Archive for category: Nonprofit Organizations and NGOs

Information and stories about nonprofit organizations and NGOs

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WRF: Helping the Disabled Worldwide

World rehabilitation fund
Fifteen percent of the world’s population has some form of disability, leaving approximately 110 million adults with significant difficulties in functioning. Founded in 1955 by Howard Rusk, the World Rehabilitation Fund (WRF) believes that all people, regardless of disabilities, have the right to be part of their communities and to have full access to opportunities like education and employment.

To make good on its belief, WRF has become involved in humanitarian services in the Middle East. The nonprofit is dedicated to provide artificial limb technology to disabled people in Afghanistan, one of the most heavily-mined places in the world. WRF aims to provide fitted limbs to 2,000 amputees. WRF piloted prosthetics limbs in response to devastating natural disasters such as the earthquake that crippled thousands of Pakistanis in 2006. The artificial limbs have proved to be suitable and comfortable for below the knee amputees.

In addition to providing prosthetics, WRF also provides people with living skills and job opportunities, which helps amputees reestablish their self-esteem.

WRF also supports the disabilities by financially supporting the Artisans Association of Cambodia. The AAC sells artisan products made by Cambodians with disabilities and helps them to make a living wage. The sales revenue of the AAC rose from $250,000 in 1999 to over $3,000,000 in 2012, benefiting 2,000 artisans. The AAC exports its products to over 9 countries in Asia, Europe, North America and New Zealand.

Today, the WRF is responding to the civil war in Syria, assisting millions of refugees being forced to flee to neighboring countries such as Lebanon. WRF-Lebanon provides life-changing devices to people with disabilities ranging from hearing aids to artificial limbs. Over 600 people have been helped by WRF and its partners in that war-torn area.

WRF’s sustained efforts to make a difference in the lives of the disabled people across the globe is a testament to their belief that each person’s dignity is interconnected. As Rusk, says, “To believe in rehabilitation is to believe in humanity.”

– Jing Xu

Sources: World Health Organization, The World Rehabilitation Fund

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What is the MCC?

Mennonite Central Committee is a faith-based organization involved with Anabaptist churches. According to its website, the three areas of focus are relief, development and peace.

Recently, its efforts have included providing shelter kits to typhoon victims in the Philippines and canned meat to Burundian refugees who have been kicked out of Tanzania. Volunteers also make quilts to be sold at relief sales to benefit those around the world.

Amy Boydell Zorrilla has over ten years of experience with MCC. She served in Bolivia and Honduras for seven years and worked for over four years in some of MCC’s domestic offices. She volunteered with the Materials Resource Center, which puts together kits to send abroad. Zorrilla and her family also contribute to the MRC through assembling school kits for children in need every Christmas.

She and her husband became interested in working with MCC because of “the faith values upon which the organization is based, its reputation for integrity and community centered development and relief and because of our interest in serving internationally.”

When she and her husband served in Bolivia from 1999 to 2002, they ran a program for working children, where they bolstered interest and support for getting an education. While in Honduras from 2009 to 2013, they served as country representatives. They attended to “administrative tasks, meeting with local partners and providing support to our team of international MCC workers.”

While in both places, they were exposed to a variety of socioeconomic levels. They lived in cities where “it wasn’t uncommon to see a nice SUV and a horse drawn cart on one of the main city streets.”

Because many people are moving from the countryside to the cities, “many communities or neighborhoods are still working to get basic amenities like running water or reliable electricity, decent roads and schools.”

Back in the U.S, Zorrilla worked in Human Resources from 2006 to 2009, finding locations for volunteers in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Through her current work with MCC East Coast, she sees people “sewing, quilting, weaving, cutting up old t-shirts, recycling cardboard, repairing shoes, etc.” She appreciates the body of support for the MRC, with volunteers ranging from youth groups to senior citizens.

Zorrilla enjoyed her experience with MCC and learned a lot from her cross-cultural living: “One of the things that impacted me most has been seeing how resilient people are. The perseverance, hard work, creativity and commitment to family and the future of people who have very limited or no access to resources many of us take for granted.”

