Non-GPT site, High Priority Links
Below are links for The Hunger site. Each has it's own description on how you can help, FREE !All you have to do is click !It's Easy : )
Aiding Families & Communities in Crisis
The Hunger Site is proud to be partnered with two leading charities that are working to end hunger. Mercy Corps and Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network) build on your efforts by providing food and resources to those suffering from hunger, oppression and poverty in the U.S. and around the world.
Learn more about the work we are achieving together by reading project information from our partner organizations below. To be taken directly to a section detailing the work of either agency, click here:
Mercy Corps
Feeding America
Mercy Corps
www.mercycorps.com
Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.3 billion in assistance to people in 100 nations. Supported by headquarters offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, the agency's unified global programs employ 3,500 staff worldwide and reach nearly 16.4 million people in more than 35 countries. Mercy Corps has a four-star Charity Navigator rating, the highest distinction given to charities based on financial responsiveness and efficiency.
"Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities."
—Mercy Corps
Our strategy is to work in countries in transition, where communities are recovering from disaster, conflict or economic collapse. Our experience demonstrates that turmoil and tragedy often create opportunities for lasting, positive change. We add our greatest value on the ground by supporting communities that can - and must - be the agents of their own change.
Over the last five years, more than 90% of Mercy Corps resources were allocated directly to programs that assist those in need. The agency uses funding to provide:
Emergency relief services that assist people affected by conflict or disaster
Sustainable economic development that integrates agriculture, health, housing and infrastructure, economic development, education and environment, and local management
Civil society initiatives that promote citizen participation, accountability, conflict management, and the rule of law
All over the world, millions of innocent people are caught up in intolerable situations. Mercy Corps asserts that these are not today's victims, but rather tomorrow's heroes, who have the power to transform their own communities. The agency is currently involved in programs in Africa, Latin America, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central, East and South Asia, the Middle East, and North America.
"We are awed by human resilience, and believe in the ability of all people to thrive, not just exist."
—Mercy Corps
How We Work: Programs & Topics
Agriculture: Mercy Corps works with families to ensure good crop yield, ever-improving farming techniques, and a fair price at local markets.
Children: Mercy Corps works with communities to shelter and nurture children through innovative education, health, and nutrition programs to plant the seeds for tomorrow's strong, vibrant societies.
Civil Society: Mercy Corps believes that responses to emergencies and development must, at their core, focus on strengthening the bonds between the public, private and civic sectors to build and improve peaceful coexistence, accountability, and participation.
Economic Development: Mercy Corps helps alleviate poverty by giving people the tools they need to build sustainable economies. A functioning business sector, access to good-paying jobs and the availability of affordable credit to spur entrepreneurship and employment are all necessary ingredients to building healthy, stable communities.
Education: Mercy Corps promotes education in many ways, from teaching livestock breeders in Lebanon less costly ways to grow feed and building temporary classrooms in Darfur's refugee camps, to constructing all-girls schools in the West Bank and showing residents in Central Asia ways to promote peace among neighbors.
"Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family."
—Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General
Emergencies: Natural disasters can take homes and what little possessions families have. The outbreak of war and threat of violence can drive families from their homes. When the unthinkable happens, Mercy Corps delivers rapid, lifesaving aid to hard-hit communities. Mercy Corps was one of the first agencies to respond to the Indian Ocean tsunami, and rushed to the scene to help victims of Iran's Bam earthquakes and those devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Health: Mercy Corps' work to build healthy communities, healthy families and healthy individuals is at the foundation of its vision for social change. By partnering with village health committees to government ministers, Mercy Corps helps build local infrastructure to improve maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition, combat infectious diseases including TB and HIV/AIDS, and provide physical and mental health care in emergencies.
HIV/AIDS: The spread of HIV/AIDS threatens to take millions more lives, reverse development gains in dozens of poor countries, and imperil progress on issues ranging from human rights to regional stability. From Central Asia to Central America, Mercy Corps is supporting people with HIV/AIDS in their fight for dignity, justice, and economic opportunity.
Hunger/Nutrition: Millions of families around the world experience hunger every day. Food shortages due to disaster, conflict, and economic collapse lead to malnutrition, disease, and death. Mercy Corps' food programs, whether responding to large-scale emergencies or ongoing poverty, concentrate on those who are most vulnerable: children, the elderly, pregnant women, and the homeless.
Microfinance: Offering financial services to people not served by traditional banks and lending institutions has been called "a weapon against poverty and hunger" by the United Nations and recognized as a strategy for peace by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Mercy Corps-sponsored microfinance institutions, savings and credit cooperatives, loan guarantee programs, and bank lenders reach more than one million people in over a dozen countries.
Water: Water is essential for life, good health, and economic development; yet more than one billion people lack access to clean water. Each year, millions are embroiled in conflicts over its scarce availability. Mercy Corps' work fulfills the water needs of vulnerable populations, from piping drinking water to rural communities to solving resource-based conflicts, to ensuring that people have access to drinking water in the most devastating emergencies.
Women: Women are the foundation of every society. Yet for many women in the world's poorest regions, life is extraordinarily difficult. Through innovative health, agricultural, business, and education programs, Mercy Corps builds on the courage and resourcefulness of women to help them realize their potential and improve their families and communities.
