World Vision International is a Christian relief and development organisation working for the well being of all people, especially children. Through emergency relief, education, health care, economic development and promotion of justice, World Vision helps communities help themselves.

Established in 1950 to care for orphans in Asia, World Vision has grown to embrace the larger issues of community development and advocacy for the poor in its mission to help children and their families build sustainable futures.

Working on six continents, World Vision is one of the largest Christian relief and development organizations in the world.

The heart of World Vision's work is in helping communities build stronger and healthier relationships. The absence of such relationships impoverishes communities.


Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness;
Our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so.

World Vision is an international partnership of Christians whose mission is to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God.

The World Vision Partnership shares a common understanding bound together by six core values. These core values are the fundamental and guiding principles that determine World Vision's actions. The core values are our aim, a challenge that we seek to live and work to.

We are Christian.

We are committed to the poor.

We value people.

We are stewards.

We are partners.

We are responsive.

To get involved:

www.worldvision.org

Thousands Petition Against Trafficking on World Vision Tour
Anne Thomas
The Gospel Herald

“Over 1,100 handprint ‘signatures’ have been added to a petition led by World Vision during its national anti-trafficking music tour.” This movement is an attempt to get awareness, support, and pressure on the government to try and regulate the trafficking of humans across the globe.

This is a problem which is frankly one f the most heartbreaking struggles that our world is dealing with today. “The petition calls on the Government to take more decisive action to stamp out human trafficking.” The ending of human trafficking would not only empower an entire region of women, but also give them the dignity and respect that they are entitled to. This is not some issue that the US is entitled to just sit back and watch get resolved. We are directly involved being that many American men fly to other foreign countries to engage in “sex tours.”

For the US not to act harshly and bring justice to those whose lives are being destroyed would bring truth to the slanderous remarks about our carelessness for those outside of our country. This march, this movement must call out the sick individuals who promote this behavior and lure more men into this disgusting lifestyle.

The United Way of America is a coalition of charitable organizations in the United States that have traditionally pooled efforts in fundraising. In the 1990s, more and more United Ways have focused on community building through local partnerships with government, foundations, schools, and other organizations. Each of the 1317 United Ways has its own local governing volunteer board.

The organization has roots in Denver, Colorado, where in 1887 church leaders began the Charity Organization Society which coordinated services and fund raising for 22 agencies. Many Community Chest organizations, which were founded in the first half of the twentieth century to jointly collect and allocate money, joined the American Association for Community Organizations in 1918. The first Community Chest was founded in 1913 in Cleveland, Ohio. The number of Community Chest organizations increased from 39 to 353 between 1919 and 1929, and surpassed 1000 by 1948. By 1963, and after several name changes, the term United Way was adopted.

The organization raises money in a number of ways, chiefly through the workplace, where employees can have automatic payroll deductions for the United Way.

Frances Wisebart Jacobs, known as Colorado's "Mother of Charities," was the driving force behind the concept of today's United Way. In 1887 she spearheaded the creation of the Charity Organization Society, which became a federation of charities that coordinated fundraising and other efforts and shared the proceeds. This was the model that led to the creation of today's United Way, which recognizes Jacobs as its founder. She brought together the Rev. Myron W. Reed, Msgr. William J. O'Ryan, Dean H. Martyn Hart and Rabbi William S. Friedman to put their heads and plan the first united campaign for ten health and welfare agencies. They created an organization to serve as an agent to collect funds for local charities, as well as to coordinate relief services, counsel and refer clients to cooperating agencies, and make emergency assistance grants in cases which could not be referred.

That year, Denver raised $21,700 and created a movement that would spread throughout the county to become the United Way. Over 118 years later, United Way is still in operation. [1]
In this year's (2006) Philanthropy 400, United Way of America was again No. 1, with more than 1,300 local United Ways reporting $4-billion in contributions last year, a 3.9-percent increase over 2004.

United Ways identify and build on community strengths and assets, help individuals and groups with specific community interests find ways to contribute their time and talents, support direct-service programs and community-change efforts, and advocate public policy changes.
All of this is done in collaboration with diverse partners.

