Syrian Crisis

Syria’s civil war and resulting refugee crisis are poised to become the most humanitarian disaster of our time. In just two years over one third of Syria’s population has been replaced from their homes due to violent conflict.  Approximately 5 million people remain inside of Syria and 2 million have already fled to neighboring countries. 1 million of those who have escaped are children whom are dependent on humanitarian aid.

As it intensifies, the situation can sometimes feel too overwhelming to understand. You can help Syrian refugees by donating to one of the several non-profit organizations.

Mercy Corps– This organization helps alleviates suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Specialize in emergency response

Oxfam America-  This global organization creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and social injustice.

ShelterBox USA– Provides and delivers essentials a family needs to survive in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

Check out these three awesome charities! You can make a difference in Syria!

Habits to Help the Planet

Here are some easy ideas to get involved and help the planet that do not require a lot of time and expense.

Go fluorescent; change your bulbs from the regular lightbulb to fluorescent. The pollution reduction would equate to removing about one million cars on the road if every household in the U.S replaced one regular lightbulb.

Turn your computer off; better for your computer and for your electric bill. You’ll save approximately 4 cents a day or $14/year.

Skip rinsing dishes; you’ll save time and energy used to heat the additional water.

No need to pre-heat the oven; unless its bread or pastries of some sort. Otherwise, throw it in and turn it on.

Recycle Glass; obviously of course. Did you know you will actually reduce related air pollution and water pollution?

Diaper with a conscience; 3.5 million tons of waste in U.S. landfills each year are due to diaper waste. Be conscious when your selecting your type of diaper.

Hang dry your clothes; your wardrobe will last longer! Buy a clothes rack or dry them by air.

Go vegetarian; even if its just one day a week!

Wash in Cold or Warm; stop the hot-hot cycle and change it up to warm-cold.

One Napkin a day keeps the landfills away; or lesser I should say.  If everyone used one less napkin a day, we could  save a billion pounds of napkins a year from landfills!

Use both sides of toilet paper! No explanation necessary.

Recycle Newspaper; about 69% of newspapers are just thrown away.

Wrap creatively; reuse your old gift bags, bows and paper and get creative!!

Think twice before bottling! Try to avoid buying bottled water, there are several alternatives.

Use rechargeable batteries; invest in a charger with a few sets of rechargeable batteries

Stop paper bank statements; pay your bills online!

Use cotton swabs with paperboard spindles. If 10% of US households switched to using paperboards, the petroleum energy saved each year would be over 150,000 gallons of gasoline.

Fly with a e-ticket; did you know the cost of processing a paper ticket is about $10, while processing an e-ticket costs only $1? Save the airline industry $3 billion a year.

Skip the coffee stirrer? Come up with a more eco-friendly alternative such as a piece of pasta.

Choose matches over lighters; they are much more easily recycled.

Give it away; donate your goods before throwing them away! Several organizations such as freecycle.org offer ways to connect people and things!

Go to a car wash; if everyone would just take their car to a car wash we could save nearly 8.7 billion galloons of water a year.

Cut down on the junk mail; the average american receives 40lbs of junk mail a year, destroying 100 million trees.

Telecommute; work from home! Save money and gasoline! This is with your employers approval of course.

Maintain your vehicle; extend the life of your automobile as well as the earth by keeping your car maintained.

Buy local; consider the amount of pollution created to get your food from the farm to your table. Whenever possible, buy local!

Use cruise control; get up to 15% better mileage.

Adjust your thermostat; adjusting it one degree higher in the summer and one degree cooler in the winter can save about 10% of energy use.

Get your own coffee cup; cut down on waste and find your very own special cup!

Ban bath time; have a no-bath week instead! Baths require twice as much water.

Try a few of these new habits, you might be surprised with the little changes you will see and make!

 

Most unique and wallet-friendly non-profit organizations

With 100% of all public donations directly funding water projects, Charity Water has been a successful non-profit organization since 2009 bringing clean, safe drinking water to those in developing countries. Charity Water has funded over 8,000 projects in 20 different countries providing water to approximately 3,300,000 people. What is great about this non-profit is they allow you to donate and/or fundraise. Also, each dollar you donate or fundraise they track and provide you with the type of water used, who receives the water, and at the end you get a report of your project you helped fund to share with all your friends!

Founded in 2005, Kiva is another non-profit organization which connects people through lending to alleviate poverty. Kiva is very neat and different in the sense that you are providing a loan to help a particular borrower of your choice.  Throughout the process you receive updates as the progress comes about and are reimbursed overtime for the loan onto what is called your “Kiva Credit.”  Kiva uses the internet and micro finance institutions which allows individuals to lend as little as $25. Kiva is in more then 69 different countries, and has received over $446M in loans. Definitely worth checking out if you have that sense of giving and entrepreneurial interest!

Doctors without Borders, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), provides medical aid to those in need throughout 70 countries. In most circumstances, those that are assisted are directly threatened by violence due to several various factors including malnutrition, natural disasters, exclusion from health care, armed conflict and epidemics.  Approximately 86 cents of every dollar supports their programs. MSF has carried out more than 7.5 million outpatient consultations with the help of 22,000 professionals including doctors, water and sanitation experts, nurses and logisticians. If you have a liking toward the field of medicine and health you have to check this non-profit out!

