Search Nonprofits

Who We Are: The need for a grassroots organization that would galvanize communities across Africa to positively contribute towards sustainable management of natural resources was an idea born out of a discussion by a group of environment and natural resource management practitioners gathered in Arusha Tanzania in 2010. The idea was subsequently shared with other like-minded individuals and culminated in the formation and subsequent registration of Africa Nature Organization as Non-Governmental Organization on the World Wetlands Day 2nd February 2012 in Kenya. Our focus has been to promote sustainable environmental and natural resource management best practices among grassroots communities working closely with civil society organizations, private sector actors and Government. Our Vision: A well-managed environment and natural resource base benefiting People and Wildlife. Our Mission: To enhance sustainable management of environment and natural resources by empowering grassroots communities, supporting development of effective natural resource management instruments, promotion of green innovations and the advancement of wise-use practices. Programmes: Our work is organized around three themes. These are conservation, people's organizations and livelihoods. 1. Environmental Education and Awareness Sustained environmental education and awareness campaigns have been known to change the behavior and attitudes of stakeholders towards environment and natural resources. Africa Nature Organization environmental education and awareness campaigns target both the young and the old through targeted campaigns such as the Young People4Nature Initiative, environmental demonstrations, environmental days, cross-site visits, workshops and seminars are some of the activities in this category. 2. Conservation of Species and Habitats With the threat of species extinction and habitat loss aggravated by climate change, Africa Nature Organization has taken a special interest in the conservation of species and habitats through rehabilitation, restoration and protection. Afforestation on terrestrial areas, coral transplant in marine ecosystems, dyke construction, development of management plans, support for community guards to protect and monitor species and habitats are some of the activities undertaken to reduce species and habitat loss. 3. Enterprise-led Conservation (ECO) Communities for ages have depended on natural resources for their livelihoods. However, with dwindling natural resource base due to extraction of natural resources for commercial purposes, population increase and climate changes, communities have trapped in a vicious cycle of destroying environment and natural resources for survival. To stem this downward spiral, Africa Nature Organization works with grassroots communities to empower them with business skills and knowledge to initiate nature-friendly enterprises and link them with markets. 4. Research and Innovation for Conservation (RI-Conserve): Relevant information to undertake important decisions regarding natural resources has been an impediment to sustainable management of environment and natural resources. This has been more profound with grassroots communities and organizations, including government, working to empower them to sustainably manage environment and natural resources. To bridge the information gap, Africa Nature Organization undertakes research and develops innovative ways of overcoming environmental challenges facing communities, civil society organizations, private organizations and governments. Baseline surveys, environmental impact assessments, documentation of indigenous knowledge on biological resources, and innovative mobile technology for conservation are some of the activities undertaken in this category. 5. Conservation Communication (COCO): Communicating conservation information to relevant stakeholders is key in to their engagement and involvement in our conservation effort. Conservation Communication maintains stakeholder interest through: Newsletter, Development and distribution of environmental documentaries, Production of other education, information and communication materials.

Sustainability Matters cultivates community through conservation education. We make sustainability fun, realistic, and accessible to all. A Virginia-grown grassroots nonprofit, Sustainability Matters works at the intersection of sustainable agriculture, gardening & business; environmental awareness; and nature conservation. Our work helps landowners, farming families, small businesses, and residents implement positive environmental practices, reduce their use of harmful herbicides and pesticides, grow their own food, manage invasive species, and support pollinators and native wildlife. Social interaction, peer-to-peer information exchange, and inclusivity are integral to our model.

To provide a home for abused, unwanted, and orphaned children and animals. To provide an education for a culturally diverse group of children: school, improved social skills, and emotional stability are part of our plan to help break the cycle of poverty and destructive behavior. To provide an awareness through our rehab/education programs which emphasizes that all living things have value no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. When we as a society can recognize this fact we will begin to win the battles for conservation and preservation. To provide God's unconditional love and care for humans and animals who have special needs in their lives, whether mental, physical, or emotional.