Depending on the issue and how the community chooses to address it, United Ways work with schools, government agencies, businesses, organized labor, financial institutions, community development corporations, voluntary and neighborhood associations, the religious community, and others.

ref: www.unitedway.org

www.unitedway.org

The Doe Fund, Inc.

George McDonald, a successful businessman, founded The Doe Fund in 1985. Homelessness in New York City had reached unprecedented proportions during the mid-1980s, and McDonald set out to help these people obtain employment and housing. This recurring mantra informed The Doe Fund’s guiding principle: most homeless men and women want to change their lives. If given the opportunity to work, they will seize it. Together with his wife, Harriet Karr-McDonald, developed projects based on belief that helping homeless individuals maintain sobriety and employment would also help them develop self-respect and embrace personal responsibility.

In 1990, the McDonalds won two separate contracts from the city: one, a work contract to renovate low-income housing, and the second, a contract to purchase and renovate an abandoned building on Gates Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, where program participants would live. To attract participants, the McDonalds canvassed Grand Central Station, telling the most destitute of men: “If you are willing to stop using drugs and go to work every day, come to The Church of St. Agnes next Saturday morning.”

Hundreds of homeless men showed up to take advantage of this opportunity, ready to abandon drugs and alcohol and work toward better lives.
This work project was called Ready, Willing & Able (RWA). RWA outperformed the requirements of the city contract from the start.

By 1994, RWA was thriving, having helped 90 men leave the streets behind, get full-time private-sector jobs, and move into their own apartments. However, that same year, a change in city housing policy slashed their work contract by more than 60%.

Another problem the city was facing was one of litter: overflowing trash cans and filthy streets were a common sight throughout Manhattan. RWA redirected the efforts of its workforce of trainees to address this problem. The men would help themselves towards social and economic recovery while helping solve the mounting sanitation problem. They were given uniforms with American flags sewn on the sleeves in order to make the men recognizeable and to make them feel that they were part of something greater than themselves. The RWA cleanup project started off working on East 86th Street. In response to letters to neighborhood residents explaining who the men were and asking for financial support, donations poured in, enabling RWA to expand its operation to cover 25 miles of streets.

Today, ten years later, RWA trainees have become a recognizable part of the fabric of New York City, cleaning more than 150 miles of streets and sidewalks every day. The “men in blue” are greatly appreciated and respected, and considered by many to be part of a New York institution. Today’s RWA trainees are literally sweeping their way to self-sufficiency on the very streets they used to waste away upon. They will soon join the more than 2,000 men who came before them—people whom society had given up on. The Doe Fund gave these men a chance to rejoin the socioeconomic mainstream—and they took it.

The Doe Fund has won awards for its successful work and innovative approaches. In addition to its projects in New York, the Doe Fund has inspired or partnered with similar work projects in other places.

The Doe Fund's mission is to develop and implement cost-efficient, holistic programs that comprehensively meet the needs of a diverse homeless population. All Doe Fund programs ultimately strive to end homelessness for the individuals they serve.

ref: www.thedoefund.org or www.doe.org

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Although The Salvation Army is an international organization with leadership vested in the General, the very nature of its work calls for considerable national, territorial, and local autonomy. While the chain of command extends from the General, through the chief of the staff, into overseas departments, actual administration is vested in the territories within the United States and their individual community units.

Salvation Army beliefs follow those of the universal Christian church, as derived from the scriptures. They are included in the "Articles of War", the membership form which all prospective Salvationists sign before enrolling as Salvation Army soldiers.

The Salvation Army National Headquarters
615 Slaters Lane
P.O. Box 269
Alexandria, VA 22313

ref: www.salvationarmy.org

www.salvationarmy.org

Product Red (styled (PRODUCT)RED) is a for-profit brand which is licensed to partner companies such as American Express, Apple Inc., Converse, Motorola, Gap and Giorgio Armani.

It is an initiative begun by U2's frontman, Bono and Bobby Shriver of Debt AIDS Trade in Africa (DATA) to raise money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Bobby Shriver has been announced as the CEO of Product Red, whilst Bono is currently an active public spokesperson for the brand.

Each partner company creates a product with the Product Red logo. In return for the opportunity to increase their own revenue through the Product Red products they sell, a percentage of the profit is given to the Global Fund.