She also enjoyed getting to travel to other agencies nearby and see the work that was being done by others, reminiscing: “I remember a trip we took in Bolivia (to one of the mountain towns where MCC supported a project). It felt like going back in time. Despite the different context, the commonalities of our lives struck me more than the differences.”

Sometimes, it was difficult to witness the persistence of problems like poverty, injustice and violence. Zorrilla pointed out that Honduras’s homicide rate is the highest in the world; there are 90.4 murders per 100,000 people. Through her work with MCC and other partners in Honduras, she was able to try to fight some of these statistics, though she admits that “working to change that is complex, takes time, and requires agencies and people working together.”

Overall, she has a positive impression of MCC after her many years of working with the organization: “MCC is an organization that is committed to people, to service, and to doing things honestly and doing them well.”

She valued the faith basis, cross-cultural peace-building and placement of volunteers to serve as ambassadors between cultures, mentioning that, “MCC workers are encouraged to live among local residents and participate in local churches.”

She also appreciated that MCC partners with local agencies that are already in place, so that the agency does not come into a country believing they know the best way to fix a situation without listening to the people living there.

As of now, Zorrilla is working with MCC through its East Coast division, in its Ephrata, PA office. She is doing part time work, helping out where needed. Zorrilla is just one of MCC’s many volunteers working to bring relief, development, and peace to different regions of the world.

– Monica Roth

Sources: Mennonite Central Committee 1, Mennonnite Central Committee 2, Mennonnite World Review 1, Mennonnite World Review 2, Huffington Post, Personal Interview with Amy Boydell Zorrilla
Photo: Flickr

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Helping Hand for Relief and Development in Action

Helping Hand for Relief and Development
Ninety percent of the Helping Hand for Relief and Development’s (HHRD) funds are spent on the programs and services it delivers. HHRD is a nonprofit based out of Detroit, Michigan and prides itself on being known as a group of “Muslims for Humanity.”

The organization responds to emergencies and disasters all over the world with a focus on those living in poverty. Apart from disaster relief programs, HHRD also works on long term projects including economic empowerment, livelihood, orphan and widow support and skills development.

Founded in 2005, the HHRD believes in the Islamic principle of helping those who are in need. The organization works to strengthen the human condition regardless of gender, religion or ethnicity. Their core values seek to recognize the innate worth of all people, ensure equity and justice, increase transparency and advocate mutual respect.

In the event of a natural disaster, HHRD provides food, clothing and medical relief to the troubled area. It does not simply come in to provide relief and then leave once the chaos of the disaster has been subdued. Following a catastrophe, the nonprofit supports physiotherapy and donates artificial limbs for victims in need. It rebuilds homes and schools in affected areas, as well.

It also sponsors rehabilitation centers, supports home construction and contributes to career programs. The organization has scholarships available for students in need. Apart from direct contributions, HHRD also raises awareness through campaigns such as its walk for tuberculosis.

Partnering with organizations ranging from small community support groups to international relief programs, HHRD is funded predominately by private donors. In addition, it receives funding from big names including the World Food Program and the World Health Organization. Corporations such as Microsoft serve as match partners, agreeing to match HHRD’s private donor gifts.

This nonprofit works all over the globe—particularly in areas considered under the poverty line, such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

With the current events surrounding ISIS and other terrorist organizations, the religion of Islam often gets unfairly labeled as a violent religion. HHRD’s mission and life-altering work is the perfect example to prove the negative stereotype wrong.

– Caroline Logan

Sources: HHRD, Charity Navigator

Photo: Helping-hand-online

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Bankers Without Borders

Bankers without Borders started with 100 volunteers but, in the past five years, has grown to include 16,000 business professionals, academics and students coming from over 170 countries, working to increase the impact and sustainability of poverty reduction projects. So far, BwB has used its consulting and coaching to help more than 1,000 projects in 38 countries.

BwB was founded in 2008 by the Grameen Foundation, the original banking organization working through microfinance. Its motive for creating BwB was to expand its services to gain coverage in areas not originally reached by Grameen Bank.

