Partners in Health

It was a year ago today that Haiti was devastated by an earthquake. A year on, it feels like the world has failed this poor country that desperately needs help. I looked around for a worthy organization to support Haiti today, and I settled on Partners in Health. Amongst the friends I have in the non-profit community, it is the most talked about organization. Very grassroots, focused on providing access to health care to those in need. They develop community partnerships, help to address economic needs, and provide health care education. They are the largest non-governmental health care provider in Haiti today, serving over 1.2 million individuals around the world.

It seems only appropriate to support this organization today of all days:

www.pih.org

A Glimmer of Hope

I think this came to me by way of an article my friend Steve (who personally supports an organization called World Bicycle Relief). It was all about the folks who are the biggest philanthropists. I think it was in Barrons. Philip Berber is some mega millionaire from Ireland who sold his company for $488 million in 2000. He and his wife then started this non-profit. Something like 98% of donations go directly to the communities they support in Ethiopia. They use an interesting technique, similar to Tostan, where they work community by community to improve lives vs. individual by individual. The operational costs are covered by the Berbers, which is great because it means that my entire donation goes to helping the poor in Ethiopia.

Everyone should support this organization. Get out there and give: www.aglimmerofhope.org

Somaly Mam Foundation

Today's donation went to a group called Somaly Mam Foundation. I found them by way of the book Half the Sky, and I decided to donate to them because they are going after a pretty big problem: human trafficking. I had no idea how big of an issue it is in the US. There are no specific figures, since it is so hard to keep tabs on, but in rough numbers: 15,000 women are trafficked in the US every year. There are 1-2 MILLION children sold into prostitution every year. Those are some hefty numbers.

The founder is a pretty amazing woman: Cambodian, born to a poor family, sold into slavery as a a young girl. She was raped, tortured, and forced to watch her captors murder her best friend. It was a family member that sold her into slavery, which is crazy. She then escaped and eventually came to the US. She now fights the practice here in the US as well as in Cambodia.

Anyway, read about her and the charity here: www.somaly.org

Tostan

There is going to be a revision in my giving strategy . . . trying to give every day is going to be a challenge on a number of fronts. That said, I still intend to give the same amount, but I will do it in a more consolidated fashion. Not sure what that means, I am going to work it out as I go . . . I am sure it will be a great adventure for this upcoming year.

Tostan - that is the charity I am using to kick off this year. I have been reading a book Half the Sky, and there is a piece in the book that talks about Tostan. They are making huge inroads in West Africa around women's health and women's issues. Specifically, they have made a significant impact in reducing FGM (female genital mutilation) in the region. They have been recognized by the UN for their contribution, and the program is being rolled out in East Africa. It is local - there are only 3 Western staff members, everyone else is African (I am a big believer in Africa for Africans). The model is very interesting, a worthy cause.

Here is a link to the organization: http://www.tostan.org/. Please check them out!

Thoughts For The New Year

I read an article recently, I cannot remember in which magazine . . . maybe it was Whole Living, The Economist, anyway, irrelevant. The article was all about this woman who gave away 30% of her salary every year. And she made a lot less than I do. She's not Bill Gates, she's not Warren Buffet, she's a normal person, just like me, trying to make a difference in the world.

I talk the talk - I work for the part of Accenture that deals with providing consulting services to non-profits, I work with a Foundation to help raise money for the school that I taught at in Zambia, and I am sure I give away some money. But how much do I give? Not sure. Do I give until it hurts? Certainly not. I still have enough to go on crazy trips, to eat out, to go to Napa for a weekend, buy shoes for myself, the list could go on and on.

So this is my goal: give AT LEAST 10% of my salary to charity. I am going to give to a new charity every day of the year . . . 365 days of giving. I am going to go local, go global, and anywhere and everywhere in between. If you have a favorite charity, please let me know, and I'll look into it. I'll write up every day where I decide to give, and maybe it will inspire you to join me.

Here we go!