Cross International

Have you heard of Cross International, by any chance?

Cross International, founded in 2001, is a Christian development and relief organization focused on helping the poor, as it has in over 45 countries. (1)

Located in Florida, Cross International often works by finding other church-based ministries in need and also trying to aid the poor, and providing them with supplies.

Cross International has provided a lot of relief and disaster aid over the years – the annual amount's worth millions of dollars!

Weekly Charity is not in an official partnership with Cross International, but highly supports helping them out, as most of its work’s funded through private donations.

Now, it’s … STAT TIME!!

Charity Navigator gives Cross International: 3 out of 4 stars
Cross International meets 20/20 of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s Standards for Charity Accountability.

Thanks for your time! Here’s a link to the Cross International website: http://www.crossinternational.org

SOURCES

(1) Cross International’s website, under “Where (Our Work)”, retrieved from “http://www.crossinternational.org/pages/page.asp…” on Thursday, June 16, 2016.

Action Against Hunger

This week, Weekly Charity wants to highlight the work of … Action Against Hunger!

Action Against Hunger, founded in 1979 by several French scientists, writers and doctors, is an organization focused on feeding children and helping to provide communities with long-lasting solutions to hunger.

Initially providing assistance to refugees in Pakistan and Thailand (from Afghanistan and Cambodia, respectively) as well as communities in Uganda suffering from famine, Action Against Hunger now “runs life-saving programs in over 45 countries benefiting more than 13.6 million people each year” (1).

Scientists working at Action Against Hunger developed F100, a “therapeutic milk product used to treat severe acute malnutrition” (2). Use of this seems to “markedly reduce mortality of severely malnourished children” (3).

Is Weekly Charity officially working with Action Against Hunger? No, but it does encourage helping them out.

Now, for those of you who want to see some cold, hard, indisputable stats, here’s some data:

Charity Navigator gives Action Against Hunger: 4 out of 4 stars
Charity Watch gives them: An A rating (not an A+, nor an A-, but a straight-up “A”)
Action Against Hunger meets 20/20 of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s Standards for Charity Accountability.

Here’s the link to their United States website: http://www.actionagainsthunger.org

Here’s a link to their United Kingdom website: https://www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk

SOURCES

(1) Action Against Hunger’s United States website, under “Countries”, retrieved from “http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/countries”

(2) classyawards.org, in the article, “Action Against Hunger Drives Progress for Hunger & Poverty Relief” (by “Staff”), retrieved from “http://www.classyawards.org/…/action-against-hunger-drives…/“

(3) The National Center for Biotechnology Information, under a folder for PubMed.gov, in what seems to be an English translation of a French article, titled “[Definition and evaluation of therapeutic food for severely malnourished children in situations of humanitarian emergencies]”, retrieved from “http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10188315”

Mercy Corps

Today, Weekly Charity would like to direct your attention to … the Mercy Corps!

The Mercy Corps is an international organization focusing on helping those dealing with hunger and poverty to find long-term solutions to those problems.

Working in over 40 countries, the Mercy Corps has helped people in many ways, from providing relief assistance to “getting involved with deeper problems” (1).

Mercy Corps also provides assistance with microfinance all over the world, being affiliated with quite a few banks in quite a few nations.

As usual, Weekly Charity lacks much direct affiliation with the Mercy Corps, but highly encourages volunteering with or donating to them.

Now, for those interested in their statistics:

Charity Navigator gives the Mercy Corps: 3 out of 4 stars
Charity Watch gives them: An A- rating
Mercy Corps meets 20/20 of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s Standards for Charity Accountability.

Here’s a link to their website: https://www.mercycorps.org

SOURCES

(1) The Devex article, “Global aid agency goes local in Guatemala”, retrieved from “https://www.devex.com/…/global-aid-agency-goes-local-in-gua…”, likely around Thursday, June 2, 2016.

Make-a-Wish Foundation

Here’s some information about … the Make-A-Wish Foundation!

The Make-A-Wish Foundation does its best to grant wishes, to the best of its ability, for children with life-threatening conditions or illnesses.

