theglobaljournal.net: Latest activities of group #09

#71 - TED

2012-01-23T14:26:03Z

Check out if TED is in The Top 100 NGOs 2013 Edition!

Inspiring change through access to ideas.

More than 900 TEDTalks online.

Founded in 1984 as a one-off event in Monterrey, TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) has evolved into a global series of conferences administered by the nonprofit Sapling Foundation since 2001, and intended to disseminate ‘ideas worth spreading’. Twice yearly in Long Beach and Edinburgh, a selection of guest speakers drawn from science, technology, business, the arts, the non-profit sector, academia and government are invited to give ‘the talk of their lives’ in 18 minutes or less. Firmly committed to the premise that ideas can change the world, TED aspires to build a digital ‘clearinghouse’ that offers free knowledge and catalytic inspiration through video access to these diverse ‘TEDTalks’.

Seeking to leverage the collective resource represented by the growing TED community and encourage the cross-pollination of ideas, the organization has continued to unveil new related initiatives. The ‘TED Prize’ is awarded annually to an individual granted ‘One Wish to Change the World’, while the ‘TED Fellows’ program aims to assist ‘world-changing’ innovators from around the globe amplify the impact of their projects and activities via access to the TED network. More recently, the ‘TED Open Translation Project’ has been established to convey TEDTalks beyond the English-speaking world, offering subtitles, interactive transcripts and the ability for volunteers worldwide to contribute translations (with 21,000 completed to date).

(Photo © TED)

#64 - KickStart

2012-01-23T14:25:09Z

Check out if KickStart is in The Top 100 NGOs 2013 Edition!

Changing the way the world fights poverty.

186,000 MoneyMaker Pumps sold.

Eighty percent of the poor in Africa are small-scale farmers, dependent on unreliable rain to grow their crops in anticipation of two harvests per year. Realizing that irrigation was the most effective way to leverage this population’s two valuable assets – a smallplot of land and basic farming skills – in order to support a move from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture, the founders of KickStart set about a devising a model that would bring together the transformative power of technology, the entrepreneurial spirit of the impoverished, and the sustainability of the marketplace and private sector.

In 1998, KickStart developed a line of manually operated ‘MoneyMaker Pumps’ that allow farmers to easily pull water from a river, pond or shallow well, pressurize it through a hose pipe and irrigate up to two acres of land. By 2011, the organization estimates that the sale of approximately 185,000 low-cost pumps in Kenya, Tanzania and Mali has led to over 600,000 people lifting themselves out of poverty.

Operating as a non-profit but aiming to build a self-sustaining business model, KickStart works with factories, shippers, distributors and dealers to set up and strengthen local supply chains with the goal of leaving in place an active and sustainable market once marketing subsidies are withdrawn.

(Photo © Esther Haens)

#63 - Movember Foundation

2012-01-23T14:23:52Z

Check out if Movember Foundation is in The Top 100 NGOs 2013 Edition!

Changing ‘the face’ of men’s health.

Approaching 2 million participants globally.

Attention to men’s health issues has increasingly emerged as a societal ‘gap’ – as one prominent British doctor explains, ‘men are not good at seeking medical help or recognizing when they have a health problem’. It was recognition of the need to change established male habits and attitudes concerning health – as a means to improve early detection, diagnosis and treatment – that drove the Movember Foundation to initiate what has become one of the most innovative and effective awareness raising and fundraising campaigns in recent history.

The organization’s simple strategy is encapsulated in its pithy slogan ‘changing the face of men’s health’. Each November becomes ‘Movember’ – a month when ‘Mo Bros’ secure sponsorship for their moustache growing efforts, in the process becoming walking, talking billboards for the issue of men’s health.

While the appeal of Movember may seem trivial, the results have been anything but. Since its humble beginnings in Melbourne in 2003 with 30 participants, Movember has grown exponentially to become a truly global movement. As of 2011, close to 2 million people had participated, with formal campaigns in ten countries. In fundraising terms, this has amounted to more than $280 million directed towards prostrate cancer research, depression initiatives and health education.

(Photo © Movember Foundation)

#62 - Habitat for Humanity

2012-01-23T14:18:55Z

Check out if Habitat for Humanity is in The Top 100 NGOs 2013 Edition!

Building simple and affordable housing.

Over 500,000 homes constructed.

