On-Line Resources for Reducing Global Poverty
(Descriptions are taken from the organizations' Web sites.)
Proximate Solutions: If you give me a fish, you feed me for a day.
Ultimate Solutions: If you teach me how to fish, you feed me for the rest of my life.
1. Food
Oxfam America http://www.oxfamamerica.org/
Oxfam America is dedicated to creating lasting solutions to hunger, poverty and social injustice through long-term partnerships with poor communities around the world. As a privately funded organization, we can speak with conviction and integrity as we challenge the structural barriers that foster conflict and human suffering and limit people from gaining the skills, resources and power to become self-sufficient.
Oxfam America supports the self-help efforts of poor and marginalized people—landless peasants, indigenous peoples, women, refugees, and survivors of war and natural disasters—striving to better their lives. Since 1970, Oxfam America has disbursed more than $100 million in program funding and technical support to hundreds of partner organizations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Americas, including the United States.
Heifer International
&n
bsp; http://www.heifer.org
Heifer animals (and training in their care) offer hungry families around the world a way to feed themselves and become self-reliant. Children receive nutritious milk or eggs; families earn income for school, health care and better housing; communities go beyond meeting immediate needs to fulfilling dreams. Farmers learn sustainable, environmentally sound agricultural techniques.
Bread for the World &n bsp; http://www.bread.org/index.html
Celebrating 25 years of seeking justice for the world's hungry people, Bread for the World is a Christian voice for ending hunger in the new century.
Bread for the World's 44,000 members contact their senators and representatives about legislation that affects hungry people in the United States and worldwide. We do not provide direct relief or development assistance. Rather, we focus on using the power we have as citizens in a democracy to support policies that address the root causes of hunger and poverty.
Thousands of local churches and community groups support Bread for the World's efforts by writing letters to Congress and making financial gifts to the organization. Bread for the World groups across the country meet locally to pray, study and take action; members meet with their representatives in Congress, organize telephone trees, win media coverage and reach out to new churches.
Bread for the World's partner organization, Bread for the World Institute, carries out research and education on hunger. The Institute's annual hunger report, for example, strengthens the anti-hunger movement through analysis on the causes and solutions of hunger.
Bread for the World is a nonpartisan organization whose members include Republicans, Democrats and Independents. We are also supported by 45 denominations and many theological perspectives. Our board of directors includes grassroots leaders, members of Congress, and leaders of churches and charities. Bread for the World is the largest grassroots advocacy network on hunger issues, and also accounts for most of the constituent lobbying that is done in the United States on behalf of poor people overseas.
2. Shelter
Habitat for Humanity International < /span>http://www.habitat.org/
Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.
Habitat has built more than 85,000 houses around the world, providing more than 425,000 people in more than 2,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. HFHI was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller along with his wife Linda.
3. Medical Care
Doctors without Borders http://www.dwb.org/
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is the world's largest independent international medical relief agency aiding victims of armed conflict, epidemics, and natural and man-made disasters, and others who lack health care due to geographic remoteness or ethnic marginalization. Annually, more than 2,000 volunteers representing 45 nationalities work in over 80 countries in front-line hospitals, refugee camps, disaster sites, towns, and villages. Doctors Without Borders teams provide primary health care, perform surgery, vaccinate children, rehabilitate hospitals, operate emergency nutrition and sanitation programs, and train local medical staff.
4. Aid to
Children
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) http://www.unicef.org/
Founded in 1946, UNICEF advocates and works for the protection of children's rights, to help the young meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. The UNICEF Executive Board reaffirmed this mandate in January 1996, when it adopted a statement on the mission of UNICEF saying that UNICEF "is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behavior towards children."
UNICEF, the only organization of the United Nations dedicated exclusively to children, works with other United Nations bodies, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to lighten children's loads through community-based services in primary health care, basic education, and safe water and sanitation in developing countries.
5. General
Assistance
U.S. Peace Corps http://www.peacecorps.gov/home.html
As a Peace Corps Volunteer, you'll travel overseas and make real differences in the lives of real people. Whether you're teaching children the basics of math, science, and English or working with a community to protect the local environment; whether you're helping people stay healthy, expand their businesses, or grow more nutritious food, you will help change and improve the human condition at the grassroots level.
