ATLANTA, Georgia- Last minute Christmas shopping has commenced: blast e-mails promoting steals and guaranteed Christmas Eve delivery have swelled from a steady stream to a full-fledged inundation. Donations to worthwhile organizations are a festive alternative to flash sale sweaters and elicit a feel-good effect from both gifter and recipient.
If improving global health strikes the fancy of any stragglers on your Christmas List, consider the top-tier charities below (all of which received the highest rankings for accountability and transparency from Charity Navigator):
1. charity:water
This New York based international organization aims to bring clean, safe drinking water to every community in the world through a variety of innovative, long-lasting solutions.
To date, charity:water has funded over 8,200 “water projects” (including building wells, rainwater catchments and latrines with the cooperation of local authorities) and has supplied clean water to more than 3.2 million people.
The organization provides photos of completed projects and uses Google Maps to show its private donors exactly how their funds have made an impact.
Learn more about charity:water.
2. Helen Keller International
HKI honors its namesake and co-founder by fighting preventable blindness and malnutrition in Asia, Africa and the United States. The organization, founded in 1915, is one of the oldest in its cause space and empowers local communities, governments and organizations to establish nutrition programs that incorporate vitamin A, iron and fresh foods into the diets of children and adults to prevent blindness and other nutrition-related eye diseases.
Learn more about Helen Keller International.
3. AMREF
AMREF was founded in 1956 by three doctors shocked by the widespread poverty, disease and poor health conditions in the East African region where they served as reconstructive surgeons. The organization was initially dedicated to providing mobile health services to East Africa and has since grown to become the largest health development organization in the region.
Focus areas include reproductive health, sanitation, training health workers and fighting communicable disease.
Bill Gates applauds AMREF, proclaiming that its work “should give us all hope that the most complex health challenges can be overcome.”
Learn more about AMREF.
4. PATH
Seattle-based PATH attacks global health issues with innovation and technology, aiming to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of current mechanisms for delivering health care worldwide. An entrepreneurial spirit informs every aspect of its work: PATH’s unique projects include developing cheap diagnostic testing and screening, establishing protocols for vaccine delivery and encouraging collaboration between health providers and patients.
Learn more about PATH.
5. Friends Without a Border
Established in 1995, the Cambodian-based organization built Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Currently, FWAB operates the hospital, providing completely free health services to children who are malnourished, generally ill, and otherwise would not receive treatment.
The hospital has served over one million children since its establishment and conducts critical outreach programs to local communities in need of information regarding sanitation, health and nutrition. The organization’s continued successes have afforded the opportunity to construct a second facility in Luang Prabang, Laos (a campaign that launched this month).
Learn more about Friends Without a Border.
A donation of any magnitude would provide these organizations with continued funding to support life-changing, sustainable solutions to malnutrition, disease and resource constraints. Explore these options (or any others in the cause space) and click away for lasting impact.
– Casey Ernstes
Sources: AMREF, Charity Navigator, Charity Navigator Rating, Charity:water, Friends Without a Border, Helen Keller International, PATH
Photo: Institute of Global Health Innovation