The main principles of the Product Red are:

To expand opportunities for the people of Africa

To respect its employees and ask its partners to do the same with their employees and the people who help make their products or deliver their services

To promote HIV/AIDS workplace policies and practices

To see the power of a community mobilized for hope, health and progress

To ask its partners to uphold the same principles

The 2nd Product Red Special Edition, guest designed by Giorgio Armani

American Express Red Card.

Gap is selling a line of clothing including a T-shirt made in the African country of Lesotho from African-grown cotton.

Converse is selling a shoe made from African mud-cloth.

Giorgio Armani has announced wrap-around sunglasses with the Product Red logo.

Motorola has announced special editions of their SLVR and RAZR mobile phones, with a 50% profit of each purchase going to the Global Fund. The Red RAZR was first launched with service by Sprint in November of 2006

The Independent newspaper is in partnership with Product Red.

The Hotel Café tour is presented by MySpace and Product Red.


Apple Inc. has released a special edition iPod nano with a Product Red theme, as well as a Red $25 iTunes gift card

NEED magazine is in partnership with Product Red.

Gap has shirts, bracelets, neclaces, pins, and candles where 50% of the proceeds go to help prevent HIV/ AIDS in Africa.

ref: www.joinred.com

www.joinred.com

Oxfam America is a non-profit organization that works to end global poverty through saving lives, strengthening communities, and campaigning for change. They are an affiliate of Oxfam International.

Oxfam America works on the scene, helping people gain the hope, skills, and direction to create a new future. They are also active in the global arena, addressing social injustice through our advocacy, public education, and emergency assistance programs.

In their quest to end poverty, hunger, and social injustice, Oxfam America depends on the support of concerned global citizens like you. Donations, volunteer work, and campaign efforts enable them to pursue their mission around the world.

Oxfam America relies almost exclusively on private funding, fortunate to have more than 225,000 individual donors. Among leading humanitarian organizations, they stand alone in their refusal of US government funds, declining support from any sources that might compromise our independence.

As conscientious stewards of their donors’ money, Oxfam America operates efficiently and aims to minimize fundraising and administrative costs. In 2006, they allocated 79 percent of our expenditures for development programs and emergency relief—a number that is well above the standard recommended by the AIP (American Institute of Philanthropy), one of the leading charity rating organizations in the US. During this same period, at least 90 percent of funds designated by donors for humanitarian emergencies directly supported their relief efforts for those emergencies. Oxfam strivesto exceed or maintain these standards each year.

To get involved:

Check out www.oxfamamerica.org

The ONE Campaign is the U.S. based campaign to Make Poverty History. ONE is closely linked to both the international effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, which represents the international Make Poverty History movement.

ONE now has over 100 partner organizations, and over 2.4 million members. ONE has made a conscious effort to be nonpartisan and has made a point of reaching out to Americans across the political spectrum.



ONE was originally founded by a coalition of 11 non-profit humanitarian and advocacy organizations (such as DATA, World Vision, Oxfam America, and Bread for the World) with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Bono, Tom Hanks, Ellen Degeneres, and George Clooney are among the more visible supporters of ONE.

The group sells its T-shirts and white gel bracelets with the word "ONE" on them to increase the visibility of the global AIDS and extreme poverty cause.

The ONE Campaign claims that the U.S. contribution to meeting the MDGs could help:

Enroll 77 million children in primary school

Give 450 million people access to clean water

Save 5.4 million children under 5 from dying of preventable diseases

ONE is a member-driven organization and therefore places a strong emphasis on building an effective grassroots campaign. ONE attempts to empower local ONE groups to organize and be advocates for ONE's goals in their local areas as well as on the national level. ONE has encouraged ONE supporters to organize through Yahoo! Groups. On its website, ONE links to over 150 of these local ONE Yahoo! groups.

Student supporters of ONE have also been able to use Facebook, the popular and growing social networking site used mainly by college and high school students, to create ONE support in their school communities. In addition to local network groups, there is also a ONE Global Facebook group.

For more Information:

www.one.org
1400 Eye St., NW
Suite 601

Washington, DC
20005

Most consumers don't know where the gold in their products comes from, or how it is mined. Gold mining is a dirty industry: it can displace communities, contaminate drinking water, hurt workers, and destroy pristine environments.