Habitat For Humanity came into fruition at the hands of Linda and Mullard Fuller. Fuelled by the principle of ‘partnership housing’, the couple began the Fund for Humanity in the late 1960s to build not-for-profit houses alongside families in need. After applying the concept for three years in Mbandaka, they founded Habitat For Humanity International in 1976.

The Habitat For Humanity model is cyclical. Homeowners – offered affordable loan terms – place down payments and pay monthly mortgages. In addition, they commit anywhere from 300-500 hours of labor towards the construction of their homes or another house delivered through the program. Mortgage payments flow back into the Habitat For Humanity framework, thereby supporting costs of future buildings. In lower income countries, the organization partners with microfinance institutions providing additional flexibility through programs such as ‘Save and Build’ – in which group savings are matched by Habitat For Humanity funds to build houses for members – and ‘Building in Stages’ – where houses are built gradually with small loans paid in increments.

Today, Habitat For Humanity International operates throughout every state in the United States and in 100 other countries around the globe. The nearly 40-year-old program can claim responsibility for overseeing the housing of more than two million people.

(Photo © HFH)

#61 - Reporters Sans Frontières

2012-01-23T14:18:19Z

Check out if Reporters Sans Frontières is in The Top 100 NGOs 2013 Edition!

Defending press freedom.

Over 140 correspondentsacross five continents.

Reporters Sans Frontières is the largest press freedom organization in the world. Firmly defending the public right to information and the freedom and safety of journalists, it has been raising awareness about attacks on the media for more than a quarter century. Through continuous press advisories – available in Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Farsi – Reporters Sans Frontières maintains a daily list of journalists killed or imprisoned around the world, including those subject to mistreatment and torture.

Beyond drawing public attention to restrictive censorship and the persecution of individuals, the organization financially supports media based programs to combat repressive states – such as blog platforms in China, and free and independent radio stations broadcasting from Paris to Eritrea and Seoul to North Korea – works to improve the safety of journalists reporting from conflict zones, and gives financial aid to journalists or media outlets in difficulty. In 2010 for instance, Reporters Sans Frontières awarded grants to threatened Iranian journalists paying for medical, legal and other basic living expenses. Tirelessly striving for the integrity of media sources, the organization also publishes an influential annual ‘Press Freedom Index’, which assesses the degree of freedom journalists and media enjoy in more than 170 countries worldwide.

(Photo © Reporters Sans Frontières)

#60 - One Acre Fund

2012-01-23T14:17:28Z

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Sowing the seeds to fight hunger.

180,000 families impacted over next two years.

Rather than simply providing food aid, One Acre Fund uses market-based methods to improve livelihoods amongst subsistent farmers in East Africa. Launched in 2006, the organization provides a ‘market bundle’ of services – including seed and fertilizer, financing, education, and market facilitation – that enables farmers to double their income per planted acre in one year.

One Acre Fund first consolidates existing local farming communities to create groups of more than 150 farm producers – fostering their ability to interact economically within the market. Field officers then provide farm education reflecting the best practices of leading agro-economists, as well as training on post harvest storage aimed at avoiding crop-loss and allowing participants to sell properly stored goods even months after harvest. The organization also provides environmentally sensitive seeds and fertilizers to restore nutrients to degraded soil, whilst protecting farmers in the event of drought or disease through crop insurance schemes.

One Acre Fund currently serves over 75,000 farm families in Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi, benefiting more than 300,000 people. In the next two years, the organization plans to expand its programs to reach more than 180,000 smallholder farmers, including additional countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

(Photo © One Acre Fund)

#59 - Anti-Slavery International

2012-01-23T14:14:20Z

Check out if Anti-Slavery International is in The Top 100 NGOs 2013 Edition!

Fighting against modern slavery in all its forms.

170 years of enduring impact.

Despite the lauded achievements of the abolitionist movement two centuries ago, slavery still exists today. Anti-Slavery International, founded in 1839 following the passing of Britain’s Slavery Abolition Act, is the world’s oldest international human rights organization and the most prominent in the continuing contemporary global fight against slavery in all its forms – from bonded and forced labor, to human trafficking, early and forced marriage, and ‘slavery by descent’.

