Around the world, it cannot be denied that there are a lot of people who are experiencing poverty and issues regarding their manner of living. A lot would depend on where they are situated, the country and of course the manner of living that majority of the region is experiencing. Not all countries are blessed with a good economy to which people can find a way to survive with the available jobs to choose from. Some are just plain unlucky to be situated in them like Vietnam, Africa and so on.
The good thing about the world is that people from other countries do not hesitate to lend a helping hand to the best of their abilities. Help in any form cannot be measured and people in need do not really have much choice. Hence beggars really cannot be choosers in this case.
Help in the form of food, clothing and other materials essential for living is being sent to most parts of the world. Some would even render volunteer work and services just to reach them. In a sense, they can call themselves lucky that there are people who still care for what the world has to deal with today.
Categories: Activities, Analysis, Campaigns, Charities, Children, Disaster Relief, Events, Fundraising, Ideas, Inspiration, Jobs, News, Organizations, Programs, Tips, Veterans | Tags: aid, charity, Jobs, Organizations, volunteer-work
It was the birthday of one of my good friends last week. She’s a newscaster, and every year for the past 10 years, she’s been celebrating her birthday at the local orphanage near her home.
Its a great idea as not only does it make the kids happy, but its also a wonderful way to do something meaningful on your birthday. Last year, it was held it the orphanage itself, although some years my friend holds it it different venues. One year it was at a fun-fair at a huge mall (the escalators were fascinating to the kids who had never seen one before!), and another time it was at an animal shelter, who my friend (an ardent cat-lover) also does a lot of volunteer work for.
Although my friend foots most of the bill, she cleverly asks for sponsors to help out with various things, and they almost always agree to do it – like a fast-food place always does the food and even includes a mascot for entertainment, and this year she got a glitter-tattoo artist to come at cost.
She always sends out an email to all her friends with a list of things the children need – from necessities like medicine, milk and diapers, to more fun stuff like toys , books and art supplies.
Another thing she does is that we all get one child each for the day, and we bring a special present for them ( we get to know their age beforehand). Last time, my husband and I got a sweet little girl who was just thrilled with the simple presents we brought – slippers, “princess” school supplies etc….but was as excited to have our attention for an entire afternoon.
Since then, we’ve heard that she’s been adopted by a family in France!
Categories: Children, Fundraising, Tips, Volunteering
It is hard to be sick. We all hate it when we have to stay in bed whether it is just with a fever or with a worse bug. The feeling of lethargy dampens our spirits. Having your body let you down is really annoying especially when there is much that you want to do. It is even worse when it is cancer.
Just imagine how much worse it is when you’re a kid. Very few people see you as normal. You regularly need chemotherapy, you may undergo surgery, not to mention losing your hair. It can be difficult to keep your spirits up when you are undergoing so much treatment.
It isn’t only the child who suffers. The whole family shares the difficulty, not physically but in the finances, in their schedule, in their lifestyle. Their whole lives tend to be rearranged to work around the needs of their family member with the disease. When the times are rough, the whole family tend to be down.
They need people to help them. Financial assistance is a great help but that isn’t all they need. They are looking for angels. That doesn’t mean they are looking for miracle workers in spite of the title.
The simplest way you can support the cancer warrior (child fighting the disease) is to send a card. You can be a birthday, christmas or a card angel. This means sending a card on those special occasions just to wish them well.
If you are willing to give a more long term commitment, why not be an angel. Angels are people who commit to a year (or more) of supporting a family through the difficult years of treatment. These angels are asked to send a card or little gift once a month to the cancer warrior and one member of the child’s family. Angels do this without expecting any response from the family. They may be too busy trying to cope with the situation to respond. They need people who will consistently send every month without fail.
If you want to know more, please visit the Cancer Warriors website.
Categories: Children, Ideas, Organizations, Programs, Tips, Volunteering
On the one hand, the children being adopted by celebrities are given another shot at life – a much better shot, actually. On the other hand, celebrity adoptions may be sending out the wrong message. This is what the charitable organization EveryChild is concerned about.
The recent news that musician Elton John is planning to adopt a 14-month-old boy from a Ukrainian orphanage is the root of the charity’s sentiments. Elton John has been active in helping raise awareness for infants who are infected with HIV. His recent visit to the Ukraine is part of his efforts.
While he has always considered adoption, he said that he had concerns about it as he is not exactly a spring chicken and his career is not exactly the perfect setting for raising a child as well. However, when he laid his eyes on Lev, the baby boy, and interacted with him, Sir Elton John said that he changed his mind.
Now back to the concern of EveryChild…according to James Georgalakis, EveryChild’s Communications and Advocacy Manager, people in developing countries might get the wrong message from all these celebrity adoptions. He told CNN that:
“Research conducted in the Ukraine in 2007 which showed high-profile celebrity adoptions and news around foreigners coming into the country and adopting children generally was actually encouraging vulnerable young mothers to abandon their children into homes hoping their child would be adopted by a rich foreigner and have a better life. So it’s quite well documented that these high-profile adoptions could actually be increasing the number of children in institutions.”
Having read that information, I do see the point that EveryChild is concerned about. However, limiting or disallowing celebrity adoptions may not be the solution. What do you think? Should celebrity adoptions be restricted or is there another way to approach the issue?
Photo courtesy of CNN
Categories: Charities, Children, Organizations | Tags: adoptions, celebrity adoptions, charitable-organizations, charity, Elton John, EveryChild, international adoptions
Looking for a worthy charity to get involved in? Why not take a closer look at the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, which was recently ranked number 4 out of the top 10 charities in the United States. It has also earned the distinction of earning eight 4-star ratings (in a row, mind you) from Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator is perhaps the most reliable charity evaluator in the U.S. today.
So what does the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging do? This is their mission statement:
• We provide personal attention and direct benefits to children, youth, aging and their families so they may live with dignity, achieve their desired potential and participate fully in society.
• We invite people of good will to live in daily solidarity with the world’s poor through one-to-one sponsorship.
• We build community by fostering relationships of mutual respect, understanding and support that are culturally diverse, empowering and without religious or other prejudice.
From what I have seen, it is similar to World Vision, wherein people can sponsor children around the world. Sponsorships can be had for children from preschool to high school and I think CFCA also helps those who want to study college or vocational training. The money that sponsors give go to tuition fees, books, uniforms, and other school supplies. They currently operate in 24 countries.
If you are interested in helping out, visit the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging web site for more specific details.
Categories: Charities, Children, Organizations, Religious
