connecting :: Home From the Field View Archives Safewater Philanthropedia - find the top non-profit organizations Non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an organization that is neither a part of a government nor a conventional for-profit business. Usually set up by ordinary citizens, NGOs may be funded by governments, foundations, businesses, or private persons. Some avoid formal funding altogether and are run primarily by volunteers. NGOs are highly diverse groups of organizations engaged in a wide range of activities, and take different forms in different parts of the world. Some may have charitable status, while others may be registered for tax exemption based on recognition of social purposes. Others may be fronts for political, religious or other interest. The number of NGOs in the United States is estimated at 1.5 million.[1] Russia has 277,000 NGOs.[2] India is estimated to have had around 2 million NGOs in 2009, just over one NGO per 600 Indians, and many times the number of primary schools and primary health centres in India.[3][4] Types[edit] By orientation[edit] By level of operation[edit]
Volunteers for China Waterkeeper Alliance How can I ensure that the clothing I donate to charity really helps the needy? - By Constance Casey Dear My Goodness, I have a bunch of old clothes I'd like to get rid of, but I'm wary of just dumping them off in one of those yellow bins by the side of the road. I'm not terribly confident that those clothes will end up in the hands of people who need them. I'd donate them to the Salvation Army, but they resell the clothing. Are there any charities that give clothing directly to those in need? Dear Alan,It will take a little effort on your part, but, yes, you can bypass charity thrift shops and give the clothes directly to someone who needs them. Call your local social-services department to find a homeless shelter that could use men's clothing, and make an appointment to go by the shelter. For donations of professional women's clothing, there's a well-established charity, Dress for Success, that gives clothing directly to people in need. Gifts-in-kind can be a problem for some charities. For a charity to resell your donated clothes for money may not be as undesirable as you think.
Birmingham's Maranathan Academy casts net to help adults, at-risk students View full sizeThe Birmingham News/Bernard TroncaleDonna Dukes instructs students Lamonica Dean, left, and LaVondria Travis, right, at the Maranatha Academy, a private school that specializes in giving at-risk children and nontraditional students a second chance. BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Stories like Patricia Adams-Mauldin's are among the reasons Donna Dukes founded her Maranathan Academy in Birmingham more than 20 years ago. When Adams-Mauldin attended a friend's graduation she had no idea that the day would also become the first toward her own path to success. She was in the audience when the words from the private school's principal resonated long after the ceremony had ended. "I went to the graduation twice, and during the last one she encouraged the adults there that if they didn't have their high school diploma it was not too late," she recalled Dukes saying from the stage. "She seemed to relish and enjoy the whole idea of going back to school. "I knew I could do better," she said.
Hungry for Solutions: Can the Youth Fix the Future? On a recent late summer morning in Portland, Oregon, I walked past the downtown farmers' market, where vendors were setting up their lush displays of fruits and vegetables. Food was on my mind, but for a different reason. I was on my way to a forum for young people about how they could help fight world hunger. The Mercy Corps, a global humanitarian organization headquartered in Oregon, hosted the Portland Youth Summit as part of its Global Citizens Corps. As the panel of experts explained to a full auditorium, hunger is a multifaceted problem with no easy fixes. I couldn't help but think that teachers who bring a topic such as hunger into the classroom create the perfect setup for interdisciplinary learning. If teachers integrate service learning into the lesson, students may wind up leading community-action teams, using digital tools for public-awareness campaigns, or applying language arts to advocacy efforts. Resources for tackling world hunger as a classroom topic are plentiful.
Tres Dias Con Dios | The Spanish Speaking Incubation Center Pajama Program Our Mission Pajama Program provides new pajamas and new books to children in need, many of whom are waiting and hoping to be adopted. These children live in various situations including group homes, shelters and temporary housing facilities and are shuffled often from one place to another. Many of them have been abandoned, abused or neglected. Most of these children have never enjoyed the simple comfort of having a mother or father tuck them in at bedtime with warm, clean pajamas and a bedtime story. Some of the children we serve are living with their families below the poverty level, in desperate need of food, clothing and shelter. Our Story “What are these?” This was not a question from a child on a school trip to a museum, but from Maria, a child in a shelter who was holding for the first time a new pair of pajamas. From experiences like this, Pajama Program 501(c)(3), founded in 2001, was created. Pajama Program serves children throughout the nation with 62 Chapters in 32 States.