Committed to the eradication of slavery and slavery-like practices, Anti-Slavery International pursues a multi-faceted strategy of investigation, public awareness raising and campaigning, support for grassroots organizations in affected areas, and advocacy for a more effective legal framework. This approach has achieved real change. The organization has been involved in successful campaigns to stop the abuse of rubber workers in the Belgian Congo and the use of child slaves – Mui Tsai – in Hong Kong. More recently, it has been working towards the eradication of child trafficking and slavery in the cocoa industry, the use of child labor in Uzbek cotton production, and forced labor practices in Indian brick kilns, quarries and garment factories.

At the systemic level, Anti-Slavery International is working energetically to establish international legal standards for the rights of domestic workers, and towards a victim-centered approach to anti-trafficking policies in Europe.

#58 - Global Witness

2012-01-23T14:13:48Z

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Seeking solutions to the ‘resource curse’.

20 targeted country campaigns.

For 18 years, Global Witness has run pioneering campaigns against natural resource-related conflict and corruption, as well asassociated environmental and human rights abuses. Established by three friends in 1993, the London based organization focused initially on stopping the trade in illegal timber between Cambodia and Thailand, which was found to be funding the Khmer Rouge. Global Witness’ quick success in convincing authorities to close the overland border – after months of careful evidence gathering – confirmed the place for an organization of its type.

In the period since, Global Witness has trained its attention on 20 different countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe, whilst honing an effective methodology that combines investigative research, comprehensive reporting and targeted advocacy campaigns. The organization’s work on the role of ‘blood diamonds’ in financing civil wars in Africa led to the creation of the precedent-setting Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. More recently, Global Witness has made real progress in tackling the trade in conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo and secured an independent audit of Sudan’s oil sector.

Beyond investigating and exposing specific cases, Global Witness is also committed to systemic reform by seeking to address policies that enable state looting and hinder transparency.

#68 - Panzi Hospital/Foundation

2012-01-23T14:12:42Z

Check out if Panzi Hospital/Foundation is in The Top 100 NGOs 2013 Edition!

Treating the silent victims of sexual violence.

World experts in fistula repair.

The eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been plagued by conflict for more than two decades. Rape has become a weapon for the warring factions, despite the presence of the world’s largest UN peacekeeping mission. Moved by the plight of the victims of gender-based violence, Denis Mukwege founded the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu in 1999.

The hospital specializes in treating gynecological disorders, specifically those caused by reproductive trauma and trauma from sexual violence, as well as delivering holistic clinical treatment for survivors. Mukwege and his surgical team have become internationally recognized experts in fistula and incontinence repair, in addition to the long-term healing and community reintegration associated with fistula care. The hospital also houses several projects supporting specific needs in South Kivu, including nutrition for malnourished children and HIV/AIDS treatment programs.

To support the ongoing work of the hospital, as well as new outreach to rural clinics and communities, the Panzi Foundation was established in 2008, with a view to improving access to maternal and reproductive health services, promoting the respect of women’s rights and gender equality, and preventing violence against women and children. Most recently, the ‘USHINDI Project’ has been implemented to support survivors of violence and children born of rape.

#67 - Rainforest Alliance

2012-01-23T14:11:39Z

Check out if Rainforest Alliance is in The Top 100 NGOs 2013 Edition!

Making conservation profitable.

Over 63 million hectares of forests certified.

In 1986, Rainforest Alliance was founded collectively by a ‘hodgepodge’ group of individuals with a surplus of passion, but little experience and few resources. Over 25 years later, its organizational structure has evolved into a well-respected conservation body with rigorous sustainability standards.

The Rainforest Alliance firmly believes in the power of markets to transform the way natural resources are managed. It has developed a family of certification seals to distinguish products in the marketplace that meet pre-determined standards: the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ for farms and forestry businesses that meet the requirements of the Forestry Stewardship Council, and Rainforest Alliance Verified™ for eco-tourism enterprises. Beyond certification, the organization is also committed to holding companies accountable and provides farmers, foresters, and tourism companies with guidance on best practices.

Consumers spend over $12 billion per year on Rainforest Alliance Certified products. More than 15 percent of all bananas in the international market are grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, including 100 percent of Chiquita’s industry-leading production output. Reflecting the organization’s systemic impact, Mars, Inc. has committed to sourcing its entire cocoa supply from certified sustainable sources by 2020, while Unilever has pledged to purchase all tea for Lipton – 12 percent of the world market – from Rainforest Alliance Certified sources by 2015.