#world vison

[tammyrenee]

Vigils are good, action is great.

Vigils really are a good thing, I will participate in one this evening. Vigils show support for refugees still in dangers as well as the refugees who are in our country and who are afraid of the president’s actions. Vigils let people know that we are with them, that we have their backs. 

I feel like it is also important that we do something to support the work of good agencies that are doing their best to help refugees and people in conflict zones until they can be moved to safe countries, hopefully one of those countries will once again be in the United States. 

Helping refugees isn’t something we should neglect to do, as believers the people fit the category of people Jesus reached out to and he has commanded us to do the same. 

I have put together a list of organizations that are helping. Some of these groups are faith based and some are not. I did research on these organizations and how they spend their funds as well as how much of your donations go to the actual projects. Some of these groups work with displaced peoples in refugee camps in Turkey and Jordan, some assist in Europe and Some are working in countries like Iraq and Syria. Some of these organizations help with supporting refugees who have been resettled here and some help in all three of the areas mentioned. Check out their sites and consider giving. 

I’m sure someone will point out there is one missing from the list and that is intentional.

World Vision

https://www.worldvision.org/our-work/helping-refugees 

The Salvation Army 

http://www.salvationarmy-socal.org/southern-california/news/Aid_For_Syrian_Refugees

International Rescue Committee

https://help.rescue.org/donate/emergencies?ms=gs_refg_ppc_rw15_es_161110&initialms=gs_refg_ppc_rw15_es_161110&gclid=Cj0KEQiAiMHEBRC034nx2ImB1J0BEiQA-r7ctrjTuipq7CxuuIY7V2Lcl7qUd9UJcJfZ5lQF_dpPdXMaAl4h8P8HAQ#webform-component-donation

Mennonite Central Committee

https://mcc.org/stories/refugee-crisis-how-you-can-respond

World Relief

https://www.worldrelief.org/welcome

Catholic Charities

https://secure.crs.org/site/Donation2?df_id=8800&8800.donation=form1&s_src=GoogleSearch&s_subscr=Refugees&gclid=Cj0KEQiAiMHEBRC034nx2ImB1J0BEiQA-r7cttI8MfsPfOmPPerYswJDsXk-5rZNFz7CwTDIiB559BwaAoP98P8HAQ

Episcopal Migration Ministries

http://www.episcopalmigrationministries.org/how_you_can_help/supportrefugees.aspx

Lutheran World Relief

https://lwr.org/blog/help-syrian-refugees

This is by no means an exhaustive list but I have checked the ratings of these groups and I am familiar with or have seen the work of some of these organizations. 

[youreghanamissme]

Today marks Dad's 68th Revolution Around the Sun, and I'm in Ghana

Status update: I have melted into my mattress; we are now one entity. It's 8:30pm and roughly 100°F. I feel like I am living in satan's butthole. But apart from the hot heat, I can't really complain. We visited a bunch of NGO's in Tamale today, and a panel of folks living with HIV spoke to us about their experiences as a HIV+ Ghanian. There's a lot of work being done by NGO's (obvi), especially in regards to access to potable water. It's amazing the amount of boreholes get drilled and the innovative technology currently in the works regarding borehole monitoring and maintenance... but it's still not enough. There's still a lot of work to be done. Also to note are the sheer number of latrines built in hundreds of communities. What's great about these NGO's--like World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, SPRING, RING, and Global Communities--is their commitment to the community's best interests, and that includes a "good governance" priority in their services. It's one thing to "give" an impoverished community a borehole, but it's another thing to help the community understand how to maintain the borehole, why clean water is an option and a necessity, and to generate dialogue on why they're impoverished (are the government officials doing their duty to represent their best interests? Should anyone be held accountable?). The People Living with HIV panel illuminated the intense stigma that surrounds and follows HIV+ folks. It was heart-breaking to hear that many health professionals contribute to the stigmatization by treating (or refusing to treat) HIV+ patients as pariahs and untouchables. The abandonment by family members and the disdain by their community is hard to swallow... especially when one woman talked about how it was hard to continue her job as a food seller because no one wanted to buy food from an HIV+ person. Their testimonies strengthen my resolve for correct and inclusive HIV+ education! As the Ghanian slogan goes: "My friend with HIV is still my friend!" I was really glad to learn about Marie Stopes, a fertility planning NGO/clinic chain operating across Ghana. It's like Ghana's version of Planned Parenthood, and as a health educator, I was ecstatic to hear their non-judgmental, sex-positive mission of providing access to contraceptives and infertility (like tubal ligation) treatments to sexually active, low income Ghanians of all ages. Stay gold, Ghana!

[about-emma]

Tomorrow I am participating in the 40 hour famine by giving up food to raise awareness and funds to help fight global hunger. Any donation, big or small is appreciated and goes towards nutrition training for parents, child health services and better farming training and practices, all of these can result in long term solutions for poverty affected families and have a major positive effect to their lives.

Donation page: https://40hf2015.everydayhero.com/au/emma-275

[heart2heart-travel-blog]

Didn't eat for 12 hours at school yesterday for World Vision's 12 hour famine!!! This is done so students can experience what it's like to be hungry. Can't wait for the 30 hour famine!! We had a concert in celebration of this with a band called FS who is apparently popular in Malaysia!!

[akidwithdreams-blog1]

[anomalyinthetardis]

EVERY CENT COUNTS!

Hey everyone :) I am giving up food for 40 hours and would appreciate any donation! Every cent counts! http://www.40hf.com/adeleisnoteating