For more information about Mercy Corps' work, visit these pages on The Hunger Site:
World Hunger
Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest — The Nation's Food Bank Network)
www.feedingamerica.org
Feeding America is the United States' largest charitable hunger-relief organization, with a network of more than 200 member food banks and food-rescue organizations serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and has a four-star Charity Navigator rating.
Annually, Feeding America secures and distributes more than two billion pounds of donated food and grocery products:
529 million pounds from national product donors
478 million pounds from U.S. government programs
904 million pounds from local product donors
206 million pounds from purchase
"Our 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."
— Feeding America
Founded in 1979, Feeding America supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 94,000 programs; including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, Kids Cafes, Community Kitchens, and BackPack Programs. Each year, Feeding America provides food assistance to more than 25 million low-income hungry people in the United States, including more than nine million children and nearly three million seniors.
Through its programs, Feeding America is able to provide:
Nutritious fresh foods to hungry Americans
Safe and nurturing places for children to have a meal
Emergency food assistance to disaster victims
A chance at self-sufficiency for adults trying to break the cycle of poverty and hunger
"Each year, 96 billion pounds of food are wasted in the United States."
—United States Department of Agriculture
How it works:
Donations are made. Feeding America gets food and financial donations from individuals and companies across the country.
Food is moved. Feeding America has more than 200 member food banks and food-rescue organizations nationwide that distribute food to local charitable agencies.
Food is distributed and stored. Every year, Feeding America network food banks and food-rescue organizations provide food to more than 50,000 local agencies.
Food reaches those in need. The local agencies give food to hungry people through more than 94,000 programs. More than 25 million Americans receive a meal through the Feeding America network annually.
How We Work: Programs
BackPack Program: There are children in America who rely on resources such as free or reduced-priced school lunch during the school year. The BackPack Program is designed to meet the needs of hungry children at times when other resources are not available, such as weekends and school vacations.
Community Kitchen: The Community Kitchen program is an innovative, exciting, and cost-efficient way to feed the hungry, train the unemployed, generate public support, create greater economies of scale, and challenge inaccurate stereotypes of hungry people. The program provides culinary job training to low-income men and women to prepare them for careers in the food service industry.
Disaster Relief: Since 1989, Feeding America has taken an active role in recovery efforts following major disasters and is a member of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD). Feeding America mobilized in an unprecedented disaster response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
National Produce Program: To increase the Feeding America network's capacity to handle fresh foods, Feeding America has established the National Produce Program. This program offers a comprehensive array of services built around securing and distributing fresh produce throughout the Feeding America Network.
Kids Cafe: In 1993, Feeding America launched the national Kids Cafe program, which provides free meals and snacks to low-income children through a variety of existing community locations where children congregate, such as Boys and Girls Clubs, churches, and public schools. In addition, some Kids Cafe programs also offer a safe place where, under the supervision of trustworthy staff, a child can get involved in educational, recreational, and social activities that draw on existing community programs and often include family members. There are over 1,600 established Kids Cafes in operation.
Relief Fleet: Feeding America spends millions of dollars on interstate transportation each year. The cost of transportation often prohibits food banks and food-rescue organizations from being able to accept a food donation. Relief Fleet works to lower transportation costs by soliciting free or deeply discounted freight for donated loads for all Feeding America network members. In 2005, 11.5 million pounds or 846 total shipments of donated food were distributed free-of-charge to 186 food banks through Relief Fleet. Just one truckload of donated food can provide up to 27,000 meals for hungry Americans.
Seafood Initiative: Donations of protein-rich foods are relatively scarce and most in demand by food banks. The Seafood Initiative is a long-term partnership between the seafood industry and Feeding America, and generates new volumes of high-protein seafood for low-income families in communities across the country.
For more information about the work of Feeding America and domestic hunger, visit this page on The Hunger Site:
Hunger in the U.S.
Breast Cancer
Your efforts matter! Every click on the pink "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button and every purchase made in The Breast Cancer Site Store helps fund mammograms for low income, uninsured and working poor women through the vital work of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, our partner in caring. Move your mouse over each location to see how your clicks and purchases add up to real help—and hope—for women in need.
