Groups and Projects You Can Support

[Sally Carless]

Here are some favorites - all of them accept online donations. Add your own favorites to the list!

Whispering Seed (Thailand)
The Whispering Seed is a village-based sustainable living and learning center and home for children who have been orphaned, abused and neglected along the Thai-Burmese border. We are a US registered non-profit charitable organization providing support, care and learning opportunities for refugee children, displaced people and other ethnic minorities groups living in the border region, including those who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. Our aim is share new models for sustainable living and learning while also supporting traditional wisdom and local knowledge systems.
How to help: http://www.whisperingseed.org/english/wishlist.html

Power of the Heart Connection: Whispering Seed’s founders, Jim and Nao, are members of Power of the Heart.
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Global Village School (International)
We are a progressive international K-12 distance-learning diploma program with a creative, flexible approach and an emphasis on peace, justice, diversity, and sustainability. We support students in truly being themselves, encourage them to follow their dreams, and help them to become wise and capable stewards of the planet and each other. We have amazing students who are already making an impact in the world. Donations are needed in many areas, including scholarships, curriculum development, general operating costs, etc.
Power of the Heart Connection: I (Sally) am the founding director of Global Village School, and have donated thousands of hours of my time because I believe so strongly in the potential of education to change the world. If you feel drawn to donate to us, I can tell you exactly how your money will be spent. I am the founder of Power of the Heart.
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Amman Imman (West Africa)
Amman Imman Brings Water to Those Who Have None… Amman Imman is dedicated to improving and saving lives among the poorest and most abandoned populations of the world by supplying permanent sources of water to the people living in the Azawak Valley, West Africa. In this area:
• Children travel up to 30 miles a day to find a simple drink of water.
• People drink pond water dirtier than a mud puddle in New York City.
• Nine months of the year there is no water
• 25% of infants under 5 die of thirst
• 500,000 adults and children live on the brink of survival
• last year drought wiped out 80% of the livestock

Power of the Heart Connection: I am personally connected with this project, as are some of our Global Village students. One of Amman Imman’s prime supporters, Debbie Kahn, is a member of Power of the Heart, and has created her own blog: http://montessori-amman-imman-project.blogspot.com/
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Eco-Village Enterprises (EVE) (Ghana, Romania, Nepal)
“We are working on setting up a global network of self-sufficient and sustainable eco villages called Eco Village Enterprises, or EVE, communities primarily as a means to care for orphans while promoting education and research into holistic and sustainable methods of living in balance on the planet.
If orphanages are no longer deemed acceptable solutions in the USA, why are they being built for children in developing countries? The aspirations of the poor match the standards laid down by the rich. Many people want environmentally friendly, sustainable, and innovative technologies. Why use obsolete approaches in developing countries when they may be better served by implementing cutting edge solutions for the care of people and the environment? Why provide welfare when creating permanent jobs is a better solution? The EVE plan presents a comprehensive way of responding to the international orphan crisis while helping people with HIV/AIDS (as well as other disabled, or disenfranchised individuals). EVE will create jobs and offer educational and healthcare services. In addition it will be a unique global educational forum, which will facilitate and enhance intercultural relations, environmental awareness, and a sense of belonging to a global family. Eco Village Enterprises (EVE), is a project of GIANT, a nonprofit 501(C)3 organization founded in 2001 under the leadership of Ambassador Andrew Young.”

Power of the Heart Connection: Global Village School is partnering with the EVE project. EVE’s director, Valarie Taylor, will soon be a member of Power of the Heart.
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Women for Women International (Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan)
From Oprah Winfrey’s site: “The goal of Women for Women International is to take women from victim to survivor to active citizen. With the Emergency Response Fund, Women for Women International can move quickly to help women in post-conflict societies. You can join the Global Voices program, and support skills and leadership training for a community of women. As a sponsor, you can provide direct financial aid and emotional support through letter writing. For example, $27 a month for one year will provide lifesaving assistance to a woman in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