The production of one gold ring generates 20 TONS of mine waste.

Gold mining is one of the most destructive industries in the world. It pollutes water and land with mercury and cyanide, and endangers the health of people and ecosystems. The production of a single wedding ring generates 20 tons of mine waste.

Gold mining can also displace communities, supplant traditional livelihoods, and endanger nature preserves.

The No Dirty Gold Campaign provides students with a unique opportunity to become part of the global movement for responsible gold mining.


A gift of gold often symbolizes love, commitment, romance, and friendship. Yet, gold mining is one of the most destructive activities in the world, and has been linked to grievous environmental, social justice, and human rights violations. The severity of the environmental and social problems associated with gold production has generated an interest in finding alternatives to gold produced using harmful practices. This interest comes not only from environmental, human rights and social justice groups, but also from jewelry retail firms, electronics producers, and individual consumers.

Over 10,000 individuals from countries around the world have already signed the No Dirty Gold pledge asking retailers to work to ensure that the gold in their products was not produced at the expense of local communities, workers, and the environment. These conscious consumers don't want their glittering purchases to be tarnished by gold mining that pollutes water, destroys communities, fuels conflicts, or threatens wildlife and natural areas. They are calling on jewelry and electronics retailers such as you to insist that the gold you are buying and selling is responsibly produced.

You can learn more about the destructive impacts of gold mining by reading the report Dirty Metals: Mining, Communities, and the Environment and reading profiles of communities around the world affected by gold mining operations.

No Dirty Gold is an international campaign working to ensure that gold mining operations respect human rights and the environment. Because the vast majority of the gold that is mined is used to make jewelry, we are seeking the help of jewelry retailers to clean up dirty gold mining and preserve gold's reputation.

We believe that jewelry retailers have a powerful role to play in helping to clean up the way gold is mined. Most retailers may not realize it but there is a powerful and direct link between the gold mining industry and the jewelry business. Because the gold mining industry is dependant on jewelry sales, retailers are in a unique position to drive change in the mining industry.

Combating dirty gold is not just a public relations exercise. It is the ethical thing to do, and also a sound business decision--one that your customers will thank you for.

You can find a more comprehensive list of articles about the No Dirty Gold campaign and our latest press releases in the Media section of the No Dirty Gold site.

To contact the No Dirty Gold campaign:

No Dirty Gold
1612 K Street, NW, Suite 808
Washington DC 20006
USA

Telephone: (+1) 202-887-1872 ext 210
Fax: (+1) 202-887-1875
Email: retailers@nodirtygold.org.

Sharing and Caring Hands was established to be a bridge from the caring concerned community to the people in need of their help. They receive no government or United Way funding and rely solely on donations to do our work. Every year, the donations of goods, services, time, and money by thousands of people allow Sharing and Caring Hands to make a difference in the lives of individuals, families, and children in need.

Sharing and Caring Hands is a certified 501(c)(3) charitable organization – All donations are tax deductible.

They are dedicated to the proposition that the community can make a difference in the lives of others through volunteerism, donation and commitment, and that this can be accomplished without creating an expensive bureaucracy that saps the resources necessary to carry out it's vision and achieve it's goals.

Sharing and Caring Hands is a compassionate response to the needs of the poor. They are set up to be a safety net organization to help with whatever needs are not being met. This includes but is not limited to providing meals, clothing, showers, shelter, transportation help, rent deposits, rent help, medical assistance, dental care, furniture, school expenses, funeral assistance, and other miscellaneous needs.


Sharing and Caring Hands provides these with dignity, while affirming God's love for all his people regardless of their circumstances. They reaffirm the self-worth of each individual and want to assist in that person reaching his or her greatest potential.
Sharing and Caring Hands is an extension of the community to the desperate needs of the poor and exists as a vehicle for volunteers to commit their time and resources towards making a difference in the lives of others.

Sharing and Caring Hands stands as an emotional anchor and a beacon of hope to those who are alone, afraid, or in need.

Each month they serve over 20,000 meals. These meals are prepared completely by our volunteer partners. Often times they also furnish all ingredients. Most of these volunteers are offering their time and servicewith an ongoing regular monthly commitment. putting their values into a real demonstration of love and service.