Richmond - 250 screenings: Medical College of Virginia Kansas City - 250 screenings: University of Kansas Medical Center Albuquerque - 250 screenings: University of New Mexico Hospital Boise - 250 screenings: St. Alphonsus Hospital Dallas - 500 screenings: Parkland Hospital Seattle - 50 screenings: Polly's Place Denver - 78 screenings: Denver Mission, serving the Homeless Los Angeles - 1,160 screenings: White Memorial Hospital, LA Mission, Watts Health Foundation San Diego - 900 screenings: Council of Community Clinics - 31 centers in San Diego County Phoenix - 300 screenings: Mayo Clinic, serving southern Arizona Maui - 500 screenings: Maui Health Foundation, serving the Hawaiian Islands Rochester - 400 screenings: Mayo Clinic, serving Southern Minnesota Omaha - 500 screenings: Nebraska Medical Center, serving the Omaha-Lincoln area St. Louis - 1,000 screenings: St. Anthony's Medical Center Little Rock - 1,000 screenings: Baptist Health Breast Center, serving northeast Arkansas Houston - 1,500 screenings: M.D. Anderson Medical Center's Good Neighbor Screening Program Chicago - 3,300 screenings: St. Alexius Medical Centers, serving greater Chicago Indianapolis - 500 screenings: St. Vincent's Medical Center, serving central Indiana Lexington - 500 screenings: University of Kentucky Hospital, serving Appalacia State of Mississippi - 2,000 screenings: Mississippi Department of Health, serving all major hospitals in the state Boston - 1,750 screenings: Massachusetts General Hospital, serving all New England New York City - 3,300 screenings: American-Italian Cancer Foundation, Sloan-Kettering & Hunter College Cleveland - 1,750 screenings: Cleveland Clinic, serving northern Ohio Columbus - 500 screenings: Ohio Health Foundation, serving Central Ohio 250 screenings: Mt. Carmel Foundation Jacksonville - 300 screenings: Mayo Clinic, serving northern Florida Orlando - 100 screenings: Central Florida Homeless Council, serving central Florida Puerto Rico - 72 screenings: Hospital San Pablo del Este Fajarido, serving the San Juan area Portland - 500 screenings: Adventist Medical Center Bakersfield - 500 screenings: San Joaquin Community Hospital Detroit - 1000 screenings: St. John Hospital Foundation & Pontiac Hospital Cincinnati - 320 screenings: Bethesda Foundation Grand Rapids - 500 screenings: Spectrum Health Foundation Miami - 500 screenings: La Ligas Health Clinics State of Alabama - 500 screenings: Alabama Department of Health, serving all major hospitals in the state San Francisco - 500 screenings: University of California San Francisco Medical Center Baltimore - 250 screenings: Johns Hopkins Medical Center Washington, DC - 500 screenings: Howard University Hospital Palo Alto - 250 screenings: The Breast Cancer Connection Simi Valley - 500 screenings: Nancy Regan Breast Center Bishop - 250 screenings: Bishop Regional Medical Center National Breast Cancer Foundation
www.nationalbreastcancer.org
The Breast Cancer Site is proud to be partnered with the nonprofit National Breast Cancer Foundation in its mission to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and providing mammograms for those in need.
Janelle Hail is a breast cancer survivor and the founder and President of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Founded by 26-year breast cancer survivor Janelle Hail, NBCF has a four-star Charity Navigator rating and has funded tens of thousands of free mammograms for working poor, homeless, and uninsured women, and reached many more through its educational initiatives. More than 80 percent of National Breast Cancer Foundation funds go directly to its programs.
The National Breast Cancer Foundation's focus is to save lives now through early breast cancer detection. Mammograms are one of the best methods to catch the disease before it's too late. In fact, if the disease is caught early enough, the five-year survival rate is 96 percent.
The Foundation has forged relationships with hospitals all over the United States, and together they reach out to the surrounding communities, especially to women who might not otherwise have access to mammograms. Learn more about the work we are achieving together by reading the following stories of hope from the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
"What greater gift can you give than hope for the future?"
—Janelle Hail, NBCF Founder
Celebrating "Nothing"
The National Breast Cancer Foundation recently gave an additional grant to White Memorial Medical Center's Cecilia Gonzalez De La Hoya Cancer Center in Los Angeles, California. The funding will provide free mammograms to women who are uninsured and unable to qualify for state programs.
Many low-income women cannot afford the annual mammograms that are a part of an early detection plan. By the age of 40, a woman should have a baseline mammogram; women 40-49 years old should receive a mammogram every year or two, and women 50 and older should have a mammogram every year.
This new, state-of-the-art cancer center (named after the mother of boxing great, Oscar De La Hoya) serves communities east of downtown Los Angeles. Early detection and cancer treatment services are administered to dozens of people every day.
Steve Engle, MHA-Director Cancer Services of White Memorial Medical Center, explained the program. "Sometimes we screen women and find cancers. Sometimes we screen women and find nothing. Celebrating 'nothing' can be a major event."
"Last month we had a 32 year-old pregnant patient who was concerned about the 'lump' in her breast. She came to our clinic terrified. We did the examination, educated her regarding breast self-examination, and performed an ultrasound with a radiologist. Results of all the exams were negative. When our nurse practitioner called her to tell her the results, she was excited to be able to 'celebrate nothing.'"
With the last funding NBCF provided, White Memorial was able to perform over 435 breast exams with mammograms for uninsured women. Of those exams, they found 13 women with breast cancer who are now undergoing treatment. "These women would not have been able to seek treatment without your help," said Steve Engle. "Our other women are now celebrating 'nothing.'"
First-Time Program Gives Help to the Impoverished
Hospital San Pablo del Este in Fajardo, Puerto Rico used funds provided by the National Breast Cancer Foundation to offer free mammograms to regional medically-indigent patients. Last year, Janelle Hail, president of NBCF, traveled to Puerto Rico to see how NBCF funds could best serve the area. "My heart was touched by the great need of the people in Fajardo for medical assistance. Fajardo is known as the Gateway to Poverty," said Janelle.
From NBCF's first gift, 250 mammograms will be provided for women in need. Among the many areas the hospital serves is Vieques, a former military bombing range that produces the highest incidents of breast cancer in Puerto Rico.
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Reaches Out
The National Breast Cancer Foundation is helping to fund an initiative with The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center to serve women who might not otherwise be able to afford mammograms. M. D. Anderson was named as the nation's top cancer hospital in the 2003 U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals" survey.