The company reaches out by partnering with other organizations, including nonprofits, Fortune 500 companies or poverty-focused social enterprises. The experts work for free, and the Grameen Foundation likes to refer to them as “Skillanthropists;” rather than donating money, the workers are donating their skills, time and knowledge.

The volunteers’ involvement ranges from sparing a few hours a week at the comfort of their desks at work or home, to living and working in the field for weeks or months at a time. The wide range of skills and commitment BwB requires makes it possible for many people of different skill sets to make an impact through the company.

BwB’s volunteers are involved in a wide variety of fields. These include financial consultants, legal professionals, translators, researchers, a marketing staff and even a Human Resource Reserve Corps to address human capital related issues for nonprofit partners abroad.

From an economic standpoint, BwB continues to prove useful. For every dollar spent creating a BwB project, an average of $10 in skill and time has been donated by its pro bono staff, adding up to over $10 million worth of skilled work.

The volunteers work not to create temporary relief for recipients, but rather to implement a sustainable solution for clients to have successful, profit-making businesses.

BwB has formed many useful partnerships over its five years of operation, notably with J.P. Morgan, Mastercard, Google, Bloomberg, John Hopkins University and the Washington Center. As of August 5, BwB has added Wells Fargo to its arsenal of partnership companies, as well.

From the quickly-expanding volunteer base to the quantitative economic data to the qualitative success stories shared on BwB’s website, it is clear that the Grameen Foundation’s extended project has proven successful.

– Courtney Prentice

Sources: Triple Pundit, Bankers Without Borders, Grameen Foundation, Grameen-Jameel
Photo: HW Production

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GSBI Accelerator: Meet the Enterprises

GSBI
From August 14th to the 22nd, Santa Clara University will be hosting the 12th annual Global Social Benefit Institute (GSBI) Accelerator program. Each year, the GSBI Accelerator invites a group of well-established “social enterprises,” nonprofit organizations or for-profit businesses, that focus on addressing social and environmental issues. The organizations’ objective is to showcase their businesses to potential investors.

The 10-month program started in February, pairing one leader from each enterprise with start-up experienced Silicon Valley executives. These executives mentor the leaders on how to overcome business challenges like ‘scalability’—the ability to grow a business by reaching new clients and capacity to handle the growth, without a decline in service quality.

For six months, the organizations’ leaders and their mentor partners (two for each enterprise) work closely with GSBI staff who tutor and advise the enterprises in preparation for the investor showcase, which is being held on August 21st.

This year’s cohort of 16 enterprises is being touted as one of the best yet. They include several enterprises that are using new innovative technologies to help their target markets alleviate poverty. Among these are:

Buen Manejo del Campo, dba Sistema Biobolsa

Revolutionizing small-scale agriculture with ‘biodigester technology,’ which converts animal and organic waste into natural gas and organic fertilizer.

Eco-fuel Africa Limited

Empowering African communities using ‘green charcoal’—a cooking fuel made from converted, locally-sourced, municipal waste.

Ecofogão Ltda

Created to serve low-income markets with innovative, ecologically clean and efficient stoves that will replace woodstoves for daily cooking.

IkamvaYouth

Enabling young disadvantaged South Africans to educate themselves and each other with after-school tutoring three times a week.

iKure Techsoft Private Limited

A chain of rural health centers that are using innovative technology to ensure patients are receiving high quality, primary healthcare in their communities. They do so by affording community members access to doctors and medicine.

ITA Social Business Bangladesh Limited

Empowering women through networks of enterprises that create more employment opportunities and access to markets.

Komaza

An agro-forestry enterprise that provides African dry land farmers with training, maintenance and planting inputs “to cultivate a life-changing income for farmers, curb rampant deforestation and earn investor returns.”

Mali Biocarburant SA (MBSA)

The first company in West Africa to produce biodiesel, empowering farmers by making them shareholders in the company and helping develop local economies.

Medical Technology Transfer and Services (MTTS)

Developing, manufacturing and distributing intensive newborn healthcare devices, focused on the needs of low-resource countries.

One Earth Group Ltd. (Brand Name: One Earth Designs)

Collaborating with governments and corporations to deliver renewable energy solutions with their solar cooker designs, developed alongside nomads in the Himalayas. The organization helps combat fuel scarcity and air pollution.