Most returned Peace Corps Volunteers, however, will tell you that they received much more than they gave while serving abroad in the Peace Corps. That they learned much more than they taught. That their lives were changed. They talk about how living in another country, learning another language, and becoming part of another culture changed the way they see the world and, more importantly, themselves.
6. Debt Relief
Jubilee 2000 http://www.jubilee2000uk.org/main. html
Jubilee 2000 is an international movement in over 40 countries advocating a debt-free start to the Millennium for a billion people. Jubilee 2000 in the UK is a coalition of over 80 organizations. We are calling for:
* a one-off cancellation of the unpayable debts
* of the world's poorest countries
* by the year 2000,
* under a fair and transparent process.
Unpayable Debts of the World's poorest countries – Over 50countries in the world have debts that will never be paid back but continue to be paid daily with people's lives. The debt burden of the poorest countries is 93% of their income. In Zambia, every citizen now owes the country's creditors $790 - more than twice the average annual income. Every year resources are being diverted from health, education and sanitation towards unproductive debt service. The United Nations Development Programme in 1997 stated that 21 million children's lives could be saved if the money used for debt service was put into health and education.
Jubilee 2000 calls for the cancellation of unpayable debt--it will never be paid economically or will be paid only by exacting unacceptable costs in diverting resources from health, education and sanitation.
7. Informed
Giving
National Charities Information Bureau http://www.give.org/
NCIB's mission is to promote informed giving and to enable more contributors to make sound giving decisions. NCIB believes that donors are entitled to accurate information about the charitable organizations that seek their support. NCIB also believes that well-informed givers will ask questions and make judgments that will lead to an improved level of performance by charitable organizations. NCIB is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, to which contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
American Institute of Philanthropy &n bsp; http://www.charitywatch.org/cri teria.html
Selecting a charity to support is a bit like playing God. Ideally it should take into account your most deeply held concerns and convictions.
Before sending in a donation to a group, you can now consider how well it will spend your money by referring to the AIP’s Charity Rating Guide. Each organization is listed by category with its phone number, financial performance measurements and an overall grade (where enough information is available). You can also review the ratings of other charities in the same category to compare a particular group with those which do similar work.
The Better Business Bureau &n bsp; http://www.bbb.org/
The Better Business Bureau's Give, but Give Wisely report.
8. Engineers and Other Technical
Experts
A. Engineers Without Borders http://www.ewb-isf.org/Welcome.htm
[Based at the University of Waterloo in Canada and inspired by Ingénieurs sans Frontières in France, which was, in turn, inspired by the 1999 Nobel Peace Laureate Medecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders).]
The plight of the developing world is becoming increasingly more striking--images of natural disasters, famines and the ravages of war seem ever more frequent. While many international organizations exist to provide assistance to developing nations, it is becoming clear more bridges must be built between developed and developing nations.
While many are aware of the international response to natural disasters through media coverage, what is less well known is the extent of the technology gap between the rich and the poor. While not as dramatic as a catastrophe, certain everyday basic necessities--for example, clean water--are out of reach for over 1 billion people in developing nations.
Engineers Without Borders was formed in 1999 to help span that technology gap between the developed and developing world. We believe that there is an untapped resource of engineering students and young professionals who would be able to help contribute solutions to developing world problems--except that there is a lack of information about the type and scope of the problems. Consequently, Engineers Without Borders seeks to provide information about developing world problems of a technical nature and to facilitate interaction among interested parties.
To fulfill this mandate, we offer three services:
1. Providing information for engineering students, engineers, and the general public relating to the technical challenges faced by the developing world
2. Maintaining a "webspace" where interested researchers can contribute research on problems particular to developing nations; this is aimed particularly at students looking for “senior thesis” type projects and other academic researchers
3. Arranging internships for engineering students and young professionals to work on development projects
B. Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief (RedR) http://www.redr.org/index.htm
RedR relieves suffering in disasters by selecting, training and providing competent and effective personnel to humanitarian relief agencies world-wide.