In the shadows of the Houston skyline, a beacon of light shines into underprivileged neighborhoods. Serviced by the M. D. Anderson Mobile Mammography Van, neighbors are offered the same high-quality mammograms and service as those available at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Good Neighbor Healthcare Center is one of the community locations to receive healthcare assistance.
"At Good Neighbor, we take it upon ourselves to welcome everyone in need, whether child, mother, or elderly adult. This gladdens my heart most of all, leaves a smile on my face that just won't go away," says Janet Donath, Executive Director of Good Neighbor.
Mission Fights Poverty with Hope
The city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County are going broke, teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. The land of opportunity is quickly dissolving into an area of disenchantment. More than $1 billion of debt hangs over politicians and administrators. The first areas they choose to cut are healthcare and help for the homeless.
Major hospital facilities are being targeted for closure while a population lives one car accident from a much needed trauma facility, one heart attack from intensive care, and one mammogram from discovering breast cancer. Desperately needed healthcare and treatment for homeless, uninsured, and underserved women is disappearing.
The Los Angeles Mission—known as "Hope Central"—is located in downtown Los Angeles, California, in the heart of Skid Row. Those who submit themselves to the care of the Mission find help and hope inside its gates.
The impact of "Hope Central" in the community is great; the Mission provides everything from a hot meal to long-term rehabilitation programs. The services are given to anyone who needs them, free of charge.
Los Angeles Mission Community Clinic, the health facility of the Los Angeles Mission, offers free healthcare for desperately needy people. The National Breast Cancer Foundation has partnered with The Breast Cancer Site to provide funding for mammograms, education, and breast healthcare to the clients of the Los Angeles Mission.
Women Helping Women
Recently, Janelle Hail, president and founder of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, presented a check to the Mississippi State Department of Health that will provide free mammograms to women under 50 years of age. Previously, there were no programs in the entire state to fund mammograms for needy women under the age of 50. The American Cancer Society emphasizes the essential role and benefit of annual screening mammography starting at age 40.
This important funding was the result of efforts by the Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs (MFWC), the National Breast Cancer Foundation, and supporters of The Breast Cancer Site. In April 2003, Janelle spoke at the Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs, where she received a check to go toward this vital program.
For a year, the women of Mississippi have not only done special club projects, but have clicked faithfully at The Breast Cancer Site to help provide free mammograms. Celia Fisher, president of the federation, has made breast cancer her project for her two years of service.
Janelle says, "I had breast cancer at the age of 34. Had I waited for treatment, I would not be alive today. There are women in Mississippi that can't wait either. The hard work of the women in the MFWC has already paid off in lives saved through their valiant efforts."
The American Cancer Society estimates that 2,500 breast cancers will be diagnosed in Mississippi in 2003, and of that number 500 will die. Any women diagnosed with a malignancy through the screening program would be eligible for Medicaid to reimburse for treatment costs.
Funds raised by the Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs this year will again be used for this purpose, along with aid from The Breast Cancer Site. In the future, support will continue so that needy women throughout the state of Mississippi will have access to free mammograms.
"The National Breast Cancer Foundation has stepped into an important role in the state of Mississippi to fulfill a desperate need for women under the age of 50 who cannot afford mammograms. Partnering with The Breast Cancer Site and the Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs, the impact is phenomenal," says Janelle Hail.
NBCF Funds Free Mobile Mammography Program
The National Breast Cancer Foundation has joined forces with the American-Italian Cancer Foundation, New York City's largest mobile provider of free mammograms. Working out of a large mobile home, the AICF travels around the Greater New York City area to provide free mammograms to homeless and uninsured women.
The Free Mobile Mammography Program breaks down the barriers to breast cancer screening that result in many underserved women losing their lives to late diagnoses. It encourages annual mammograms and removes economic and cultural barriers by providing bilingual health education and mobile mammography screening free-of-charge.
Mammography vans or portable machines go right to where underserved, uninsured women live, work, or worship. Using this method, AICF has screened over 28,000 women for breast cancer, while providing 37,500 women with timely breast health education. In 2003, 16.4% have needed follow-up care and 3.3 women per 1,000 screened were diagnosed with cancer.
"We thank our donors who generate the momentum of NBCF so we can sponsor such beneficial programs," says Janelle Hail, founder of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Learn More
Visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation website for more information about their work: www.nationalbreastcancer.org
Visit our About Breast Cancer page to learn more about the disease.
Helping Children Survive and Thrive
The Child Health Site is proud to be partnered with four nonprofit organizations that are reaching out to some of our most vulnerable world citizens: children. Their proven programs benefit from your actions at The Child Health Site.
Learn more about the work we are achieving together by reading specific project information from our partner organizations below. To be taken directly to the section about the work of any of our partners, click here:
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Helen Keller International
Mercy Corps
Prosthetics Outreach Foundation
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
www.pedaids.org
Founded in 1988, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation has a three-star Charity Navigator rating and is dedicated to preventing pediatric HIV infection and eradicating pediatric AIDS through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs. With some 2.3 million children under the age of 15 living with HIV, their work is desperately needed.1
"Every child deserves a lifetime."
—Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
In 2000, the Foundation established the Call to Action Project to bring simplified regimens for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV to families in developing countries. This program represents a cornerstone of the FoundationÂ’s International Family AIDS Initiatives. As of January of 2007, the Foundation is working in 17 countries and has reached more than 3.2 million women with access to services to prevent transmission of HIV from mothers to babies. More than 2.5 million women have been tested for HIV through their programs.
Helen Keller International
www.hki.org
Founded in 1915, Helen Keller International is among the oldest international nonprofit organizations devoted to fighting and treating preventable blindness and malnutrition. HKI has programs in 22 countries around the world. The goal of all HKI programs is to reduce suffering of those without access to needed health or vision care and, ultimately, to help lift people from poverty.
Helen Keller International is committed to preventing and treating primary causes of blindness in children through its proven programs, which include providing vitamin A supplements and facilitating surgeries to reverse trachoma and cataract. According to HKI:
Every year, between 250,000 and 500,000 children go blind from a lack of vitamin A in their diet, and 70 percent of these children die within one year of losing their sight. It only takes two doses of vitamin A in a year to prevent blindness--at a cost of approximately $1.
Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of preventable blindness in the world. . It is caused by a bacterium prevalent in poor communities with limited access to adequate sanitation and clean water. A simple surgical procedure to correct trichiasis has a success rate of 80 percent, and can cost as little as $10 per person.
The number one cause of blindness worldwide, cataracts affect over 18 million people. Cataract surgery that replaces the damaged lens of the eye with a plastic (intraocular) lens is miraculous. In most cases, when the surgeon removes the bandages, the patient can immediately see--often after having suffered with blindness for years.
"Ignorance, poverty, and greed must disappear so that light can prevail in all places."
—Helen Keller
HKI builds local capacity by establishing sustainable programs, and provides scientific and technical assistance and data to governments and international, regional, national and local organizations around the world. HKI has a three-star rating from Charity Navigator .
Mercy Corps
www.mercycorps.com
Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.3 billion in assistance to people in 100 nations. Supported by headquarters offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, the agency's unified global programs employ 3,400 staff worldwide and reach nearly 14.4 million people in more than 35 countries. Mercy Corps has a four-start rating from Charity Navigator .
Mercy Corps' work to build healthy communities, healthy families, and healthy individuals is at the foundation of its vision for social change. By partnering with village health committees to government ministers, Mercy Corps helps build local infrastructure to improve maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition, combat infectious diseases including TB and HIV/AIDS, and provide physical and mental health care in emergencies.
"Teaching the next generation and keeping it healthy are essential components for tomorrow's strong, vibrant societies."
—Mercy Corps
Natural disasters can take homes and what little possessions families have. The outbreak of war and threat of violence can drive families from their homes. When the unthinkable happens, Mercy Corps delivers rapid, lifesaving aid to hard-hit communities. Mercy Corps was one of the first agencies to respond to the Indian Ocean tsunami, and rushed to the scene to help victims of IranÂ’s Bam earthquakes and those devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
The agency is currently involved in programs in Africa, Latin America, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central, East and South Asia, the Middle East, and North America. Over the last five years, more than 90 percent of Mercy Corps resources were allocated directly to programs that assist those in need. The agency uses funding to provide:
Emergency relief services that assist people afflicted by conflict or disaster
Sustainable economic development that integrates agriculture, health, housing and infrastructure, economic development, education and environment, and local management
Civil society initiatives that promote citizen participation, accountability, conflict management, and the rule of law
Prosthetics Outreach Foundation
www.pofsea.org
An international humanitarian nonprofit organization, the Prosthetics Outreach Foundation was founded in 1989 and is dedicated to restoring mobility and independence to amputees worldwide. Since opening the first prosthetics clinic in Vietnam, POF has responded to calls for prosthetic assistance from the Philippines and Nicaragua, established a prosthetics and orthotics center in Bangladesh, and is beginning a new initiative in Sierra Leone.
"It is truly remarkable how little it takes to change a life."
—Prosthetics Outreach Foundation
The services provided by the Prosthetics Outreach Foundation include:
Clinical outreach to amputees, especially in hard-to-serve, remote, rural areas
Orthopedic surgical assistance for amputees and others suffering from orthopedic disabilities
Local prosthetic and orthotic component manufacturing
General technical assistance
Over the last 15 years, POF has helped more than 13,000 children and adults to walk again. A few dollars worth of metal and plastic can restore mobility and independence to amputees and others suffering from orthopedic disabilities. Without assistance, these amputees, often from impoverished rural areas, would have little hope of leading a normal life. With the unique help of the Prosthetics Outreach Foundation, amputees can begin to rebuild their lives, transforming a life of dependency on others into a life of increased self-worth and independence.
For more information about children's health issues, visit this page on The Child Health Site:
About Children's Health
Literacy
These stories are real-life examples of how your clicks are helping children around the world. We hope you enjoy learning more about how you, Room to Read , and First Book are working to make the world a better place.
Room to Read
Our Mission
Room to Read partners with local communities throughout the developing world to establish schools, libraries, and other educational infrastructure. We seek to intervene early in the lives of children in the belief that education is a lifelong gift that empowers people to ultimately improve socioeconomic conditions for their families, communities, countries, and future generations. Through the opportunities that only an education can provide, we strive to break the cycle of poverty, one child at a time.
