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Participate in the Blogger Challenge & Help Students and Schools
One of the best kept secrets about the LiveJournal community is how incredibly generous you all are. It's not just the fact that so many of you volunteer to help LJ out, or are such active participants in communities online. It's what you do to support communities offline that makes us so proud of what LJ is. (A recent example was the way you all
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Just a few examples focused on children (since that is one of the things lj finds utterly important):
Save the Children
Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Nearly 40 percent of Save the Children's worldwide programming is dedicated to helping children living in extreme poverty in Africa. Our community-based programs bring resources such as health care, education, nutrition and economic opportunities to families in remote areas. In sub-Saharan Africa, where thousands of babies die in the first month of life, we have introduced simple, cost-effective measures that save the lives of thousands of newborns. We also provide education, counseling and community support for the many children orphaned by AIDS. For over two years, we have provided emergency relief in Darfur, Sudan, caring for children and families displaced by violence and war. In the displacement camps that many now call home, we offer food and shelter, medical and nutritional care, protection and education to hundreds of thousands of people.
Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers works to prevent the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, to secure their demobilisation and to ensure their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
Childwatch
The Childwatch International Research Network is a global, non-profit, nongovernmental network of institutions that collaborate in child research for the purpose of promoting child rights and improving children’s well-being around the world.
Children rights information network
The Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) is a global network that disseminates information about the Convention on the Rights of the Child and child rights amongst non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, inter-governmental organisation (IGOs), educational institutions, and other child rights experts. The Coordinating Unit is based in London, UK.
Warchild
War Child International is a network of independent organisations, working across the world to help children affected by war.
War Child was founded upon a fundamental goal: to advance the cause of peace through investing hope in the lives of children caught up in the horrors of war.
Do you want more examples?
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What about the rest? Where are their headquarters, and what are the laws governing their HQ`s receipts of funds?
None of those charities operate in South East Asia. Therefore, from my perspective, they are not international enough. Would you still support them with this information? If so, why, when they are not truly "international"? Or does "international" just mean "operates in certain countries" for you?
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Anyway if you looked at Warchild for example, they operate internationally, but have offices in Canada, the netherlands, but are talking with offices elswhere: War Child UK (-external link -) (and her fundraising offices in France, the USA, Australia and Ireland. Hey Australia, is that close enough to Asia for you? They all state that they operate internationally, so who cares where the headquarters are located? Just as long if they give aid to kids around the globe (also on educational level), that is what matters to me.
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Australia isn't close enough to Asia, no. Mainly because they tend to serve Oceania but not Asia. I used to live in Malaysia, I'd be aware of which children's charities would operate there, and War Child ain't one. So if you want a charity that works "around the globe", your examples wouldn't work. Try UNICEF; so far that's the only kids' one I've heard of that has offices everywhere,being a UN body and all.
It does matter where their HQs and their offices are, because it points to where they operate, and where they're allowed to operate. By your logic, I shouldn't donate to ANY of those charities, because they don't do work in my country/es. Of course, just because they have offices in one area doesn't mean they don't work elsewhere, but it doesn't guarantee the opposite either.
It's very difficult to serve people of all countries mainly due to the vagaries of each country. And often, the efforts that work best are the ones that are very local - the problem with a lot of international efforts is that if they're not careful, they can get overextended and not really serve anyone. (There's also issues around colonialism and respect for other cultures, but that's a whole separate issue.) Point being, we can't really begrudge 6A for their choice - that's like begrudging DonorsChoose for existing and for choosing the model that they choose.
If you choose to support someone else, that's fine. But please don't be grouchy about how 6A isn't "international enough" with their choice. You're not speaking for all of us "internationals" (me, for one) and you're not taking into account all of the challenges that surround even a seemingly simple fundraiser like this. I'm not trying to attack you or anything; I'm just trying to state the difficulties, and about how it's futile to get mad at 6A for trying to do something right.
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I am not an US citizen either, but have a mondial view on charities and organisation that work in the field. LJ had a very international character before 6A took over, but the past year I have seen a clear shift to national/US view only, especially since the Eastern europe users have been pawned off to the Russians. So what will we get I wonder, will we get a LJ uk, LJ Europe, LJ Asia just like myspace is going for? Or do we stick together and show this together? What is the community 6A is aiming for, so far an ideal version of that has been aimed at their home nation alone and serving the sponsor's interest. As much as the idea of kids being happy with new books and pencils, I cannot see the effect on this internationally, because at the same time even a less amount of money could have saved a life elswhere. Now you can be pissed off at me for outing me my unhappiness about it, but thats honestly not my problem.
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Don't sit back and rip on the efforts of others just because you think you could have done better - take the initative and do something about it.
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Just fyi: I donate quite a lot to charities. For instance: our national cancer foundation, kidney foundation, heart disease foundation, yesterday I gave money to the animal welfare foundation, a foundation aimed that kids in cities get playgrounds, handicapped children, children with cancer, a foundation that aims at organising days out for elderly and handicapped people (I also volunteer for that), alzheimer foundaton, red cross, warchild...
I am active as a volunteer too for anything toddler and baby related. So, what do you actually do? Hmmm? Don't roll off things to someone else if your own feeling of guilt is acting up.
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