The mentors are as equally impressive as these enterprises. The group includes venture capitalist and Netflix board member Time Haley, President of An Hour and A White Board Taia Ergueta, VP of Finance and Administration for Ion Torrent Jamie Kole and CEO of Officer Pie Digital INC John Orcutt.

One of the most impressive elements of the GSBI Accelerator program is that the mentors are as enriched by the experience as the mentees. Says Time Haley, “The obstacles that [the social entrepreneurs] have to overcome and the dedication required to succeed, compared to what we have here…the contrast is incredible. It’s pretty inspiring.”

In the coming weeks, the Borgen Project will feature several more articles on the GSBI Accelerator program, including spotlights on several of the entrepreneurs and comments from the investors about what brings them to the showcase. Stay tuned.

– Pedram Afshar

Sources: Santa Clara University, Business Wire
Photo: Flickr

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Seven Hip Nonprofits that Work to Alleviate Poverty

With all the nonprofit organizations out there that work to alleviate poverty and combat climate change, it can be hard to choose which one to donate your time or money to. Here are seven hip nonprofits that you can consider donating to:

1. Earthjustice

Founded in 1971 as the Sierra Club Legal Fund, Earthjustice is a nonprofit law firm that works to protect our global earth. It has provided legal representation to more than 1,000 clients and all of its services are provided at no charge. Its three main priorities are promoting clean energy to combat global warming, protecting the health of communities and preserving wildlife and special areas.

2. Girl Effect

The Girl Effect was created by the Nike Foundation in partnership with the NoVo Foundation, the United Nations Foundation and Coalition for Adolescent Girls. Girls play a crucial role in global development. When girls are included in economic development, health and education, there is a better chance to alleviate poverty and prevent HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy and child marriage. This campaign is about empowering girls and providing them with resources. Its website is pretty cool, too: Girl Effect’s home page uses a video to state their message, mission  statement and what the viewers can do to support it.

3. Sesame Workshop

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit organization responsible for Sesame Street and so many more education television shows. Its projects provide valuable lessons in respect, understanding, health and literacy to children in more than 150 countries. Sesame Workshop’s mission is to use the educational power of media to help children everywhere reach their highest potential. Its recipe for success is combining a curriculum that addresses children’s critical developmental needs with the sophisticated use of media and a large dose of fun.

4. Charity: Water

Founded in 2006, Charity: Water is a nonprofit organization that brings safe and clean drinking water to developing countries. Charity: Water’s goal is to eliminate diseases from unclean drinking water, and it has helped fund almost 7,000 projects in more than 20 countries. The organization has partnered with ONA products to produce a camera strap in which a percentage of the profit goes to Charity: Water.

5. Greenpeace

Greenpeace is the largest direct-action environmental organization in the world. Its goals are to promote peace and defend our earth by protecting our oceans and ancient forests and working to stop global warming. Climate change causes natural disasters that negatively affect food production, hindering efforts to reduce poverty and advance economic development. Greenpeace believes that alleviating poverty can be done without hurting the Earth. The environmental organization is determined that providing clean energy is essential in the fight to improve health and education and to reduce poverty. Greenpeace exposes and confronts the environmental abuse that is detrimental to lives around the world, while supporting environmentally-friendly solutions.

6. ONE

ONE is an international advocacy organization that works to alleviate poverty and preventable disease. ONE raises awareness and works with political leaders to demand greater transparency, increase investments in nutrition and agriculture and fight AIDS and other preventable diseases. ONE works with activists and policymakers to oversee the use of foreign aid, combat corruption, improve economic development and encourage poverty-reducing efforts. Their teams in Johannesburg, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, London, New York and Washington, D.C. lobby and educate governments to help shape policy decisions that will improve and save millions of lives.

7. Shining Hope for Communities

Shining Hope for Communities is a nonprofit organization that works to promote gender equality and alleviate poverty in the Kibera Slum, one of Africa’s largest slums in Nairobi, Kenya. SHOFCO provides free education for girls as well as poverty alleviation and empowerment programs. The organization provides health care, meals, access to clean water and toilets, school supplies, uniform and counseling to girls that attend The Kibera School for Girls. SHOFCO also provides services to the Kibera community through their community center in order to provide healthier lives for girls and their families and to inspire the community to commit to change.

