Indonesian street kid, Besakih Temple, Mount Agung, Bali.
I know… I know… Here she comes with the donation thing again. Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask this time… You’ve been amazingly generous and I graciously thank you once again. :)
But as you know, I am now venturing on a self-employed lifestyle and I have the opportunity to design my business and the world around me all from scratch!
So one of the things that I’ve been thinking about is that I really want my business to be sustainable and kind. For example, from the get go, I want to make sure that I use recycled paper, environment friendly services and fair trade products as much as possible. I want to create a system for replanting the equivalent number of trees for all the non-recycled paper I utilize in my prints and I also want to offset the carbon footprint from my travels. It is actually not that labor intensive, once you know who you’ll be working with to achieve your sustainability and donation goals. You can wrap it all up during the tax season!
Which leads me to the topic of today…
I also decided to contribute some of my time and a portion of my business profit, to non-profit groups that are doing work I admire.
Have you thought about doing this for your personal business? It is actually a lot of work to research and figure out what makes sense for each individual, since there are so many options out there. So I narrowed my research down to those organizations that share my deepest wish to care for all cultures & people around the world. I’m interested in donating funds to those who are supporting human rights, promoting health and peace, and empowering families and communities to lift themselves from poverty and hunger.
Here are the 10 best matches for me. I thought I’d share them with you, because #1, I sense that this a foggy territory for everyone. I can say that in the past I refrained to donate simply for the overwhelming number of options in all sorts of categories and needs. And #2, because perhaps you’ve also considered doing the same type of donation for your business, but don’t know how to start.
Kids with cameras: This organization span off the amazing documentary Born into Brothels. Their programs and workshops teach the art of photography to marginalized children in communities around the world. Their mission is to use photography to capture the imaginations of children, to empower them, building confidence, self-esteem and hope. In addition, they also share the children’s vision and voices through exhibitions, books, websites and film. They engage with local organizations to strengthen education and general well-being, providing financial support through sales of prints or by developing homes with a focus on leadership and the arts. I love their concept! It is now also my long shot dream to develop a similar program in my native country, Brazil. Which leads me to the next one…
CARF- Children at Risk Foundation: CARF was founded by a Norwegian and it benefits the street children of Brazil by defending their rights and offering them a dignified solution, so that they can live and grow within a family-oriented context and healthy social environment. I found this guy a while back through Flickr, from all places, and it turns out that the organization’s headquarters are in a neighborhood right next to where I grew up. You can check powerful photographs of Brazilian children in CARF’s flickr or blog. It is my wish to contribute to their programs of putting Brazilian street kids through school via donations and perhaps in person someday, photographing their activities to help promote their work.
Wrap Up Africa: Our blogger friend Letha Sandison moved to Uganda and started this nonprofit to care for cancer patients in Africa. “Wrap Up Africa (WUA) is a hybrid organization that mixes elements of non-profit and for-profit organizations based at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) in Kampala, Uganda. It was designed to provide Ugandans with skills training and sustainable employment while supporting a variety of clinical care and educational programs at the UCI.” Please check the great interview with her at Sparkletopia and also take a look at the sassy skirts at their Etsy shop. I wish to visit Letha in Uganda some day… Sigh…
Blink Now: I recently came across Maggie, an extraordinary girl, who after her senior year at high school, went traveling the world and eventually, ended up building an orphanage in Nepal! You can read more about her in her blog. Her mission is to create a self-sustainable living community for orphaned children, providing their most basic needs and also contributing to post-war recovery and peace in the nation of Nepal. I share her belief that “in the blink of an eye, we can all make a difference.”
Heifer: Heifer’s vision is to have a world of communities living together in peace and equitably sharing the resources of a healthy planet. Their mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth. Their approach is “to pass on the gift.” Teach people how to share their animal offsprings with others, along with their knowledge, resources and skills, to create an expanding network of hope, dignity and self-reliance, that reaches around the globe. Here are some of the projects we can fund at the moment.
KIVA: Kiva is one of my favorites concept wise. Their mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.They are the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world. Here are some of the business you can lend to at the moment.
The Hunger Project“: As the name implies, they are an strategic organization committed to end of world hunger by empowering people to lead lives of self-reliance, meet their own basic needs and build better futures for their children. The Hunger Project carries out its mission through three essential activities: mobilizing village clusters at the grassroots level to build self-reliance, empowering women as key change agents, and forging effective partnerships with local government. I also love the fact that you can travel with them, to learn more about how to be a more effective activist in your community.
TransFair USA: “enables sustainable development and community empowerment by cultivating a more equitable global trade model that benefits farmers, workers, consumers, industry and the earth. Their mission is achieved by certifying and promoting Fair Trade products”. How do you contribute? Simply by choosing Fair Trade Certified every time you shop. Here is a list of TransFair USA Licensed Partners.
Surfrider: Since I am married to a Californian surfer and I have lived by the beach most of my life, I could not leave this one out! The Surfrider Foundation is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education. If you love the beach and the ocean, want to care for the environment, but giving money is not your thing… Then you must check out their great volunteer’s program . I’ve participated in some of their “beach clean-up” events and it’s been a lot of fun!
Oxfam: And finally, not one last option, but 13 organizations working together under Oxfam International. Oxfam works in over 100 countries supporting people in poverty, striving to exercise human rights, assert dignity and help folks take control of their lives. You can get involved also by becoming a trailwalker or by purchasing unwrapped gifts such as a dozen chicks or a sheep.
***
I’m getting all set up, so probably the next time you purchase Gypsy Prints or hire me for Photography services, you will be already indirectly donating to some of these great institutions listed above!
***
And you? Do you donate a percentage of your profits? Do you have any other recommendations for us? Please share any other organizations we should all know about!