Their Food Shelf supplies food to hundreds of needy poor each month. They also give out clothing, house-hold goods, housewares, towels, cleaning supplies, and much more in an ongoing commitment to the poor of our community. Each month over $400,000 is spent on the needs of the poor.

They offer walk-in showers for the homeless and each day over fifty showers are provided. They have a completely free dental clinic with two fully furnished operatories and a dental lab. Dentists volunteers their time. They also have Medical examination rooms staffed by healthcare professionals.

Contact Sharing & Caring Hands:

525 North 7th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55405
612-338-4640


Email:info@sharingandcaringhands.org

ref: www.sharingandcaringhands.org

Make Trade Fair is a campaign organized by Oxfam International to promote trade justice and fair trade among governments, institutions, and multinational corporations.

The campaign has focused on the elimination of several trade practices:

Dumping, which occurs when highly subsized, surplus commodities from rich countries such as rice, cotton, corn, and sugar are sold at artificially low prices and farmers from poor countries cannot compete. This causes an uneven playing field where farmers in developing countries are unable to compete in the market with cheaper foreign produce and crops.

Tariffs, where developed nations enforce high taxes on imported goods, restricting the sales of products from developing nations.

Unbalanced labour rights for women, who often earn lower wages than their male counterparts.

Stringent patent issues, that drive up the price of medication, drugs, and textbooks. Thus, such essential goods are often inaccessible to developing nations.

Michael Stipe of REM is "dumped" with milk to highlight dumping practices as part of the Big Noise petition.

Launched in April 2002, the Big Noise is a worldwide petition that calls for governments to help end unfair trade practices. By the end of 2005, some 17.8 million signatures have been received. Desmond Tutu was the honorary 1 millionth signee to the petition in 2003. Other celebrities who have lent their names to the petition include the Dalai Lama, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and musicians Bono and Chris Martin.

The petition was also coupled with a popular photo campaign, where celebrities were "dumped" with various crops and foodstuffs to highlight the unfair practice of dumping. Colin Firth, Thom Yorke, Jamelia, and Haile Gebrselassie were a few of the celebrities to take part in this venture.

In 2002 and 2004, special benefit concerts were held in London to promote the Make Trade Fair campaign. Proceeds from the shows went to aid Oxfam's promotional campaigns. Performers from the 2002 "Fairplay" gig include Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland from Coldplay, Noel Gallagher, and Ms. Dynamite, while the 2004 event included Michael Stipe, Razorlight, and The Thrills.

The Fair Trade movement has been one of the most powerful responses to the problems facing commodity producers. It gives consumers an opportunity to use their purchasing power to tilt the balance, however slightly, in favour of the poor. But Fair Trade alone can't address the crisis faced by the millions of small-scale farmers and producers whose livelihoods are threatened by low commodity prices and unfair competion from rich countries.

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_Trade_Fair
www.maketradefair.org

For information about what Oxfam America is doing on trade:

visit: www.oxfamamerica.org,
email: maketradefair@oxfamamerica.org,
or call 1.800.77.OXFAM
 
For media inquiries,
please contact Oxfam America Press Officer,
Laura Rusu. 
Office # +1 202 492 3620 
Mobile
# +1 202 459 3739 
lrusu@oxfamamerica.org

The Kimberly Process

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is a process designed to certify the origin of diamonds from sources which are free of conflict. The process was established in 2003 to prevent rebel groups and their rivals from financing their war aims from diamond sales. The certification scheme aims at preventing these "blood diamonds" from entering the mainstream rough diamond market. It was set up to try to assure consumers that by purchasing diamonds they were not financing war and human rights abuses.

The `Blood Diamond' issue: Industry leaders work to solve ethical problems in diamond trade.
From Donald Haack, founder, and Julie Haack Kral, president, Donald Haack Diamonds and Fine Gems:
The Charlotte Observer

“With the recent DVD release of the movie ‘Blood Diamond,’ the topic of conflict diamonds has been introduced to a wide audience. The United Nations has defined conflict diamonds as diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments or in contravention of the decision of the Security Council.”

