In the spirit of shopping and buying and days dubbed with monikers, non-profits have dubbed today “Giving Tuesday” and invite others to make donations on behalf of others as an alternative Christmas present. I thought I’d help out with this by giving you a list of some charities I love and to whom I would give away 90% of my income if I could.
Heifer International: This is an organization that gives farm animals, trees, bees, and resources to people in impoverished places and teaches them how to make a living from them. When the animal reproduces (or the tree produces fruit), the offspring is given to another person in order to “pass on the blessing”. They enable people to be self-sufficient, pay school fees, and pay for medication.
Kiva.Org: This organization uses the principle of microlending and allows you to make loans in increments of $25 to people in 3rd world countries (and I think, parts of the US) in order to fund their businesses. When the loan is paid back, you have the option of taking the cash or re-loaning it. I’ve made 14 loans, 11 of which are paid in full. Only one person has defaulted and of the 14 loans, I’ve maybe invested $125 total which means most of it has been re-loaned a few times.
RAINN: This is an essential organization considering that 1 in 3 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. They provide resources, phone numbers, and information for victims and most of all, they help them to know that they aren’t alone.
Reece’s Rainbow: They facilitate international adoptions for kids with Down’s Syndrome and other medical conditions. Adoption is incredibly expensive and they provide grants to help families manage it. I’m involved with them as a Guardian Angel and it has been BY FAR one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. My child Brett currently has his adoptive family in his country going through the legalities there to adopt him.
Project Linus: They provide blankets to kids in traumatic situations like children’s shelters and hospitals. I’ve made blankets for them and I was blessed enough to receive several for Daniel during his hospital stays.