About Us: Our friends
The following are some of our favourite organisations dedicated to improving the lives of thousands of men women and children in developing countries. Please help them if you can.
Heifer International
Heifer International is an organisation working to end world hunger by giving food and income-producing livestock and agricultural goods to poor families. Seven million families in 125 countries have received a wide range of animals, from cows to camels, ducks to donkeys, alligators to alpacas even bees and trees. The animals are bought locally to maximise resistence to diseases and to support local economies. So consider sending your friends an email advising them that their Christmas gift is a cow that will help a Kenyan widow with three children restore her family’s health and income. Or tell your family, ‘Guess what? We just helped a Tanzanian farmer have a better life.’
Alola Foundation
Amid the recent unrest in Timor-Leste, still the most dangerous thing a woman can do is get pregnant. Up to 800 women per 100,000 do not survive childbirth, while 85 babies die in every 1000 live births. The Alola Maternity Packs Project aims to encourage women to give birth with a trained health worker and thus help reduce the high mortality rates for Timor-Leste's mothers and their babies. The pack includes clothing, sanitary items and nappies - as well as important information on breast-feeding and postnatal care.
Kiva
Kiva is the first organisation to take microcredit online and link lenders and borrowers. It operates on a people-to-people model, allowing individuals to make loans to borrowers seeking to establish small businesses in developing countries. People choose recipients on the website and make a minimum loan of $25, becoming a ‘sponsor’ of that business. Throughout the course of the loan, usually six to12 months, you receive email updates from the business you've sponsored. As your loan is repaid (there’s almost 100% repayment record) you can then choose, like most to reinvest.
The Fistula Foundation
In Ethiopia, only 1 in 10 women give birth with any trained professional, such as a midwife or a doctor. When complications arise, as they do in approximately 15% of all births, there is no one available to treat the woman, leading to disabling injuries like fistula, and even death. An obstetric fistula is a hole between a woman's birth passage and one or more of her internal organs. This hole develops over many days of obstructed labor, when the pressure of the baby's head against the mother's pelvis cuts off blood supply to delicate tissues in the region. This hole results in permanent incontinence of urine and/or feces. A majority of women who develop fistulas are abandoned by their husbands and ostracized by their communities because of their inability to have children and their foul smell. Dr Catherine Hamlin set up the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital for young women in Africa and wrote 'The Hospital by the River' a moving account of her dedicated work to bring an end to the problem and the shame associated with it.
Room to Read
After a life-changing trip to Nepal, Microsoft executive John Wood decided that he would start a non-profit organisation. In his memoir, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, John explains, "Did it really matter how many copies of Windows we sold in Taiwan this month when there were millions of children without access to books?" Room to Read was founded on the belief that world change starts with educated children and that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty. It raises over $12 million a year, has created over 3,800 schools and libraries, provided scholarships for over 2,300 girls, distributed 2.8 million books and published 250 local language children’s book titles. Their goal is to build 2020 libraries by the year 2020. One person can make a difference. Visit www.roomtoread.org to find out how you can too.
Christina Noble Children's Foundation
Christina Noble has helped 80,000 Vietnamese children and families to a better life. The Christina Noble Children's Foundation is an International Partnership of people dedicated to serving children in need of emergency and long-term medical care, nutritional rehabilitation, educational opportunities, vocational training, job placement and the protection of children at risk of economic and sexual exploitation. The Foundation seeks to maximize the potential of each child. This is accomplished within the context of the family and the community whenever possible and always with love and respect for the dignity of each child as an individual. Author of ‘The Bridge Across my Sorrows’ and ‘Mama Tina,’ Christina Noble is an inspiration to all seeking to make a positive difference in the world.
Inika
All Inika products are 100 percent pure and natural and free of chemicals. Inika are an Australian company and their cosmetics are made of Australia, literally from the very rocks that form our land. Inika are certified Vegan and also Cruelty Free.
Inika capture Mother Nature's richest and most flamboyant hues with makeup that is natural but sexy, with vibrant colours and versatile products. Because Inika cosmetics are made from such pure ingredients they don't irritate the skin and clog pores. Due to the dense pigments, you can hide skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, redness or scarring and your skin can still breathe. The foundations also have a built in natural sunscreen to protect the skin.
Ph: +61 (2) 4268 5342
info@inika.com.au
www.inika.com.au
Environmental Working Group
EWG's team of scientists, engineers, policy experts, lawyers and computer programmers pores over government data, legal documents, scientific studies and their own laboratory tests to expose threats to your health and the environment, and to find solutions. Their research brings to light unsettling facts that you have a right to know.
Two of our favourite ‘local’ organisations working to help elliviate the suffering of people in developing countries are Friends of Ebenezer and Shed the Light, both based here in Maleny.
Friends of Ebenezer
Friends of Ebenezer helps fund food, clothing, housing, education and medical care for over 200 orphans in Zambia, Africa. Contact Lenore Burton at ric1945len@yahoo.com.au to find out how just $10 a week can make a difference in the lives of these beautiful children.
Shed the Light
Shed the Light runs an orphanage and an ‘oldies home’ in Kathmandu, Nepal. You can read the amazing story of its founder Suzanne Kupiak at www.shedthelight.org. If you feel you can help with a contribution, contact Suzanne direct at suekupiak@hotmail.com