There are five categories most wishes fall into: “I wish to go […] I wish to be […] I wish to meet […] I wish to have […] I wish to give” (1).

Children may be referred by their parents or legal guardians or medical professionals treating them. Self-referral is also an option. Children with their lives endangered by a medical condition, who are between the ages of 2½ and 18 years old, are eligible for a wish.

Weekly Charity’s hardly associated (as in, not at all) with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but highly encourages helping them out. If that’s not enough, here’s some stats:

Charity Navigator gives them: 4 out of 4 stars
This charity meets 20/20 of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s Standards for Charity Accountability.

Here’s a link to their website: http://wish.org/#sm.00va438b1bdffec10z01m4o5evr0

SOURCES

(1) The Make-A-Wish website page, “What Can a Child Wish For?”, retrieved from “http://wish.org/refer-a-child/what-can-a-child-wish-for…", likely around Saturday, May 28, 2016.

NPH

By any chance, have you heard of NPH?

NPH, which stands for “Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos” (“Our Little Brothers and Sisters”, in English), provides homes to abandoned or orphaned children.

NPH has homes in Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru.  In other words, all over much of Latin America.

Children in NPH homes aren’t put up for adoption. Rather, they are raised as members of one single - albeit incredibly large - family. The NPH organization provides for them - and years later, many of them get jobs at (and, therefore, provide for) NPH.

Weekly Charity is not affiliated with NPH (or the fundraising organization, NPH USA), but thinks them to be a worthy cause, and encourages you to help them out if you can!

Now, it’s statistic time!

Charity Navigator gives NPH USA: 3 out of 4 stars
NPH USA meets 20/20 of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s Standards for Charity Accountability.

Here’s NPH’s website: https://www.nph.org!
Also, here’s NPH USA’s website: https://www.nphusa.org!

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Here's some information about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is dedicated to researching cures for blood cancers and to improve blood cancer patients' lives. 

They're focused in the United States and Canada, but their research can benefit people in all nations.

Over 600 million dollars have been raised by this organization to help research cures for blood cancer since their founding in 1949. That’s a sizable achievement!

Weekly Charity is not associated with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, but does think that they’re a good cause to give to, so feel free to help out!

Here’s some important stats:

Charity Navigator gives The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: 2 out of 4 stars
Charity Watch gives them: a B+ rating
This charity meets 20/20 of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s Standards for Charity Accountability.

Here’s the link to their website: http://www.lls.org!

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Weekly Charity here, with another worthy cause: [ALSAC] St. Jude Children's Research Hospital!

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a treatment and research facility for fatal children's diseases.  Here's three good things about it:

Patients can come from pretty much wherever.
The organization is based in the United States of America, but patients don't have to be from there to be treated.  They also have an International Outreach Program focusing on improving survival rates of those in developing countries.

All patients requiring medical help at St. Jude receive it. 

This is regardless of their family's ability to pay. Any costs not covered by their insurance aren't charged by the hospital. Families who had to travel far from home to get to the hospital are provided with transportation, housing, and meals.

St. Jude has revolutionized how children with cancer are treated. 
Discoveries there have played a big part in increasing survival rates for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common type of childhood cancer, from 4% in 1962 to 94% today.



In addition to all this, there's quite a story behind the organization's founding. Years prior, Danny Thomas was a struggling comedian who was about to become a parent. He prayed to St. Jude that he'd find a means to provide for his family, and soon became a success. As a way of giving back, he built the first St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Funds and awareness needed to keep up the hospital is provided by the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC).

Weekly Charity is not affiliated with ALSAC and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Nevertheless, everyone who can help them out is encouraged to. As the acute lymphoblastic leukemia survival rates show, it really can make a difference.

Now for some statistics:

Charity Navigator gives ALSAC: 3 out of 4 stars

ALSAC St. Jude Children's Research Hospital meets 20/20 of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance’s Standards for Charity Accountability.

Thank you for reading, and here's the link to the hospital's website: https://www.stjude.org!