Books for Children
The time has come for more exciting and relevant children's literature in their local languages so that children in the developing world have the same opportunities that many of us had growing up surrounded by children's books, either at home, at school, or in our local public library. Our Local Language Publishing Program provides children with materials that will inspire them to read, to expand their minds, and to develop a lifelong love for reading and learning. Many of the books we publish are bilingual English/local language children's books and are especially beneficial to children because they can be used throughout a child's development.
Building Schools
Adequate schools are often scarce in the rural areas of the developing world, a factor that contributes to continuing poverty and lack of economic development. It is not uncommon for young children to walk several hours each way just to attend school. Through our School Room Program, Room to Read partners with local communities to build several types of schools to meet the specific needs of each village and culture. Our model of community ownership produces a deep sense of commitment and a lasting impact on education in rural areas.
To learn more, please visit: Room to Read .
First Book
Since its launch in November 2004, visitors to The Literacy Site have helped generate over 1.6 million new books for children from low-income families. Our non-profit partner First Book helps convert clicks at The Literacy Site into actual books in the hands of children.
In September of 2007, The Literacy Site hosted a Back to School Click Challenge to provide even more books for children in need. Visitors to The Literacy Site rose to the challenge and generated an additional 20,000 brand new books, donated by First Book and Pi Beta Phi, to disadvantaged children in the St. Louis area.
A member of Pi Beta Phi readying books for distribution. During October, First Book staff members and volunteers from Pi Beta Phi worked together to distribute the 20,000 beautiful books generated from The Literacy Site to programs serving children in need in the greater St. Louis area. From organizing shipments to labeling and lifting boxes, Pi Phi members helped get thousands of new books out of the warehouse and into the hands of the kids who need them. The books included titles about ballerinas, princesses, farmers, and firefighters, which will help spark the imaginations of thousands of children.
Thanks to your clicks, and the support of Pi Phi and The Literacy Site, First Book is able to place new books into the hands of children who need them the most.
After Hurricane Katrina devastated millions of communities on the Gulf Coast, First Book launched Book Relief in an unprecedented effort to provide 5 million new books to the children and families who lost so much in the 2005 hurricanes and to organizations involved in rebuilding. Book Relief has already distributed more than 3 .5 million new books in the five Gulf States and to programs serving evacuees in an additional 16 states.
Here are just a few of the many Gulf Coast children that have been touched by First Book's Book Relief program:
Allysia - First Grade
Alice Harte Elementary School/Algiers Charter School
New Orleans, LA
Alyssia and her family evacuated to the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina.
"I like Dr. Seuss books a lot. Life without books would be horrible. We need books so we can learn how to read and practice. If we don't have books to practice, how are we going to get good at reading?"
Jay - Fifth Grade
Gulfview Elementary School
Hancock County, MS
Now living in a trailer after the hurricane destroyed his home, Jay looks forward to coming to school to be with his friends.
"I like to read all kinds of books: mysteries, The Hardy Boys, and The Magic Treehouse especially. Reading gives you something fun to do in your spare time, and now I don't have a lot of other things that I can do so I have more time to read. Since the hurricane, all of my friends are living in different places, so we don't always get to see each other if we're not in school. It's nice then to have a book to read."
Kimmy - Fifth Grade
Gulfview Elementary School
Hancock County, MS
Kimmy's family was perhaps one of the lucky ones. Their home was flooded and suffered severe roof damage. The only things they could salvage inside the house were a few yearbooks. But their house is being repaired, and they can live in it. Still, the community and school are completely different for Kimmy and her friends.
"Reading stretches my memory and gives me good thoughts that I might not get to think about. Since the storm we've learned that stuff we thought we didn't care for anymore, we still miss when it's gone. Like our school in our old building we had big classrooms. Now, in the trailers our classrooms are much smaller. Also, we don't have a playground anymore, so there's no place to play and no more recess. But we do have books, lots of books to read, which is nice."
To learn more about Book Relief or to make donations, please visit: First Book .
How You're Making a Difference in Our World
Rainforest2Reef's (formerly Friends of Calakmul) mission is to protect 350,000 acres of threatened jaguar habitat in the buffer zone of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. Rainforest Conservation Fund is strengthening the protection of the Reserva Comunal Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo in the Peruvian Amazon and hopes to expand it to encompass 2 million acres. World Land Trust-US is working to halt deforestation in the San Rafael National Park in southeastern Paraguay, considered to be the most important tract of Atlantic Forest remaining in the country. The Nature Conservancy's current Adopt an Acre® program will protect the healthy forests of Africa's eastern Rift Valley while also reforesting bare landscapes in this area of Kenya and Tanzania. var areas = document.getElementById('worldMap').getElementsByTagName('div'); for (i=0; i
Learn more about the work we are achieving together by reading specific project information from our partner organizations below:
Rainforest2Reef (formerly Friends of Calakmul)
Rainforest Conservation Fund
The Nature Conservancy
World Land Trust-US
Rainforest2Reef (formerly Friends of Calakmul)
www.rainforest2reef.org
Founded in 2001, Rainforest2Reef is dedicated to the conservation of jaguars and their habitat, primarily focused on the buffer zone surrounding the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in southern Mexico. Formed by a small group of scientists and concerned citizens, Rainforest2Reef is committed to reversing the impact of human activities on rainforests, and maintaining the long-term preservation of jaguars and their fragile ecosystem for generations to come.