Helpful tips to make your contribution go far

Ever come across that gut-wrenching commercial, photo or ad and want to help immediately? WAIT!

Here are some important tips to consider before you make your special contribution.

• Do not send supplies
• Be cautious of email solicitations
• Seek out the Charity’s authorized website
• Think before you text
• Consider the nature of the Charity’s work

According to Donate Life, 90% of Americans say they support donation, but only 30% know the essential steps to take to be a donor. Make sure you take the proper steps to ensure your donation is accepted and used by the organization you desire.

Two Organizations helping to Save and Protect Animals!

See what these 2 organizations are doing to help save and protect animals abroad!

IAR- International Animal Rescue– provides aid of the suffering animals with hands-on rescue. IAR helps return animals to their natural habitat, and provides sanctuaries for animals that can no longer survive in the wild. IAR also is a big partner with other organizations and government departments who work together to develop sound legislation to protect animals.

SPANA– Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad provides free veterinary care, emergency response to animals in foreign countries and helps the families that are dependent on these animals. SPANA also provides educational programs in schools to give children a better understanding of the welfare of animals and the protection of the the environment!

Love Africa?

Why not become involved with one of these 5 charities?

These charities include helping educate, feed and build all throughout Africa! Find one your interested in today! 

  1. Aid for Africa– Dedicated to helping children, families, and communities throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Aid for Africa programs focus on health, education, economic development, arts & culture, conservation, and wildlife protection in Africa

2. RIPPLE Africa  – helping young Malawians reach their potential through the development of local education.

3. Send A Cow-  helping African families and orphans grow enough food to eat, sell and develop small businesses that last. Help provide livestock, seeds, training and support.

4. Together4Africa –  a coalition of UK registered charities working with local grassroots organizations in Africa. Members have agreed to work together as ‘a partnership of equals’ for a common purpose.

5. Zane Zimbabwe – helping redevelop communities who are currently in crisis and assisting people in becoming self-sufficient.

Find a charity in Africa today! You can help! 

Ever wanted to build a house?

Well now you can build a house for someone in need! Habitat for Humanity Global Village volunteer teams travel to exciting destinations in the United States and around the world. Volunteers advocate for better living conditions and raise funds to help those in need.

So…Who can help?

Anyone who wants to make a difference! As long as you are healthy, and know how to use a hammer and nails, you are qualified!

By becoming a global village volunteer you will get the opportunity to work with members of the host community to build decent, affordable houses. In addition, you will be directly involved in the fundraising and be an advocate for improved housing and quality of life around the world. You will help recreate villages full of love, hope and community.

Habitat for Humanity offers several opportunities to travel and provide a helping hand in villages all throughout the world. See a schedule here for a list of the upcoming trips!

You can also become a part of this movement by sponsoring someone to be a part of ths global village volunteer program! Sponsor someone today! Give a little now and help someone fulfill their dream of building a home!

For more information click here. 

HelpUSA: Homeless in America

HelpUSA has been one of the leading providers of jobs, homes and services for America’s homeless. Services offered at HelpUSA include employment training and placement, life skills education, domestic violence counseling and childcare. HelpUSA provides the skills and services needed in order for the homeless to take control of their life and start a new beginning.

Take action today by donating or volunteering. Become a part of one of the several of the programs HelpUSA has to offer!

Programs include:

• Mentoring
• Street Soccer
• Domestic Violence
• Veterans
• Housing
• Families in Crisis
• HIV/AIDS services
• Job training and employment services
• Homeless Prevention Programs
• Client Case Management
• Youth Programs

Visit HelpUSA.org for more information.

Help Save Australia’s ecosystems!

Several areas in Australia have seen dramatic declines of species and natural resources. These areas continue to struggle and need your help to revive and protect Australia’s beautiful wildlife and environment!

Many organizations are dedicated to conserving and protecting Australia’s biodiversity. These organizations work with local communities and government to advocate change and effective conservation policy.  As population continues to rapidly grow, and resources become more scare; Australia’s natural ecosystems are destroyed.

Australia is home to the world’s largest reef system, the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef  is longer then the United States West Coast with 1,500 fish species, and 215 species of birds. It is home to 10% of world fish species and contributes to $5.8 billion annually to the Australian economy. Unfortunately, this popular destination is being destroyed by climate change and human activities. We need your help in saving The Great Barrier Reef and other of Australia’s biodiversity.

Help Australia protect, preserve and conserve Australian native ecosystems! You can Help!

Spread the Power of Knowledge in the Middle East!

Currently, 774 million people world-wide, age 15 and over are illiterate! Can you imagine not being able to read?

Within the Middle East along with the social unrest and government issues, children are struggling to receive a basic education. Education is an essential part of strategies to improve individuals’ well-being and social and economic development.

Afghanistan has the largest illiteracy rate of 72%, followed by Pakistan with 50% and Mauretania with 49%. Overall about half and more of the population within these large countries are unable to read!

By spreading the power of knowledge and providing children with the appropriate resources to receive a proper education, we can help steady population growth, fertility and infant and child mortality. We can help children grow by spreading the power of knowledge and help pave the way for these individuals to a successful future. Help today!