All eyes are on Haiti this week, and we are all looking for ways to help.
No introduction is really necessary here. If you’re reading this blog, then you have access to the Web, which means the news is probably at least as much a part of your life as it is mine.
When tragedy has struck in the past, helping was… difficult. We didn’t know where to go, who to talk to, how to find out what is going on. Now, the global marketplace has made it easy, and it amazes me how many accessible opportunities there are for us to help.
And I mean more than donating to the American Red Cross, although that is certainly a worthy cause. The global marketplace has allowed ideas to spread and new ways of serving and giving to be created. Here are a few that I’ve discovered recently – some just this week – that I think are especially remarkable.
- Hope International. This organization’s mission is to partner with the working poor through microlending and supporting entrepreneurial efforts in impoverished countries. Learn more about their philosophy by watching this YouTube video.
- Compassion International. Compassion’s mission is to care for the children of the world’s poor. They have incredible community partnerships and have played a strategic role in the alleviating the Global Food Crisis, as well as many other crises.
- Shelter Box. This is a really innovative idea that I just learned about. Shelter Box provides a box with a temporary shelter, food, water, and other life-support essentials.
Many retail outlets also give toward the needs of global poverty.
- Tom’s Shoes. For every purchase, Tom’s donates a pair of shoes to someone in poverty. For the next 48 hours, they will also donate $5 with each order.
- Causes.com. Causes is a Facebook application that allows people to donate to the causes that are important to them. Major retail chains like Apple, Best Buy, GAP, Netflix, and Expedia donate a portion of their proceeds to Causes.
- Whole Foods. Through their Whole Planet Foundation, Whole Foods helps lift the poor out of poverty through microlending.
Go here for a list of charities that are working in Haiti during this relief effort. If you haven’t gotten involved in helping bring hope to Haiti yet, I encourage you to consider doing so now. And if you have a favorite charity, please feel free to share a link and a description in the comments.
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