Charity Water

It’s hard not to think about water today. In the western world, we face growing concerns about our stewardship of the world’s most precious resource. There’s talk of shortages, evidence of reservoirs and aquifers drying up, and of course, plenty of people who simply don’t care.

But forget about us.

Most of us have never really been thirsty. We’ve never had to leave our houses and walk 5 miles to fetch water. We simply turn on the tap, and water comes out. Clean. Yet there are a billion people on the planet who don’t have clean water. 

It’s hard to imagine what a billion people looks like really, but one in eight might be easier. One in eight people in our world don’t have access to the most basic of human needs. Something we can’t imagine going 12 hours without. 

Here, we’d like to introduce you to a few of those billion people. They are very real, and they need our help. They didn’t choose to be born into a village where the only source of water is a polluted swamp. And we didn’t choose to be born in a country where even the homeless have access to clean water and a toilet. 

We invite you to put yourself in their shoes. Follow them on their daily journey. Carry 80 pounds of water in yellow fuel cans. Dig with their children in sand for water. Line up at a well and wait 8 hours for a turn. 

Now, make a decision to help. We’re not offering grand solutions and billion dollar schemes, but instead, simple things that work. Things like freshwater wells, rainwater catchments and sand filters. For about $20 a person, we know how to help millions.

Start by helping one. http://www.charitywater.org/

Peace One Day

Please Visit http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/welcome

Dear Friends,

Peace Day 2011 marks the 365-day countdown to a Global Truce
on Peace Day 2012 what we hope will be the largest reduction in
global violence in recorded history, both domestically and internationally.

We are inviting all sectors of society to observe the Global Truce –
individuals in every country, at home, in schools, in the workplace,
in our local communities, and those engaged in armed conflict on
the international stage.
Everyone has a role to play.

The Global Truce 2012 campaign will only work if the people
get behind it –if you get behind it.
Please join the campaign via this website and ask as many people
as you can to do the same, via social media or
via the new free Peace One Day App.

Please consider what you will do to mark the Global Truce on
Peace Day 21 September 2012 and tell us via this website.
Individuals can make a difference.
By working together there will be Peace One Day.

In peace,

Jeremy

Jeremy Gilley is the founder and chairman of Peace One Day.

Invisible Children

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/videos/20031808

How it Started

In the spring of 2003, three young filmmakers traveled to Africa in search of a story. What started out as a filmmaking adventure transformed into much more when these boys from Southern California discovered a tragedy that disgusted and inspired them, a tragedy where children are both the weapons and the victims.

After returning to the States, they created the documentary "Invisible Children: Rough Cut," a film that exposes the tragic realities of northern Uganda.s night commuters and child soldiers.

The film was originally shown to friends and family, but has now been seen by millions of people. The overwhelming response has been, "How can I help?" To answer this question, the non-profit Invisible Children, Inc. was created, giving compassionate individuals an effective way to respond to the situation.

Who We Are

We are storytellers. We are visionaries, humanitarians, artists, and entrepreneurs. We are individuals part of a generation eager for change and willing to pursue it.

As a non-profit we work to transform apathy into activism. By documenting the lives of those living in regions of conflict and injustice, we hope to educate and inspire individuals in the Western world to use their unique voice for change. Our media creates an opportunity for people to become part of a grassroots movement that intelligently responds to what.s happening in the world.

But our work extends beyond our borders. In war-affected regions we focus on long-term development, working directly with individuals and institutions that are eager to realize their full potential. Through education and innovative economic opportunities, we partner with affected communities and strive to improve the quality of life for individuals living in conflict and post-conflict regions.

How We Make a Difference

Our approach to humanitarian work is founded in the strength and intelligence of the Ugandan community. We learned early on it was not only important but essential to heed the wisdom of people that had not only lived in the war, but were surviving it. People who would know better than anyone what the greatest needs were and the best ways to meet them. What we came to find is that while there have been many efforts to address the issues that stem from living and fighting in such a long-lasting war, the people of Uganda are asking for a future beyond the conflict.

Their pleas have become our development strategy.

All of our programming is a partnership between those of us at Invisible Children and those in the Ugandan community. We focus on long-term goals that enable children to take responsibility for their future and the future of their country. Our programs are carefully researched and developed initiatives that address the need for quality education, mentorships, the redevelopment of schools, resettlement from the camps, and financial stability.

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/protectionplan

Hug It Forward Bottle School

Hug It Forward is a non-profit that blends intangible change with tangible change globally with one goal, uniting people as one.
The intangible change is provided by raising awareness of global issues and by demonstrating that we are all one people. Everybody has the power to be the change, by living their passion and giving back to society. We exist to help people along that journey.


The tangible change is provided by empowering communities to unite and work together towards a common goal: building schools built out of wasted trash bottles called "bottle schools". Bottle schools have many many benefits. You can see a video of how bottle schools are made on the home page.
100% of your donation is spent on the ground in the communities where bottle schools are built. A separate group of private donors fund the operating costs so you don’t have to.
This way, we can build a school for $10-15,000, co-creating educational opportunity for future generations. From Day 1 we have been creating systems to enable bottle schools to spread around the world.

How can you help the movement? http://hugitforward.org/

Orphfund is helping orphans around the world.

http://www.orphfund.org/drupal/

OrphFund is a volunteer based organisation helping abandoned, orphaned and vulnerable children around the world, regardless of race or religion.

We run grass root, self sustaining, community projects, that provide shelter, nutrition, health care, support, education and training, ensuring all children have a happy and bright future.

Being purely volunteer based we are proud to ensure that 100% of any donation will reach children living in poverty. Please click the link above, see what you can do to help the kids and share the information. And please remember even just a little bit of help can make a big difference in the lives of needy children.

SurfAid International...You can make a difference'

http://www.surfaidinternational.org/

What we do SurfAid, in partnership with communities and government, works to prevent disease, suffering and death through educational programs and health promotion that aim to change poor health behaviours and reduce the risk from natural disasters. SurfAid’s goal is to empower communities to help themselves and build local capacity so their improved health resilience is sustainable. We advocate health and wellbeing for all and create collaborative relationships with other stakeholder groups wherever we can so as to further sustained change in behaviour and development. Our community based health programs involve education in nutrition, hygiene, healthy environments, and disease prevention - including mosquito net distribution. In response to an unfortunately frequent need, we have built an award winning capacity in Emergency Preparedness and have delivered practical, locally-based Emergency Responses.

SurfAid follows the organisational values of accountability, transparency and partnership.

Our activities epitomise the universal human values expressed through local and global citizenship - empathy and compassion, respect for community, social justice and equity for all, economic, environmental and social sustainability, and a belief that we can all make a difference.

We do the best we can by the light we have to see by...