Vision: Being an organization that mobilizes social engagement in child and youth development to enable them to grow up to be qualified adults Mission: 1) Promote quality of life for children and youth 2) Mobilize resources and build collaborative relationships across the society to support our cause 3) Upgrade organizational capacity to become a leading agency for child and youth development Strategy I: Support children and youth to grow up to be qualified adults Strategy II: Mobilze resources and cooperation Strategy III: Promote partnership and network for child and youth development Strategy IV: Strengthen organizational capacity, transparency, and good governance

Biosphere Expeditions is an award-winning not-for-profit conservation organisation, and a member of IUCN and the UN's Environment Programme. For us successful conservation is the collective effort of individuals. We invite everyone to join us on our wildlife and wilderness projects all over the world. Whether young or old, become a citizen scientist for one or two weeks, or more. The foundation of our work is science and local need. We focus on sustainable conservation projects that target clearly defined, critical issues that humankind has the power to change. You, our international volunteers, work hand-in-hand with local biologists and communities to drive positive outcomes for biodiversity - the creation of a protected area for snow leopards in the Altai is just one recent example. Biosphere Expeditions is a member of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and of the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum. Achievements include the implementation of our conservation recommendations and species protection plans by numerous national and regional governments and NGOs, the creation of protected areas on four continents, scientific and lay publications, as well as capacity-building, training and education all over the world.

"Connecting Cambodian Youth to the skills, opportunities, and inspirations needed to reach their potential." This is the mission of PEPY Empowering Youth, a local non-profit (NGO) focused on educating and empowering youth in underserved and remote communities outside of Siem Reap city. With their team's intimate understanding of barriers affecting students' ability to move onto higher education (many team members are former beneficiaries of PEPY's projects), PEPY staff often become student's first role models while building their capacity to achieve their dreams through academic, technical, and professional training- enabling them to make changes they wish to see in their communities. Through PEPY, students' rates of moving onto higher education and obtaining skilled employment are increasing. PEPY's approach to education development is different because they focus on high school and higher education students, an age group often overlooked, while targeting remote areas where higher education is uncommon and often financially impossible. PEPY's programs are comprehensive and go beyond typical scholarship programs, guaranteeing that students graduate and all of them find jobs while they are still in school.

The Hastings Center addresses social and ethical issues in health care, science, and technology. Through our projects and publications, The Hastings Center shapes ideas that influence key opinion leaders, including health policy-makers, regulators, health care professionals, lawyers, legislators, and judges. Our analyses also influence professional practice: from end-of-life care to psychiatric practice to immigrant health care, we have helped to shape the standards of practice adopted by physicians, nurses, and lawyers. Founded in 1969 by philosopher Daniel Callahan and psychoanalyst Willard Gaylin, The Hastings Center is the oldest independent, nonpartisan, interdisciplinary research institute of its kind in the world.

The Center for Neighborhood Technology was founded to develop and test new sustainable economic development strategies and act as resource for local organizations working to improve their neighborhoods. Over the years it has assumed a number of different roles: spearheading research, analysis, and mapping; convening, staffing, and managing consortia and partnerships; developing and demonstrating new economic development tools and strategies; organizing policy campaigns; and acting as a funding intermediary. All of these roles have addressed, in different ways , how to take better advantage of the urban environment and its many undervalued assets--transportation networks, social networks, density, and natural infrastructure--in ways that deliver tangible benefits to households and communities.

With the goal of helping under-served communities in India, Nepal, and Tibet receive the vital services they need, Karuna-Shechen was founded in 2000 by Matthieu Ricard (www.matthieuricard.org), renown TED speaker, author, and humanitarian. We strive to reduce inequalities and work toward a fairer and more compassionate world. We trust that communities can be lifted out of poverty, that change is possible, and that the well-being of every individual, regardless of race, gender, class, or caste, is essential. We believe that building on local strengths and knowledge is the most efficient way to respond to the specific needs and aspirations of our beneficiaries. Rooted in the ideal of "compassion in action", we serve others with joy and determination by cultivating altruism in our hearts and actions. We provide vulnerable and disadvantaged populations access to health care, education and vocational training, clean water, solar electricity, and other sustainable solutions that offer options to find a livelihood and a better life. We work with a grassroots network of local partners, and give special attention to the education and empowerment of girls and women. Karuna-Shechen's name expresses its mission while paying homage to its roots: Karuna means "compassion" in Sanskrit, and Shechen is the name of a major monastery in Tibet.