– Colleen Moore

Sources: Alternative Press, Girl Effect, Sesame Workshop, Peta Pixel, CBC News, ONE.org, Global Giving
Photo: Animation Magazine

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What is AmeriCares?

AmeriCares
A good way to learn about an aid organization is to see it at work on a current issue. AmeriCares is one of the organizations currently sending aid to countries affected by the recent West African Ebola outbreak.

Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are directly involved in what is being called the largest recorded Ebola outbreak in history. At least 700 people have already died, with 1,300 more infected. What’s worse, there is no vaccine for Ebola and the fatality rate is almost 60 percent.

AmeriCares has sent three shipments of emergency medical equipment to the affected countries. The delivery weighed 2,700 pounds and included tens of thousands of surgical masks and caps, gloves and various medical supplies.

Support like this is desperately needed in the affected countries, as they are lacking in medical equipment and supplies. Liberia and Sierra Leone have stated that the demand for intravenous fluids is rapidly outnumbering the supply.

Luckily, in conjunction with Baxter International Inc., AmeriCares is sending enough intravenous fluid for 3,000 patients. This should cover everyone affected in both countries for the near future.

AmeriCares is a U.S. based non-profit founded in 1982. Its main goal is to provide direct aid assistance during times of crisis. According to their website, they “deliver medicines, medical supplies and humanitarian aid to a trusted network of clinics, hospitals and health care providers around the world.”

Even though direct aid during times of crisis is its main form of support, it still tries to foster sustainable healthcare practices and to “increase capacity, improve quality and provide more access to health care in the world’s poorest countries.”

This means giving medicine and medical attention to people that would otherwise not be able to afford it. For example, in Romania a boy with hemophilia was given the treatment of Factor VIII so that he could live a normal life. Or in Cambodia, where a woman with breast cancer now has access to the medicine and equipment necessary for her treatment.

AmeriCares’ website has dozens of examples of the everyday lives it changes by simply allowing for access to medical facilities and supplies.

Besides the recent Ebola outbreak, AmeriCares is working on other current crises: it has delivered $19.7 million in relief aid to the Philippines in response to the destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan. It states that its money is used for, “medicines and medical supplies, antibiotics, chronic care meds, bandages, nutritional supplements, blankets and other relief supplies for hospitals and health centers.” AmeriCares sends volunteers to help in the relief effort, as well.

AmeriCares is also active in the Syrian Conflict. In June 2013, it sent a response team to Jordan and Turkey to assess the situation of Syrian refugees. So far, $2 million have been sent in medical aid for the refugee camps.

The amount of medical aid sent will help around 67,000 people affected by this crisis.

– Eleni Marino

Sources: The Guardian, It’s Relevant, AmeriCares, Charity Navigator
Photo: New York CBS

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ChildFund International

ChildFund International works to help more than 400 million children all over the world who live in poverty. ChildFund was founded by Dr. J. Calvitt Clarke who started the “child scholarship” and who introduced and used seven innovative methods in order to reduce child poverty.

The first innovation, the aforementioned “child scholarship,” depends on a sponsor providing donations for one child.

The second innovative idea is “working with families,” where ChildFund helps run orphanages in addition to working with families to help them create better conditions for their children.

The third innovative idea involves encouraging “local communities to run local programs” in order to show the community how to foster the emotional and social needs of young children.

The fourth innovative idea impacts ChildFund itself. ChildFund promised to operate on a “Code of Fundraising Ethics;” it therefore follows this pledge by operating with honesty and integrity.

The fifth innovative idea was the creation of the “emergency action fund,” where an emergency response team will be available to provide immediate relief in situations of violence and in the face of natural disasters.

The sixth innovative idea was the creation of “child-centered spaces,” which are areas children can go in order to recover and escape.  The goal is to provide children a safe place to be and to learn in the midst of war and other types of violence.