The idea of this movie was not to simply sell tickets for a production company to reap all the benefits, like many moves today it was raising awareness on one of the most heartbreaking tragedies that our world is facing today, the diamond conflict, and its role in the use of child soldier rebel movements. The Kimberly Process is the result of the UN regulating the type of diamonds accepted for trade. Conflict diamonds are not acceptable at this date any longer for the world diamond trade, and therefore are trying to disarm rebel group from being able to sell them to obtain more weapons.

The movie depicts many different figures, which play a role in the horrific, and very profitable process. Overall the movie gives much insight, and open up the eyes of the international media. Look for movies such as this to spawn social movements and cause radical action for aiding the heart of a new generation.



The KPCS originated from a meeting of Southern African diamond producing states in Kimberley, South Africa in May 2000. In order for a country to be a participant, it must ensure

1. That any diamond originating from the country does not finance a rebel group or other entity seeking to overthrow a UN-recognized government.

2. That every diamond export be accompanied by a Kimberley Process certificate proving

3. That no diamond is imported from, or exported to, a non-member of the scheme.

This three-step plan is a simple description of the steps taken to ensure a "chain" of countries that deal exclusively with non-conflict diamonds.


The Nations Involved:
Angola, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Central African Republic, People's Republic of China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, The 27 member states of the European Union, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia (recently added: April 26, 2007), Malaysia, Mauritius, Namibia, Norway, New Zealand, Russian Federation, Singapore, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe

For More Information:

Phone: +32 229 66133/91176/93216

Fax: +32 2299 0873

E-mail: relex-kp-secretariat@ec.europa.eu

http://www.kimberleyprocess.com/site/index.html

Just Neighbors was founded in 1996 by several pastors and attorneys of the United Methodist Church to develop a practical response to the legal challenges that low-income immigrants face in the United States. The organization set out to provide accurate and reliable information and services to the immigrant community. The founders of Just Neighbors recognized the need to assist immigrants of all faiths and nationalities and treat immigrants with compassion and hospitality.

In 1996, Just Neighbors opened the doors of its offices in Falls Church, Virginia. Two years later, a second office in Herndon, Virginia, was established to provide immigration legal services to the growing immigrant population in western Fairfax, London and Prince William Counties. In 2000, the organization moved its main office to its present location in Arlington, Virginia. Just Neighbors provides services to clients in English and Spanish.

Since its inception, Just Neighbors has partnered with other nonprofit organizations, community volunteers, local faith-based groups and pro bono lawyers that provide services to immigrants. Through its direct and collaborative efforts, Just Neighbors has helped empower clients and educate the community about current immigration laws and policies.

The mission of Just Neighbors is to provide immigration legal and refugees of all faiths and nationalities through our offices in Northern Virginia. Our team of attorneys, staff and committed volunteers offers hope and help as immigrants seek to navigate the current immigration system and access benefits that will enable them to become more contributing members of society. Through our community outreach efforts and volunteer program, Just Neighbors fosters mutual understanding between immigrants and the larger community in which they live.

To Get Involved:
Arlington Office
716 South Glebe Road,

Arlington, Virginia 22204

703-979-1240
www.justneighbors.org

Ref: www.justneighbors.org

Invisible Children is a documentary recorded in 2003 based on the experiences of three college students (Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole) in Northern Uganda. The filmers are from San Diego, California in the United States. They went to Uganda to see what they could film, and they found thousands of people affected by the insurgency of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The resulting story focuses on the war's effects on children--particularly child soldiers.

They found that thousands of children flee their homes nightly in order to escape being abducted. Children in Uganda are regularly abducted by the LRA to be trained as child soldiers. The children who run from their homes walk miles to find shelter in hospitals or bus parks - virtually anywhere far away from rebel camps.

The filmmakers have also started a related nonprofit organization, called Invisible Children Inc., designed to help curb the problem. This is accomplished primarily by sending volunteers to Acholiland, the affected region in Northern Uganda, to aid former child-soldiers in re-integration into normal civic life through education and extensive psychological evaluation and treatment. It has been established in the United States and is currently involved with distributing copies of the Invisible Children DVD to as many people as possible.



Displace Me was an event staged by Invisible Children Inc. on April 28, 2007 to raise awareness of the terrible plight of children in Northern Uganda. It is the follow-up to the Global Night Commute, another event put on by Invisible Children on April 29, 2006.