In 1979, Peter Guthrie was seconded by his employer, Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick, to work as a engineer in the Vietnamese refugee camps in Malaysia. At the end of his assignment, Peter saw all too clearly that while engineers had an important role to play in reducing the human suffering in emergencies, front-line agencies faced great difficulties in identifying and recruiting such staff.
Back in England, Peter searched for a solution and after discussions with friends and colleagues, founded "Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief" abbreviated first to REDR--Engineers for Disaster Relief and subsequently known simply as RedR (pronounced Red "R").
The original concept of RedR was to create a register of carefully selected engineers who could be called on at short notice to work for up to 3 months with front-line relief agencies on secondment [temporary leave/loan/transfer] from their regular employer. This concept remains at the heart of RedR to this day.
The first RedR office was established in England. Based on the success of this first RedR, offices have also been established in Australia (1992) and New Zealand (1994). New initiatives in India are currently under discussion. RedR's International Secretariat was established in Geneva in 1996.
Reconnecting is a process to establish and link a global network of individuals and communities seeking to humanize the technology revolution: to explore ways to relieve the stress in the technology workplace; seek moral guidelines for technical capability; and develop a sense of human balance appropriate to an increasingly technical world.
The San Francisco Bay Area, which spawned the microprocessor, the gene machine and the atom smasher, is an appropriate place to initiate the process.
There is a growing sense that technology no longer serves human ends, but that people must increasingly adapt themselves to the technology imperative. "Rage against the machine" has replaced "Progress is our most important product." What does the term "civil society" mean in a culture of road rage, ultra-violent entertainment, invasions of privacy, and "lean and mean" workplaces?
1. On the assumption that stressed-out engineers design the stress-filled products, we begin by creating "safe-havens" where technologists can discuss human issues: unease in their workplace and the issue of meaning at work; and critique technology's effects by the people doing the work.
Also, invite religious teachers to these "safe havens" to meet with technologists to mutually clear the air from previous disputes and distrusts, and find ways to express ageless wisdom teaching in contemporary models. Publish successful stories in print and on-line for teachers in various traditions.
In time, establish similar centers in other technology areas: Seattle, Boston, San Diego, Munich, Taipei, Hong Kong, etc. Such centers can interlink and form a critical mass of concerned technology workers. An initial project for such a global community might be the creation of a Hippocratic Oath for engineers--arguably the group most responsible for designing today's world--as we have similar standards for physicians, clergy and elected officials.
2. From a nucleus of several such centers, create "Engineers without Frontiers" (on the model of "Doctors without Borders"), bringing engineering talent to needy communities globally via the internet. It is still in development, but information is available at www.ewof.org.
D. Peace Corps Master's International Programs at MTU
Civil and Environmental Engineering http://www.cee.mtu.edu/res/pro/peace.html
Michigan Technological University's (MTU) Master's International (MI) Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering builds upon the successful MI program in Forestry at MTU. The MI Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering is currently the only Masters International program in engineering. Students successfully completing the program (3 quarters of coursework; 12 weeks of Peace Corps training, and two years of Peace Corps volunteer service) receive either an MS in Civil Engineering or an MS in Environmental Engineering.
MI applicants must meet the admission requirements of both MTU and Peace Corps. The MI program consists of a minimum of 45 quarter units of academic study. Up to 9 quarter credits of graduate level independent study (CE573, International Practicum) may be earned for Peace Corps service. Students do not pay tuition costs and associated university fees for these 9 credits.
Forestry < /span>http://forestry.mtu.edu/peacecor/
The Loret Miller Ruppe Peace Corps Master's International Program in Forestry at Michigan Tech University
The US Peace Corps and Michigan Tech University have teamed up to design a program for students with an undergraduate degree in any discipline who are interested in a career in forestry, environmental sciences and policy, and natural resource management.
"The Peace Corps is made stronger by the promise of Michigan Tech, Tech has the kind of skills that Peace Corps needs now."
Dr. John Hogan, Associate Director of Peace Corps
The Master's International Program in Forestry at Michigan Tech is named for Loret Miller Ruppe, Director of the Peace Corps from 1981 to 1989, resident of Houghton, Michigan, and recipient of an honorary doctorate degree from Michigan Technological University.
"The agency drifted through the 1970s, seeming the rusted relic of a lost decade. Then, just as the Reagan Administration was about to axe the Peace Corps, gung-ho director Loret Miller Ruppe saved it and at the same time restored volunteers' self-respect."