The seventh innovative idea was establishing “a new approach to program development” that involves listening to children explain how poverty impacts them and then specifically responding to their comments in order to remedy the situation.

One of ChildFund International’s most recent projects is dedicated to helping families who have members afflicted with HIV to “build a future beyond HIV.”  The program tries to ensure that families have a safety net so that they may continue living a relatively normal life.  This “safety net” includes the following: health care services, protection if a family member dies, psychosocial support, food and nutrition, education, and economic empowerment.”

– Jordyn Horowitz

Sources: ChildFund International 1, ChildFund International 2, ChildFund International 3, BBB Wise Giving Alliance
Photo: ChildFund International

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NGO Opportunities in Boston

While The Borgen Project and many other notable poverty-fighting organizations are situated in Seattle, opportunities to work for NGOs are everywhere. Across the country, Boston provides a metropolitan hub with a perfect atmosphere for encouraging global development. Here are just a few of the numerous NGO opportunities in Boston:

1. Grassroots International

Grassroots International makes its home on Boylston Street in Boston, and its mission is to create a more just and sustainable world by advancing people’s rights to the resources of land, food and water. The organization works in rural areas with small farmers, indigenous peoples and women focusing on human rights, the environment and sustainable agriculture. It accomplishes its goals through grant-making to financially support social movements, advocacy efforts in the U.S. and connecting various movements and organizations.

To become a part of the Grassroots International community, check out the jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities available on its website.

2. ACCION International

Working in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the U.S., ACCION International empowers people by providing them with economic opportunities through microfinance loans. ACCION is the largest micro-finance institution in the U.S. and is seeking to expand to under-served areas in India, China, Brazil and Sub-Saharan Africa. ACCION believes in a “financially inclusive world,” which is the driving force behind its work to improve people’s lives.

If ACCION International sounds like the Boston-based NGO for you, visit its work and volunteer page.

3. BNID

The Boston Network for International Development recognizes Boston’s capacity as a center for fighting global poverty and encouraging international development. Sponsored by Boston University’s Global Development Program and World Education, the BNID connects the city’s various international development institutions, educational facilities and concerned individuals.

There are many ways to get involved with the BNID. Its jobs page lists open positions and internships, and the events page features various events and volunteer opportunities such as the upcoming Bikes Not Bombs bike loading for Ghana on August 10.

As a bonus, the BNID lists the organizations it works with, which you can peruse to discover even more NGO opportunities in Boston.

-Abby DeVeuve

Sources: Grassroots International, BNID, ACCION International
Photo: BostInno

 

View Telecommute and Seattle Internships.

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Teenager Leads Water Purification Campaign

While NGOs and governmental organizations often lead the charge in the fight for clean drinking water, one Indian teenager is leading the way on her own.

The teenager is a 16-year-old girl named Prakriti Singh.

“After my grandfather died of jaundice and certain reports about water contamination in Delhi, I toured interiors of Bihar studying water scarcity and contamination issues,” she said in an interview with the Press Trust of India. “But it wasn’t feasible for me to work there, hence I decided to start with Delhi.”

She said that more than 200 families living in Madanpur Khadar consume unsafe drinking water. Because of this, she sent water samples to a laboratory for analysis.

To raise the necessary funds for the purification system, Singh baked and sold cakes. She obtained some money in donations from companies who responded to her requests.

Thanks to the helping hand of Project Why, an NGO with experience in the area, a local school became the home of the water purification system. The system is an Aqua Pristine RO 250 LPH and it can purify some 1,500 liters of water daily.

According to Singh, both families and students of the school maintain access to the clean drinking water. Because of the educational deficiencies with respect to water awareness in the area, Singh decided to appoint “water ambassadors” throughout the school. The ambassadors help to inform the population about clean drinking water.

Since the installation, Singh has helped to install another purification system. She intends to install another one in the future.

India, which has a population of over 1.2 billion people, is one of the fastest growing countries in the world. However, in a country where diarrhea, hepatitis and typhoid kill on a regular basis, maintaining access to legitimate water sources is key to a healthy population.

– Ethan Safran

Sources: The Hindu, CIA
Photo: electropolishing