"Mexico is host to approximately 10% of all plant and animal species in the world."
—Rainforest2Reef
At 1.8 million acres the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is the second largest protected area in Mexico, and among the few remaining areas in the Americas where jaguars still roam. However, only the core zone of 600,000 acres is protected from human activity by the Mexican government. The other 1.2 million acres remain threatened by logging, illegal hunting, slash and burn agriculture, and development.
Rainforest2Reef's mission is to protect 350,000 acres of threatened jaguar habitat in the buffer zone of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. Working with community landowners (called ejidatarios) who live there, they execute conservation contracts in the buffer zone to forbid human disruption. Rainforest2Reef offers the landowners a better economic alternative to deforestation, while simultaneously increasing the long-term protection of jaguar habitat.
Rainforest2Reef's primary objectives are to:
Conserve 350,000 acres of prime jaguar habitat in the southwestern buffer zone of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve
Protect jaguars and 60,000 other species of plants and animals
Support on-going research about and monitoring of jaguar and bird ecology
Promote environmental education about the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve
Create and capitalize trust funds for long-term sustainable financing of newly protected areas in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve
Calakmul Biosphere Reserve
Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is located in the heart of the great Selva Maya Rainforest, the second largest rainforest in the Americas after the Amazon. The Selva Maya links the Mexican forests of the southern Yucatan with Belize and Guatemala. There are 350 species of birds that either inhabit or migrate through Calakmul, which is 33 percent of all bird species in Mexico. Over 100 of them are considered endangered.
"Every second, a slice of rainforest the size of a football field is mowed down. That's 86,400 football fields of rainforest per day, or over 31 million football fields of rainforest each year."
—The Nature Conservancy
The reserve is home to five of the six species of big cats found in Mexico: Jaguar, Puma, Ocelot, Jaguarundi, and Margay. Worldwide, an estimated 15,000 jaguars remain in the wild. There are only 6,000 jaguars in north and Central America, half of which are found in the Calakmul region, which includes the southern Yucatan of Mexico and surrounding areas of Belize and Guatemala. It is estimated that there are 500 jaguars in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. This is the second largest population north of the Amazon.
Alongside its natural legacy, Calakmul carries a cultural legacy. There are some 4,000 archaeological sites found in the reserve and for this reason, in 2002 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve a World Heritage Site.
Rainforest Conservation Fund
www.rainforestconservation.org
Rainforest Conservation Fund is an all-volunteer organization founded in 1988 that is dedicated to preserving the world's tropical forests. RCF supports ongoing projects in rainforest protection, sustainable development, and environmental education. Its main project is the Reserva Comunal Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo in the Peruvian Amazon. This protected area currently encompasses 800,000 acres, but with enough support could be expanded to over two million acres.
"To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival."
—Wendell Berry
The reserve is an exceptional storehouse of biodiversity, even for a rainforest, because it is part of what biologists identify as the Napo area of endemism (specific area of native flora and fauna). This area is the most species-rich in the world in a number of categories, including trees, amphibians, reptiles, and birds.
The RCTT is home to the most diverse assembly of primate species of any protected land in the world; 14 species, including the Red Uakari.
There are no villages in the reserve itself, which is rare for a protected area in South America.
Endangered animals found here include Jaguar, Manatee, Tapir, Pink River Dolphin, Harpy Eagle, Red Uakari Monkey, Paiche (Arapaima gigas — the world's largest freshwater fish), Ocelot, Giant Otter, Giant Anteater, and Taricaya Turtle.
RCF's goals and strategies for the reserve include a commitment to biodiversity through fauna management, habitat protection and recuperation, and research projects. The fauna management program takes into account the rural communities' needs while simultaneously reducing the hunting of primates and other threatened species. It has short term cost for hunters, but there are real social benefits. In addition, alternative strategies — such as the aguaje palm cultivation in agroforestry systems — are being developed to overcome short-term costs to the local people.
The Nature Conservancy
www.nature.org
Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has been working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Nature Conservancy has a four-star Charity Navigator rating. The Conservancy preserves habitats and species by saving the lands and waters they need to survive. Its Adopt an Acre™ program provides critical funds for rainforest protection and restoration. Every year, Adopt an Acre™ chooses an imperiled rainforest site that is in critical need of protection. This year's site is the Rift Valley in Kenya and Tanzania.
"Originally, 6 million square miles of tropical rainforest existed worldwide. Today, only 2.6 million square miles remain."
—The Nature Conservancy
The Rift Valley
East Africa's Rift Valley is a landscape of sweeping savannahs, towering volcanoes, and lush tropical forests. These ancient forests are home to monkeys, forest deer, elephants, leopards, and mankind's closest relative — the chimpanzee. Indeed, the region is often referred to as the "cradle of humanity" due to the number of ancient hominid skulls that have been discovered in the area.
Over the years, the forests have come under severe pressure due to rampant deforestation caused by illegal logging and expanding agriculture. At the turn of the 20th century, 30 percent of Kenya was covered in natural forests — today, slightly less than two percent is forested.