Founded in 2004 by a group of young professionals who believed people can make a difference, HandsOn Shanghai is an officially registered non-profit organization with the Shanghai Civil Affair Bureau since 2010. Governed by a board of 11 members, the HandsOn Shanghai volunteer platform helps to bridge the divide that exists between individuals who are looking to give back to their community and the organizations that would benefit from the support that volunteers can provide. With a primary objective of providing flexible volunteer opportunities for busy professionals and serving local charities in needs, HOS manages a big group of volunteers and a diverse range of community service projects in Shanghai Currently we engage more than 2500 volunteers each month through more than 150 local service projects. Projects that benefit the young and old through long term, committed, partnerships with more than 75 project partners. With our mission is to promote volunteerism, inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world, we envision a world in which individuals, students, and corporate leaders are able to discover (and harness) their power to make a difference, participate as volunteers, and participants in the development of healthy, vibrant, and resilient communities.

The Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology for the Environment (CREATE!) was established in 2008 to help rural populations in the developing world prepare for water, food, and fuel shortages resulting from the impact of climate change on their communities. CREATE! operates on the principle that all people have a right to water, food, shelter, energy, and the means to earn a living. We work with village populations to meet these needs through a culturally respectful, participatory process grounded in our belief that people must have a stake in their development and contribute towards solving their own problems. The cooperative groups in our beneficiary villages have already demonstrated the validity of this approach. CREATE! currently operates in Senegal. Senegal is representative of many Sub-Saharan African countries that are hardest hit by the increasingly disastrous effects of global climate change. CREATE! responds to the inter-connected crises generated by climate change with strategies that decrease dependence on fossil fuels, conserve natural resources, and increase the use of appropriate technologies. Our programs produce sustainable, human needs-based development at the village level while forging resilient and vibrant communities across rural Senegal. CREATE! seeks to face these challenges and assist rural Senegalese residents with small-scale, accessible, and "appropriate" technologies - technologies that are adapted to, and fit, their local conditions - and with human needs-based strategies that can both better their lives and build their capacity to meet these inter-connected challenges. CREATE! works in six villages in two regions of Senegal. One region is in the rural north of Senegal, centered around Linguere in the Louga Region, where CREATE! implements programs in the village of Ouarkhokh. The other region is in the central-west of Senegal, centered around Gossas in the Fatick Region. CREATE! implements program activities in five villages in this region. The total beneficiary population of the six villages is approximately 12,000 people, comprised of both agricultural and pastoral peoples. The average per capita annual income of the population in these villages is approximately $350 a year. In each of these villages, CREATE! staff work closely with local and traditional authorities, including village chiefs and imams, in addition to other community leaders, families, and public schools. CREATE! values the expertise and input of community members and strives to incorporate their knowledge and participation into each stage of our programs. As a registered NGO in Senegal, CREATE! works with government officials from the regional office of the Department of Water and Forestry. CREATE! also respects the Senegalese government's strategic development goals for rural communities. Although CREATE!'s administrative office is located in the United States, CREATE! relies on local Senegalese staff and volunteers to plan and implement successful development interventions. Barry Wheeler, CREATE! Founder and Executive Director, has spent the past 27 years working to alleviate suffering and to provide basic human needs for rural villagers, displaced persons, and refugees in several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. After serving in the Peace Corps for six years as an Improved Cook Stove and Appropriate Technology volunteer, trainer, and technical advisor in Togo, Barry earned a Master's degree in International Agriculture and Rural Development from Cornell University. Barry has served as Country Director for the American Refugee Committee's programs in Uganda, Sudan, and Rwanda; as a consultant for UNICEF and UNHCR; and as a team leader and training coordinator in local capacity building, renewable and appropriate technology, and sustainable rural development. CREATE! Chief Operations Officer Louise Ruhr has more than 30 years of private sector and nonprofit management experience and has spent the past eight years working with international NGOs, including the American Refugee Committee, to support women's cooperative groups in Rwanda and Senegal. CREATE! Country Director Omar Ndiaye Seck oversees program activities and conducts site visits in CREATE! communities. He also manages CREATE!'s finances and staff in Senegal. Omar closely collaborates with local and traditional authorities, community volunteers, and CREATE! staff to achieve both organizational and village goals.

Our mission is to promote sustainable village development in partnership with Cambodian people by helping to provide clean water, sanitation, educational opportunities, health care from birth onwards, improved nutrition, and economic empowerment. We work to increase awareness of environmental and social responsibility within families and communities by helping provide the necessary tools for villagers to improve their quality of life; feel pride and reach their highest potential. It is the fervent hope of the Cambodian Community Dream Organization to provide the following C - Commitment to access free quality education for all children C - Community involvement and honesty in all that we do D - Development of culture and living environment O - Opportunity to live a better life, breaking free of the poverty cycle