Smithsonian, September 1999
Program Overview
The Master's International Program is a unique partnership between Michigan Tech and the Peace Corps which affords students the opportunity to incorporate Peace Corps service into a graduate program in forestry. The program involves nine months of intensive forestry education at Michigan Tech and two years of field work with Peace Corps. The first 8 weeks of fall semester (commonly known as Fall Camp) are located at the Ford Center and Research Forest in Alberta, Michigan and focus on fundamental field skills in forestry. The second half of fall semester and spring semester are spent at the Michigan Tech campus in Houghton, Michigan. Students then take part in three months of Peace Corps technical, cross-cultural and language training in the country where they will work, followed by two years of Peace Corps service working to improve the environment with people who use and depend upon a healthy ecosystem for their livelihoods and that of their children. Students will return to Michigan Tech to complete their degree, typically in one additional academic term.
The Peace Corps currently receives requests for foresters in numbers greater than it can supply. Forestry and the environment are the fastest growing fields in Peace Corps and Peace Corps fields more people in environmental work than any other group in the world. Seventeen percent of all volunteers are in environmental fields, and over half of these are in forestry. Peace Corps would place more forestry and environmental volunteers if enough skilled people were available.
E. Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA) <http://www.vita.org/>
For over four decades VITA has empowered the poor in developing countries by providing access to information and knowledge, strengthening local institutions and introducing improved technologies. Its particular focus is on support to entrepreneurs in the private, public and community sectors and on facilitating connectivity and technical information exchange between and among individuals and organizations.
Founded in 1959 by a group of engineers and scientists who believed that access to information and technologies is essential to improving the quality of life in developing countries, VITA's work is about . . .
* Reaching the Poorest of the Poor. VITA addresses the needs of individuals, community organizations and the institutions that support them. The majority of VITA's clients are small and microentrepreneurs and women that represent the poorer segments of their nations and communities. About 2/3 are in Africa.
* Providing Demand-driven Services. VITA's Technical Inquiry Service has pioneered people-to-people information exchange and the dissemination of appropriate technology for economic empowerment. The service has responded to the expressed needs of more than 275,000 requesters from the developing world providing them with technical information that enabled them to increase agricultural yields, minister to community health needs, improve business productivity, generate steadier and higher incomes, and preserve their countries' natural resources.
* Bridging the Digital Divide. Fifteen years ago, VITA became the first private voluntary organization to apply low-cost, microelectronics and space technology to the dissemination of technical information for development and humanitarian purposes, taking a stand against the information-marginalization of the rural poor. Based on that pioneering work, VITA became the only non-profit ever granted a satellite communications license by the FCC and it continues to be a leader in turning rhetoric into reality at the far edges of the digital divide.
* Transforming Ideas into Action. For two decades VITA has designed and implemented field programs that promote economic growth and respect for the environment. VITA programs are located around the world and each corresponds to the socioeconomic realities of the country or region of focus. Currently VITA is implementing long-term programs in Benin, Mali, Moldova, Guinea, Morocco, and Ukraine. Other countries in which VITA has worked include Afghanistan, Belize, the Central African Republic, Chad, China, Djibouti, Honduras, Kenya, Indonesia, Liberia, Madagascar, Thailand, and Zambia. Funding for these projects has come from both the public and private sectors.
* Building Partnerships and Institutions is a priority in everything that VITA does. In disseminating information, VITA has always sought to leverage its resources by working with local and community organizations, schools, universities, and PVOs and NGOs. A priority at the outset of all of VITA's long-term programs is the creation and support of independent legally registered institutions that rapidly move towards managerial and financial independence. Even in the area of communications VITA's partnerships and unique agreements with private and non-profit sector partners have allowed it to ensure low-cost services that can reach the most rural and isolated areas of the world.
* Promoting Dialogue. VITA has been a pioneer in using the Internet to facilitate the development of "knowledge networks" that bring together international expertise to examine crucial development issues. Working with groups like the World Bank and the World Wildlife Fund VITA uses the Internet to host electronic "think tanks" designed to foster discussion on questions of science, technology and information for development.