Displace Me was a demonstration that was meant to bring attention to the war in Uganda and to get legislators to notice and take action. The emphasis of the demonstration was to travel a long distance to a host city, and spend the night in a mock displacement camp. This was done to replicate the long trip to, and the miserable conditions of, the displacment camps in Northern Uganda. Among the fifteen cities participating, over 67,000 were in attendance.

Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy has been voicing his support for Displace Me, and has said he is attending the Los Angeles Displace Me. He even made a video for Invisible Children that can be seen on YouTube.

Invisible Children Inc. is also responsible for raising significant sums of money which go toward a number of programs they have developed in Acholiland. These programs largely focus on education and the rehabilitation of former child soldiers into functioning members of society.

Ref: www.invisiblechildren.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_Children_Inc.
www.myspace.com/invisiblechildren

Film sparks student activism: Youths shed their apathy and publicize the plight of child soldiers in Uganda.
BY BAO ONG
Pioneer Press

Invisible Children is just one of those movements that takes off and when it does, things start to change. It began as a movie filmed in Uganda by three young men from Southern California, and what they filmed they put into a 56 minute film called the Invisible Children. It sparked much attention in the college world where it was meant to stir up feelings of regret, and anger to fight such injustice.

Following the success of the movie, there were many people who came to realize the death and destruction that occurs outside of the US (most of them were active college students). Since then there have been demonstrations of students going into there own displacement camps in order to raise awareness, and try and give the government enough pressure to act. Overall this movement marks the culmination of the voice of the youth trying to get something accomplished. It is a throwback to a previous generation which preached peace and love, and who wouldn’t sit back and let injustice be done.

An Inconvenient Truth...

An Inconvenient Truth is a controversial Academy Award-winning documentary film about climate change, specifically global warming, directed by Davis Guggenheim and presented by former United States Vice President Al Gore. A companion book authored by Gore has been on the paperback nonfiction New York Times bestseller list since June 11, 2006, reaching #1 July 2, 2006.

The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and opened in New York and Los Angeles on May 24, 2006. It is the third-highest-grossing documentary in the United States to date. The film's distributor, Paramount Classics, is donating 5% of the box office receipts and Gore is donating all of his proceeds from the film to The Alliance for Climate Protection. The film was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment on November 21, 2006. The title refers to a passage from Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville.

The Film States that:

Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb. If the vast majority of the world's scientists are right, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tail-spin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH offers a passionate and inspirational look at one man's fervent crusade to halt global warming's deadly progress by exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it. That man is former Vice President Al Gore.

In this eye-opening portrait of Gore and his "traveling global warming show," Gore also proves himself to be one of the most misunderstood characters in modern American public life. Here he is seen as never before in the media - funny, engaging, open and downright on fire about getting the surprisingly stirring truth about what he calls our "planetary emergency" out to ordinary citizens before it's too late.

With wit, smarts and hope, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH ultimately brings home Gore's persuasive argument that we can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue - rather, it is the biggest moral challenges facing our global civilization.

Check it out online:

www.aninconvenienttruth.com

Habitat for Humanity is an international, Christian, non-governmental, non-profit organization devoted to building "simple, decent, and affordable" housing. Homes are built using volunteer labor and are sold at no profit, with no interest charged on the mortgage. The organization was founded in 1976 in Americus, Georgia by Millard and Linda Fuller, whose vision grew out of their experiences at Koinonia Farm. The international headquarters located in Americus serves to support and promote the activities of local, independent affiliate chapters, which initiate and manage all construction, mortages, and homeowner selection. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_for_Humanity)


According to the official website,

"Homeowner families are chosen according to their need; their ability to repay the no-profit, no-interest mortgage; and their willingness to work in partnership with Habitat. Habitat for Humanity does not discriminate according to race, religion or ethnic group."

Independent, local affiliates of Habitat for Humanity International are allowed to interpret these guidelines as is deemed most appropriate for the location of the affiliate. Homeowners are usually expected to put approximately 500 hours of "sweat equity" into their own or other project homes, although this amount may vary by location and by the number of wage-earning adults in each family (as well as health issues).


