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Tis the season for anxious engagement! Toward this end I want to highlight some charitable organizations that are absolutely worthy of your donations.<\/p>\n\n
Tis the season for anxious engagement! Toward this end I want to highlight some charitable organizations that are absolutely worthy of your donations.<\/p>\n
Not that writing out a check is itself anxious engagement. I\u2019m absolutely a believer in hands-on service, and I think our method of detached financial transactions, even when assisting worthy causes, can contribute to the problem of alienation ubiquitous in our society. But this doesn\u2019t mean that we ought not make those detached transactions, in addition to whatever other forms of engaged, community-gathering service we\u2019re involved in. Christmas ought to, and in my experience within Mormonism it absolutely does, remind us of Christ and the deeper parts of life. Our commercial obsession is deplorable. But one thing that this commercialism can remind us of (beyond the need for repentance!) is the gross luxury that almost all of us live in. My family is, of necessity, having a sparse Christmas this year. We\u2019ve filled it with rich (free) cultural events to help make up for that. But we, just like most of you, can also afford to donate our means\u2014even in an \u201cimpoverished\u201d year. And Christmas is certainly one of those times wherein it is more blessed to give than to receive.<\/p>\n
It almost seems like a necessary preamble to a post about humanitarian organizations to talk about corruption. Pointing to corruption in the non-profit\/NGO sector is almost always an excuse, a covering up of one\u2019s own selfish heart. Corruption exists, however, and so we can all be grateful for organizations like Charity Watch and Charity Navigator (there are others as well) who help us ensure that our money goes where we want it to. (I also recommend this Nicholas Kristoff post<\/a> for those who have never researched charities and are worried about giving). And while it\u2019s always safe to just donate to the Church, one only needs to head down to Welfare Square, to see a huge wall with hundreds of names of organizations that the Church gives money to. When you donate to the Church, you\u2019re already donating to other organizations. Even so, the Church right now wisely has its own foci in order to more effectively assist those in need, and there are a host of critical areas that the Church is not directly involved in<\/p>\n Let me also say that taking the time to research and find worthy organizations to give your support to is itself a rewarding experience \u2013 one that helps to mitigate the alienation. This is something you don\u2019t get by simply donating to the Church (which I also recommend \u2013 don\u2019t get me wrong here!). Just as going beyond learning the names in family history helps turn your heart to your ancestors, so too it\u2019s important for your heart to do more than whip off a check to the one place you already trust.<\/p>\n Finally, by way of introduction, I\u2019m highlighting only a few organizations that I like, ones that are doing top-notch work in the non-profit world, ones that have their fiscal ducks in a row and whose efforts are efficacious. In addition, let me point out that I\u2019m recommending larger, more visible organizations here. There are innumerable small charities doing good work, especially those that specialize. Some are undoubtedly in your own community, affording you the opportunity to be more directly engaged. Seek them out. But my point here, more than recommending these specific organizations to you, is to recommend the work of charities in alleviating the tragic suffering that proliferates in our world. May we all stand as saviors on Mt. Zion in whatever ways we can \u2013 and for almost all of us, that should include the use of our Visa cards.<\/p>\n Partners in Health<\/a> \u2013 This is my latest favorite organization. In my mind, they are simply going about their humanitarian efforts in the right way. Their vision is based on solidarity as opposed to simple charity; practically I\u2019m not sure how much cash value this slogan has, but morally I\u2019m convinced it\u2019s the right approach. Likewise, their name is \u201cpartners\u201d for a reason. They partner with hospitals, university medical and public health programs, and biosocial researchers to develop cutting edge approaches\u2014in terms of both product and deliverance. Likewise, they partner with local sister organizations everywhere they go. Their efforts are not merely to reach out to those in desperate need of medical attention, but also to build and improve local clinics, and partner with and train local medical personnel and staff. Currently, they specialize in tuberculosis, women\u2019s health, children\u2019s health, HIV\/AIDS, food, water, housing, and training programs. They are among the most dedicated and effective workers in Haiti\u2014they were there before the earthquake, and unlike many of the other NGOs, their efforts haven\u2019t slackened. They likewise work in Lesotho, Mali, Burundi, Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Nepal, Russia, the US, and Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n Christian Foundation for Children and Aging<\/a>: This is my other latest favorite; in my opinion, they represent the very best of Christian social justice (and unlike some explicitly Christian organizations, CFCA helps persons of all creeds without proselytizing; they even sponsor celebrations in other religious traditions!). I highly recommend this organization for those of you who are interested in sponsoring an individual child or youth or elderly citizen (have you ever heard of an organization that sponsors the elderly, surely one the most vulnerable segments of society?). Their sponsorship model incorporates the specific needs of the family in question (as opposed to the one-size-fits-all model), and your sponsorship of a child often results in training and other assistants for the parents. In addition to money, you\u2019ll have the opportunity to communicate via letter (the persons sponsored will write you at least twice a year), and even meet them. CFCA has \u201cmission awareness trips\u201d that allow you a non-touristy opportunity to meet the person you\u2019re sponsoring; they\u2019re also willing to help facilitate you embarking on your own trip to see your sponsoree.<\/p>\n Human Rights First<\/em><\/a>: Just like the name says. Without funding from any govts, they work to promote human rights, with specific emphasis on crimes against humanity, protecting hr activists, refugee protection, fighting discrimination, and issues of law and security.<\/p>\n The Hunger Project<\/a>: I think that this organization goes about it right. Not just feeding people, but helping to build sustainable, self-reliant communities in areas of extreme need. While maintaining a specific focus to alleviate hunger and not trying to do everything, they nonetheless have a holistic understanding of the problems involved in hunger and the myriad of things that need to be done in order to actually build communities that are able to feed themselves.<\/p>\n Africare<\/a>: They\u2019ve got decades of experience focusing solely on Africa. They understand the development concerns, particularly in sub-saharan Africa as well as anyone, and they\u2019re more deeply invested in the region than any other major organization I know. They\u2019ve won awards for innovation. And they epitomize the right model of working with and through the natives of the communities they serve.<\/p>\n