MARTINSBURG, WV— Throughout the world, there are many nonprofit organizations working to reduce and end the global poverty crisis.
The following are ten organizations that take a unique approach:
Nest
The mission of this nonprofit is to create positive social change through artisans. Nest partners with various artisans to build up business and competition in order to transform communities and alleviate poverty. When it comes to their goals, they focus on three main areas: viable, visible and valuable. By making businesses viable, women visible, and crafts valuable, Nest develops unique ways to fight poverty through crafts and the arts.
Heifer International
This organization focuses on strengthening local economies. Their website states, “Our approach involves enhancing the capacity of vulnerable small-scale farmers, especially women, to secure their livelihoods. Multiplied by strong social capital and women’s empowerment, our work results in a sustainable solution to world hunger and poverty.”
Each project is individualized to fit the needs of the specific community, but all of them conform to a set of basic requirements. Some of these include a specific plan, accountability and monitoring indicators. In this way, they are able to train and build up communities.
GlobalGiving
In this nonprofit’s 13 years, it has become the first to connect other nonprofits, donors and companies in nearly every country of the world. Through donations from common people to specific projects, nonprofits around the globe are given funds to make connections and help communities thrive in new ways. GlobalGiving is the middleman that pulls people together in new and unique ways to help solve the global poverty crisis.
Mercy Corps
Around since 1979, Mercy Corps has been responding to areas around the world struck by natural disasters, economic collapses and conflict eruptions. What makes this nonprofit unique, though, is that they stay for long-term recovery. When most other organizations have left, Mercy Corps sticks around to help rebuild poverty stricken areas in more than 40 countries.
Ashoka
The nonprofit innovators of Ashoka have been working since 1980. It is the largest social entrepreneur network, consisting of 3,000 fellows. They work in 70 countries to create new ideas that fight poverty. Ashoka launched the field of social entrepreneurship.
By providing social entrepreneurs with needed resources, they are able to help when ideas are in the most need of support. Ashoka allows for innovative ideas to make it off the ground and come to life.
Kiva
This unique nonprofit organization works through microloans to the world’s poor in order to help individuals start their own businesses and gain necessary skills or equipment.
Through the internet, people around the world can lend a small loan of at least $25 to a project of their choice. These projects are selected through a network of volunteers and field partners around the world that work with the people. With a 98.49% repayment rate, Kiva is a truly original organization.
Human Rights Watch
This organization is dedicated to finding conditions relating to human rights issues around the globe. With a staff including lawyers, journalists, academics and country experts, they are able to gather and distribute news of what is really taking place around the world.
Human Rights Watch publishes more than 100 reports and briefings on human rights conditions in some 90 countries each year. They meet with governments, the United Nations, regional groups, financial institutions, and corporations to press for changes in policy and practice that promote human rights and justice around the world.
CloudHead Art
Through collaboration with local NGO’s, Leigh Shulman and Noah Edelblum have dedicated their lives to improving the community. With a focus on projects relating to art, education and technology they work to help students gain marketable skills. Bringing in donated resources, they provide the opportunity for individuals in poverty to learn things like photography, video and computer skills.
Geotourism Development Foundation
This foundation has a different approach to bringing business to poverty stricken countries and communities. They seek to create traveler and tourism experiences and businesses to bring more opportunities for economic growth. By bringing in more traffic to normally unvisited areas, GDF focuses on bringing in better economic stability and opportunities.
Dress for Success
This organization works with the idea that those dressed for success feel more empowered and able to join the professional workforce. They work to promote “the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.” Since starting, this unique nonprofit has helped at least 850,000 women move towards independence.
Each organization that fights global poverty has their own way and solution to accomplish this goal. While not one single nonprofit is going to fix all of poverty on its own, with many unique ones working together, much can be accomplished.
Sources: Nest, Heifer International, GlobalGiving, Mercy Corps, Ashoka, Kiva, Human Rights Watch, Cloudhead Art, Geotourism Development Foundation, Dress for Success
Photo: Flickr