With its project partners, including the Jane Goodall Institute, The Nature Conservancy is working to protect and maintain the Rift Valley's healthy forests while also reforesting bare landscapes. Strategies include:
Planting trees — more than 30 million so far
Educating local communities and engaging them in restoration efforts
Identifying new places that are in need of protection, such as critical wildlife corridors
Strengthening the enforcement of laws designed to promote sustainable use of wildlife and water outside of formal parks
World Land Trust-US
www.worldlandtrust-us.org
Working in partnership with local conservation organizations, World Land Trust-US buys forestland to protect its exceptionally diverse habitats and endangered species. In order to better conserve critical natural areas around the world, in 2006, World Parks Endowment formed a partnership with World Land Trust of the United Kingdom (founded in 1989), thus creating World Land Trust-US.
Magdalena Valley
The Trust's Magdalena Valley project is located in a 700-mile-long river basin carpeted by lush lowland rainforest. The isolated rainforest there is a biological melting pot, influenced by the flora and fauna from neighboring Amazon, Chaco, and Central American regions. This has given rise to one of the richest assemblages of biodiversity on the planet, with an exceptional diversity of endemic plants, birds, mammals, amphibians, and other groups.
Tragically, colonization and deforestation have resulted in the elimination of nearly four million hectares of forest in little over a decade. Just one remnant of pristine habitat remains, representing the last opportunity to save the Magdalena Valley's unique and diverse flora and fauna. It is largely composed of private land holdings by recent colonists who are eager to exploit the magnificent lowland trees for timber and then establish cattle ranches. Losing this last enclave could push many species to the edge of extinction.
World Land Trust-US has been working with Colombia's leading biodiversity conservation non-profit, Fundación ProAves, to urgently acquire and protect this last fragment. We must act quickly to protect land that is for sale and earmarked for logging. With your support, we can ensure the survival of some of the planet's most imperiled rainforest habitat and species.
Animal Rescue
These stories are real-life examples of how your actions at The Animal Rescue Site and store are helping our Charitable Partners rescue animals in need. We hope you enjoy learning more about how you and The Fund for Animals , the North Shore Animal League , and the Petfinder.com Foundation are working to make the world a better place.
The Fund for Animals
Rounder was born in a backyard rabbitry, one of the thousands across the country that supply local pet shops. These facilities rival the conditions seen in puppy mills, but because they are smaller and scattered, and because rabbits suffer in silence, they operate with impunity. At six weeks of age, Rounder and his siblings were taken to a small pet shop. Rounder was to fulfill the role of a "live toy" for a small child.
Soon, he was left lonely and forgotten. After what seemed a very long time at the child's house, Rounder was once again transported. This time his cage was placed in an open-ended shed. Rounder's new owner opened his cage door and walked away.
Rounder hopped out through the shed doorway and began grazing. For the first time he felt the power in his muscles, the speed of his legs, and the wind blowing his long, floppy ears straight over his back. He would hole up and wait for the other rabbits. Surely there would be other rabbits. But by the third night, no rabbits had appeared.
Rounder heard a rustling in the leaves, very close. Startled out of his hiding place, he began racing for all he was worth. He felt a dog's hot breath on his back. Suddenly he was wrenched out of mid-flight into the jaws of the dog. A woman's panicked voice called out, "No! Lady! No!" Lady had caught Rounder as he leaped through the fence.
At the Rabbit Sanctuary, a physical found that Rounder had sustained a grievous injury to his back. He never fully healed, and will always be a special-needs bunny as a result of his ordeal. He now has a beautiful companion named Skippers and a territory all his own. Rounder won't be bought, traded, or chased ever again.
To learn more about Rounder, and about other animals you are helping, please visit The Fund for Animals .
Feed & Care for a Rescued Horse
Help Rescued Bunnies Like Rounder
North Shore Animal League
Gracie, a young pit bull, was maliciously thrown from a four-story rooftop in Brooklyn, NY. Miraculously, Gracie survived with only a broken leg and bruises to her chest. When her various wounds had finally healed, the D.A. concluded their animal cruelty investigation, and Gracie's owner was arrested.
After all of the trauma she had been through, Gracie still came to us with her tail wagging and full of trust. The League worked tirelessly to find Gracie the loving home she deserved; and to our delight, Gracie was adopted. Gracie has a new family now. She has a new mom, dad, and sister. After seeing them all together, excited and happy, we can only surmise that it must have been fate that saved Gracie from that four-story fall.
To learn more about Gracie, and about other animals that you are helping, visit North Shore Animal League .
Petfinder.com Foundation
The Petfinder.com Foundation helps support the thousands of animal welfare organization members of Petfinder.com through programs, outreach and fundraising. Our purpose is to increase the number of homeless pets adopted. We affect not only the four-footed animals waiting to be adopted, but also the people who care for them. The Foundation gives grants of equipment, supplies and funds so that thousands of homeless pets have healthier and happier lives and thousands of shelter and rescue folks can do their jobs better.
Past support from The Animal Rescue Site has enabled the Petfinder.com Foundation to provide care to rescued animals, and has helped Petfinder.com shelters and rescue members respond to recent disasters across North America, including hurricanes, wildfires, ice storms, severe wind storms and tornadoes.
Together we are helping more than one animal in more than one community.
For more information, please visit the Petfinder.com Foundation .
