humanitarian cause.

3) FEED

“Creating good products that help feed the world” is the phrase that this brand uses as their slogan. This brand creates bags, accessories and clothing out of natural fabrics and artisan-made materials that help with a donation to provide meals around the world to people in need.

The brand has forged partnerships with many other brands, such as Target, Disney, Tory Burch, Godiva, TOMS and many others.

4) Lemlem

Lemlem is a brand that sells women’s and kids apparel, accessories and home items. Founded by model Liya Kebede, this brand empowers and partners with local artisans in the creation of their products.

The brand’s motto, “Made in Ethiopia,” proves that there are different ways and destinations for clothing and accessory production.

5) Warby Parker

This brand sells designer eye wear at an affordable price, and at the same time donates to a humanitarian cause.

They believe that everyone has the right to see, so every time a person buys a pair of Warby Parker glasses, the brand makes donations to their nonprofit partners that cover the donation of glasses to people in need.

Their primary partner, VisionSpring, trains men and women in developing countries to give eye exams and sell glasses to very affordable prices, while also spreading awareness.

The brand believes that selling the glasses at a very affordable price helps these low-income communities to earn a living through their improved vision.

6) Same Sky

This is a jewelry brand that offers products for both men and women. They provide job opportunities to women who are struggling and living in extreme poverty.

The brand has the vision to provide a second chance to these women struggling to make a living. They offer the employment, fair pay, training and education that these women need in order to empower themselves and live self-sustaining lives.

– Diana Fernanda Leon

Sources: LUSH, Satya Jewelry, Feed Projects, LemLem, Warby Parker, Same Sky
Photo: NorthPark Center

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Heifer International Takes a Holistic Approach to Community Development

heifer_international
Heifer International follows the “teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime” philosophy.

The charity organization teaches families living in hunger and poverty how to practice sustainable agriculture and trade. Heifer International provides livestock and other agricultural resources that support financial independence. It also works with public and private partners to ingrain the entrepreneurial drive into the hearts of many developing nations.

Founded in 1944 by Dan West, Heifer is an exemplar in the fight against global poverty.

So far, Heifer has joined forces in more than 125 countries, helping more than 22.6 million families break the cycle of poverty.

In investing in local economies, Heifer has had incredible success.

In 2013, Heifer instituted its Global Impact Monitoring System that collects reference data related to its development work. With this system, the impact is more greatly measurable. This “values-based” system monitors all projects at the group-level and global-level. Heifer further reviews its work by evaluating its projects on five key elements: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.

Heifer projects cover Africa, Asia and the Americas.

The Sahel Program in Africa develops local livestock production in the Sahel region. By providing sheep and goats, the program will impact 516,000 families between 2014 and 2024. The goal is to build resilient and sustainable farming livelihoods.

The Southern Africa Goat Value Chain Program targets food and income security by establishing producers associations, cooperative management and market infrastructures, according to the Heifer site.

The Africa Climate Change Adaption and Mitigation (ACCAM) Program also tackles food security. On the Heifer website, the ACCAM profile lists its goals: creating adaptive climate resilient food systems, increased access to renewable energies, sustainable management of natural resources, increased access to water for agricultural production, sanitation and hygiene, and increased women’s participation in control of resources, leadership and decision-making.

In Asia, Heifer launched similar value chain programs in Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Nepal, the Philippines and Vietnam. They focus on increasing supplies and management of local commodities such as beef, dairy, goat, swine, chicken and other staple foods.

The GANASOL Agricultural and Livestock Program in Central and South America connects local farmers to market resources. The PROMESA Coffee and Cocoa Program revolves around the coffee, cocoa, cardamom and honey value chains. The PROCOSTA Coastal and Mangrove Ecosystems program addresses climate change, income and food security, and the subsequent issues that affect the mangrove and coastal zones.

This work continues in several other programs, all of which foster self-reliant livelihoods in primarily agriculturally dependent regions.

Heifer International believes in achieving zero hunger by supporting small-scale farmers.

– Lin Sabones

Sources: Heifer, Vimeo
Photo: The Global Journal

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“Va por mi cuenta” Movement

Malnutrition_in_Mexico
Ending child malnutrition in Mexico is the main goal for the “Va por mi cuenta” (“It’s on me”) movement. They serve more than 20,000 meals per month to children living under vulnerable conditions.

As of today, the “Va por mi cuenta” movement has four “Nuestro Comedor” dining rooms located in the state of Mexico: in Metepec, Chalco and Ecatepec. The fourth dining room is located in Mexico city.

The movement plans to collect a minimum amount of 100 million pesos during a period of 5 years in order to construct ten “Nuestro Comedor” child dining rooms. According to the movement’s website, these dining rooms will provide 2,530,000 meals and feed 2,300 children daily.

“Va por mi cuenta” has the support of different companies, brands, and restaurant chains that, through different mechanics of collection, provide help advance the movement’s prospects.

Some of the brands that collaborate with “Va por mi cuenta” are Alsea, Starbucks, Burger King, Domino’s, PayPal, Flock, X Design, California Pizza Kitchen, Chili’s, and Pei Wei, among others.

Alsea is the responsible for addressing and responding to the concerns and requirements that participants may have. Alsea is also responsible for coordinating the movement’s partnerships.

This foundation canalizes the funds raised by the movement into the construction and operation of “Nuestro Comedor” dining rooms, and it monitors and reports results.

The fast food restaurant chain, Burger King, has also partnered with the “Va por mi cuenta” movement. All Burger King locations in Mexico support the movement by making a donation for every single ice cream cone the restaurant sells.

In 2013, Burger King donated 1 peso for every single ice cream cone that the restaurants sold, and 2 pesos for every double ice cream cone.

Domino’s, the pizza restaurant chain, also contributes to the movement. Domino’s Mexico locations allocate a percentage from the sale of two of their products to the “Va por mi cuenta” movement.

The sale of the restaurant’s “Canelazo Bites” and “Pakecompartas”—a package deal that includes a pizza, chicken strips, and french fries—funds Domino’s donations to “Va por mi cuenta”.

Domino’s also contributes to the movement by encouraging Mexican artists to contribute their own designs for pizza and “Canelazo Bites” boxes. Notable Mexican artists that have contributed to this project and the “Va por mi cuenta” movement are Kari Mayo, Jorge Tellaeche, and amoATO Studio.

The Starbucks coffee chain’s Mexican locations have begun to sell bracelets with the Starbucks and “Va por mi cuenta” insignia written on them in order to contribute to the “Va por mi cuenta” movement. The purpose of the bracelet is to invite children that are most in need to a meal.

By visiting the restaurants that have signed on to help the “Va por mi cuenta” movement, consumers are also becoming a part of the effort by contributing their purchases.

Individuals could also independently contribute to the cause by making donations through Banco Santander, or by contributing an “invite” to meals via PayPal.

The “Va por mi cuenta” movement is fighting to eradicate child malnutrition in Mexico. By constructing “Nuestro Comedor” dining rooms, and with the help of different brands, restaurant chains and corporations, the movement is little by little making a greater impact on Mexican children who suffer from malnutrition.

– Diana Fernanda Leon

Sources: Alsea, Eclecticmex, Dominos, Movimiento va por mi cuenta 1, Movimiento va por mi cuenta 2, Movimiento va por mi cuenta 3
Photo: Movimiento va por mi cuenta