19 December 2007
American Nonprofits Promote Health, Human Rights, Economic Growth
U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations support wide range of programs
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) play key roles, both domestically and internationally, in encouraging volunteerism and charitable donations, raising awareness of worthy causes and ensuring resources are allocated effectively to serve those in need.
U.S.-based NGOs support a wide range of programs throughout the world to foster economic development, protect human rights, improve health and promote democratic processes and institutions. For example:
• Doc to Dock, a nongovernmental organization that collects unused supplies from U.S. medical centers and ships them to hospitals in Africa, is making a difference in the lives of African patients. “We are not just sending supplies but we’re also investing with the governments of the countries where we’re working ... in a broader effort to improve the health care system,” says Dr. Bruce Charash, the founder of the organization. (More)
• Today's high-technology global economy requires that youth entering the job market have the training and life skills necessary to get and keep available jobs, according to the chief executive officer of International Youth Foundation, a Baltimore-based nongovernmental organization at the center of an alliance focused on improving the employability of youth around the world. (More)
• The first safe shelter in Laos for women and children who are victims of domestic violence and trafficking opened in January 2006, with support from the Asia Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization devoted to Asia's development. The shelter is among many foundation initiatives in the region aimed at improving the quality of life for the disadvantaged. (More)
• The international community gave Armenia its first positive marks for an election since the country gained independence in 1991 for National Assembly elections held in May 2007. That election, with support from the U.S.-based nongovernmental organization IFES, moved Armenia closer to its goal of conducting elections that meet international standards. (More)
• When a young Iraqi-American woman, Zainab Salbi, began an organization in 1992 to help women in conflict zones recover their lives, she had no idea what was ahead. Today, that organization, Women for Women International, is providing assistance in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and Sudan. (More)
• The New York-based nongovernmental organization Trickle Up helped an Indian woman buy a rickshaw and that act changed her life. Ajmeri Bibi’s success story is just one of thousands built on Trickle Up’s mission to empower poor people to take the first steps out of poverty by providing them with resources to build microenterprises. (More)
• Since 1982, the Virginia-based nonprofit organization Operation Smile has been repairing child and young adult cleft palates and cleft lips in countries around the globe. Supported primarily by private donations, teams of 35 to 50 volunteers travel to countries for two-week stays, "changing lives one smile at a time." (More)
• Counterpart International, a nonprofit organization founded in 1965, is dedicated to building a just world through service and partnership. It gives people a voice in their own future through smart partnerships and access to tools for sustained social, economic and environmental development. (More)
• CARE has been providing humanitarian aid around the world since 1946. In response to the crisis triggered by the December 2004 tsunami, CARE has helped build shelters, schools, community centers and health clinics, and improved access to clean water and sanitation in the affected area. (More)
For more information about the role of NGOs, see “U.S. NGOs Promote Democracy, Development, Stability Worldwide.”