Mortgage payments from homeowners are deposited into a locally-administered "Fund for Humanity," the proceeds of which go toward future construction. Families partnering with Habitat who receive a home are required to allow the affiliate the right of first refusal, that should they decide to sell their home during the period of their mortgage, the affiliate may buy it for no more than the original cost of construction, regardless of any improvements made since.

Habitat relies on volunteer labor in order to construct simple and affordable homes for its partner families, as well as to build community and civil society in the areas in which it works. Most volunteers are unskilled prior to first working with Habitat. Many churches help by sponsor homes and provide a large amount of the volunteers from their congregations.

If you are interested in getting involved, please check out www.habitat.org

In 1994, GuideStar began as a new venture with a bold vision: to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice with information. (www.guidestar.org)

In their journey to create a more transparent and accountable nonprofit community, they are reshaping the idea of the non-profit from top to bottom. Nonprofits embrace this practice of transparency and accountability when they share information about their mission, programs, and finances with the public. Accurate information is a powerful tool, and their users have responded with better-informed, more effective giving decisions.

When they first began, they envisioned GuideStar as a resource that would connect people and organizations with valuable information to improve the world around them. Today, GuideStar is the leader in providing comprehensive data on more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations, connecting them with donors, foundations, businesses, and governing agencies in a nationwide community of giving.

Each day, about 20,000 people find answers using GuideStar. The information we provide contains searchable data from IRS Forms 990 and the IRS Business Master File, including comprehensive facts on employee compensation and grant activity. With our new eDocs service, nonprofits can add their annual reports, audited financial statements, letters of determination, and other documents to our growing store of information. This is making GuideStar a more powerful tool than ever.

There are a number of new organisations that aim to increase the transparency and knowledge about charities. Charity Navigator is an example of another US organisation that rates charities. Development Ratings is a UK based service that uses GuideStar UK and other sources to analyse charities and pick ones to recommend to donors.

Ref: http://www.guidestar.org/help/faq.jsp#operations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guidestar

Feed My Starving Children

Feed My Starving Children was founded as a Christian nonprofit in 1987 through the efforts of a Minnesota businessman who felt called by God to help feed the starving children of the world during a humanitarian visit to Honduras. He returned to the Twin Cities to develop a method of large-scale relief.

His efforts, energy and resources resulted in the development of a food mixture that would be easy and safe to transport, simple to make with only boiling water, and culturally acceptable worldwide. This basic formula of rice, high protein soy nuggets, vegetables, vitamins and flavoring is still used by FMSC today.

In addition to this formula, FMSC needed to develop a cost-effective means of producing the completed meals in quantities that would make a real difference in alleviating world hunger. Initially, FMSC tested the possibility of using packaging machines, but this solution proved to be expensive and cumbersome. In 1993, a church group stopped by the FMSC facility to see if there might be an opportunity to volunteer with FMSC. That providential meeting gave birth to FMSC’s volunteer packing approach.

To distribute the packed meals, the FMSC team began establishing partnerships with major global distribution nonprofits such as Operation Blessing, Salesian Missions and UMCOR. These partnerships allow FMSC to reach desperately needy children in remote parts of the world by leveraging the in-country expertise of these organizations. Through these vital partnerships, orphanages and facilities for handicapped children can provide hot, nutritious meals—and a ray of hope for the future.

Since its inception, FMSC’s model of culturally acceptable, nutritious food, combined with volunteer production and distribution through on-the-ground partners has grown exponentially. In 1994, 2,400 volunteers packed 400,000 meals from FMSC’s original Brooklyn Park location. In 2005, nearly 75,000 volunteers packed more than 15 million meals at sites in Brooklyn Park, Eagan and a third mobile packing site that travels to youth conventions and churches. In March 2006, a third permanent site opened in Chanhassen, Minnesota, with plans to open an additional five sites by 2008.

Feed My Starving Children offers hope to the hungry in body around the world, and the hungry in spirit right here at home. In 2005, more than 75,000 volunteers—the majority under the age of 18—manually assembled 15 million meals for hungry children, helping to heal the world of the hurt of hunger.

Please call 763-504-2919 to schedule time at the Brooklyn Park Facility.


references: www.fmsc.org