For three years in a row, Women for Women International has received a four-star rating, the highest possible ranking given to a nonprofit by Charity Navigator, a leading nonprofit watchdog group.
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Wherever the Need (Based in the UK, with a US division. Projects in Gambia, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Romania, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda, UK, Zambia, Zimbabwe.)
“There are people in need everywhere. Some of them are right in your own backyard. Some of them are on the opposite side of the world. No matter where it is, Wherever the Need (WTN) tries to assist. Wherever the Need is an organization that chooses to implement projects that will have long term effects. Water for example is of prime importance to them. They work to provide clean drinking water for the people- which is critical for people to stay healthy, and if possible to the livestock and plants as well. They are very environmentally minded. They always try to ensure that their projects are earth friendly.
Wherever the need isn’t as big an organization as some but they are registered in the UK and the US. The fact that they aren’t as big an organization means that it is possible for relationships to grow between benefactors and the recipients. For those who like to make a difference and feel like they are extending their circle of family and friends, this is a great choice.
One beauty of this organization is that you can approach them about a project that you would like to start and they can help you to make it happen. It is your project but they help get it up and running. So if you know of a group that really needs your help, don’t hesitate to bring them to the attention of WTN. Be prepared to do your part of course. You will be involved every step of the way with your project; it is worth it!” (Description from charitiesblog.net)
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Global Giving (International)
“GlobalGiving connects you with grassroots charity projects around the world. We ensure that 85-90% of your donation gets to local project leaders within 60 days. It's a direct connection."
You can search for projects by issue or region. Each project specifies the total amount needed, and then breaks it down into smaller amounts so that – even if their total need is $20,000, you can see what difference your $25 donation will make.
"GlobalGiving.com is an online marketplace for international giving. Potential donors can browse and select from a wide offering of projects, organized by geography or by themes such as health care, the environment, and education. Once a donor chooses a project, he/she can contribute any amount, using a credit/debit card, check, PayPal, or stock transfer. Gift registries can be set up for special events, and donors can "give" any project as a gift... All donations made to projects go through the GlobalGiving Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 entity, and are fully tax-deductible.”
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Bread for the Journey (USA)
“Bread for the Journey International teaches a simple practice of neighborhood philanthropy that is embraced by people in a wide variety of communities.
We have chapters in eighteen cities in the United States. Our international headquarters in Mill Valley, California, supports new chapters as they grow and offers a leading voice for simple, community-based philanthropy.
Neighborhood philanthropy is rooted in the belief that people are most helpful to themselves and to others when they act upon their natural impulse to be kind, using their own unique gifts to help others. The healing that springs from these simple acts of generosity is true and lasting for individuals and communities.
Each chapter offers a unique blend of practical assistance, funding and encouragement to help people start valuable new projects quickly and easily - without complicated grant proposals and lengthy waiting periods. As a result, countless dynamic programs are being born that heal and nourish our communities in ways that are naturally creative and responsive to local culture.”
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Six Degrees of Love (Lesotho)
Touching Tiny Lives: “Six Degrees Of Love is an organization founded by Ken Storen, an American who came to Lesotho in Southern Africa several years ago as a Peace Corps volunteer. He stayed on when his tour of duty was complete to try to help the children of Lesotho who have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. Here's how he described the purpose of the organization in a recent newsletter:
We love and care for children who are orphaned, abandoned, malnourished, abused and in dire situations. Due to the rampant HIV/AIDS pandemic, more and more children are orphaned and abandoned. Currently, estimates place the number of children in Lesotho in this situation at well above 100,000. We are trying to help as many of these children as possible; to give them love, keep them safe and warm, rehabilitate them from malnutrition and disease, and one day find them loving adoptive homes.” For more info see also: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1733/orphans_needs_and_hop... and here: http://peacecorpsonline.org/messages/messages/467/2025463.html

[Sally Carless]

I'd like to add another group: Capacitar
"Capacitar means 'to empower.' Our vision is to heal ourselves and to heal our world. Using a hands-on popular education approach, we teach simple wellness practices that lead to healing, wholeness and peace in the individual and in the world.
Capacitar is committed to communities affected by violence, poverty and trauma, uniting people across borders in solidarity, understanding and reconciliation." Capacitar teaches techniques such as acupressure, massage, breathing, movement, active listening, etc. They help people affected by severe trauma in places such as Rwanda, Guatemala, the Middle East, and East Timor - 30 countries altogether.

Power of the Heart connection: I attended one of their workshops several years ago, and was very impressed. I've been on their mailing list ever since, and am always touched by the power of the healing work they are doing in so many countries around the world. I purchased one of their training manuals - it is excellent.

[Sally Carless]

Here's another group I just found: Alternative Gifts International
Their thinking appears to be very much in line with Power of the Heart’s. Here are some excerpts from their site:

For the price of a video game: Provide a wheelchair and give mobility, independence, dignity and hope to persons with disabilities in Cambodia.
For the cost of dinner and a movie: Provide permanent, accessible clean water for village folk in the Andes.

“The global mission of AGI is to send authentic, life-giving gifts to a needy world - gifts that build a partnership with people in crisis and that protect and preserve the earth's endangered environment - to nourish and sustain a more equitable and peaceful global community. AGI is a nonprofit, interfaith agency. AGI provides education for people of all ages about global needs and raises funds each year in its Alternative Gift Markets and from individual donors to respond to those needs. Designated grants then are sent to the established international projects of several reputable nonprofit agencies for relief and development.”

Power of the Heart connection: I found this group in The Better World Handbook, which is the main text in Global Village School’s Planetary Stewardship course.

[Nancy]

I would like to tell you about an amazing school (www.casa.org.mx) in Mexico started by an American social worker upon requests of traditional midwives who were seeking to improve their skills. Today CASA Midwifery School is the only accredited professional midwifery school in Mexico educating young women from rural areas. As most doctors are reluctant to work in rural areas where healthcare is lacking and traditional midwives and doctors are dying of old age, the school represents a practical solution by providing superb education to women who are interested in returning to their home towns or working in other impoverished areas to help improve healthcare and reduce maternal mortality rates. After 10 years of relentless efforts, the school finally received government approvals to allow their graduates to work in public hospitals and clinics, opening the doors for those young women to better employment opportunities. Both USF and University of John Hopkins have concluded that the school provides better curriculum than the top medical school and nursing school in Mexico when compared with standards set up by WHO (World Health Organization). The school is hoping to establish additional campuses in Chiapas, Veracruz and San Luis Potosi to better serve the impoverished communities in those states and allow more students to enroll in their program as parents in rural villages often refuse to let their daughters go to schools that are too far away from home. Your donations will help more young women with better job opportunities and the chance to serve the communities where they come from. http://www.casa.org.mx/donate.html