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Melel Xojobal is a children's rights organization based in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. Our mission is to promote and defend the rights of indigenous children and young people through participatory educational programs that improve their quality of life. At Melel Xojobal we work in a participatory manner to promote the strengthening of indigenous cultural identity, to defend human rights, to strengthen personal and cultural dignity, to ensure that justice and liberty are respected, and that the participation of all is ensured regardless of race, gender, creed, religious affiliation or ideology. We believe that education is a fundamental means by which people exercise self-determination and become the authors of their own history. Melel Xojobal's specific objectives are: 1. To implement participatory educational programmes with indigenous girls, boys, and young people to promote and defend their rights to health, education, protection from mistreatment, to regulated conditions of work, association and expression. 2. To generate through ongoing research a better understanding of child welfare, human rights and education in an urban context. 3. To inform and educate the Mexican public about the human rights of indigenous girls, boys, and young people of Chiapas. 4. To exchange and share ideas and experiences from a human rights perspective which relate to indigenous infant, childhood, and adolescent education among organizations on a national and international level. All of our work is guided by the aim of protecting and promoting five human rights established by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Rights to health, to education, to protection against all forms of mistreatment, to work, and to freedom of expression and association). Our work responds to the situation of indigenous peoples in Mexico, who account for around 10% of the population, and continue to live in conditions that marginalise them socially, economically and politically and which push them to the edge of society. To provide an indication of the need for our work: according to government statistices, in the city we work in, in 2010 61% of the population had no formal right to medical services; 24% of the population aged 3-18 did not attend school. In 2010 we formally counted 2,481 child workers in the city. In 2005 in Chiapas as a whole, 71% of the population under 14 lived in municipalities classified as being at high or extreme risk of malnutrition; in some municipalities infant mortality rates 75 in a 1000, on a par with several countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Perched atop the buried pre-classic Maya city of Chocola, the village of Chocola on the back slopes of the volcanoes that form Lake Atitlan, is poverty stricken yet poised to become a model of cultural celebration and self-sufficiency. What it needs most is leadership training and technical support to develop its potential for diversified agriculture, archeological-tourism, health care for its families and education for its children. In its simplest terms, the mission of Seeds for a Future is to help this impoverished community plan and achieve prosperity based on balanced development principles that protect cultural tradition, the natural environment and preserve the Mayan and post-colonial history of the town. Seeds for a Future traces its roots to the period from 2003 through 2006 when many Earthwatch Institute volunteers came to Chocola to work on the archaeological site, which was then being excavated under license from the Guatemalan government. The volunteers embraced being associated with an important archaeological endeavor and learned about the vast pre-Classic Maya city that may hold keys to the early development of Mayan language, system of time and other fundamental cultural practices. At the same time, many of us fell in love with the community, its families and children and the fabulous, healthy mountain environment. As a result, groups of volunteers organized to help a community struggling with terrible poverty and deprivation to find a way to prosperity without destroying their way of life or the delicate balance of their natural environment. A vision emerged among a core of volunteers, Guatemalan visionaries and local leaders in which Chocola is seen as lifting itself into a more healthy and prosperous community based on its historic farming skills, adding value to its coffee, vegetable and cacao producers and through community cooperative action. In the future, there is great promise for the development of Chocola as a tourist destination based on archaeo-tourism; conservation of the natural resources in which the community is embedded and conservation of one of the first and greatest coffee processing plants (beneficios) established during the 1890s. But we also discovered in the early years that before Chocola could begin to realize its potential, the people needed training in identifying their own vision for the future, learning to work together and acquiring the technical skills needed for success. Overcoming 500 years of economic and social servitude is not easily done, but real progress is being made and our program has been recognized as ground-breaking, by the Guatemalan Ministry of Culture and others. Four operating principles guide the work we do: We provide information and technical assistance to the people of Chocola to help them evaluate new opportunities and to plan. We provide direct funding and other forms of support for community requests for assistance on specific projects. These requests must come through Chocola leadership and must demonstrate sustainability and a willingness and capability of the community to provide part of the needed resources. All programs must aim at achieving self-sufficiency. We will help with programs that governmental agencies believe may be of value, provided that they too meet the same test as is noted for the community above. All such requests must be consistent with our mission to help the people and do no harm to either the Maya archaeological site or to the 1890 Coffee Finca site. In all of our programs we try to ensure that the participants become more engaged in the social and civil fabric, that they gain self confidence in their ability to change their own future for the better, and that we provide knowledge and coaching for a sufficient period of time that their activities and new ideas become self-sustaining in the community.

Mission: Hope Foundation for African Women (HFAW) is a nonpartisan not for profit national grassroots organization committed to women and girls empowerment, their sexual and reproductive health and human rights as well as elimination of gender disparities in all our communities. We work for the empowerment of grassroots women and girls through income generating activities and education about their rights. We address gender inequalities through raising awareness, trainings, motivating, inspiring and mentoring the women and organizations we work with. Our identity statement: We have firm believe in the power of ordinary people to change their situation and seek to unveil it Guiding Principle: To promote gender equality and equity for all Core Strategies: HFAW has adopted the strategies in addressing gender inequalities. We work with grassroots women and women's organizations to facilitate women's empowerment. We do this through various means: Engaging them in economic growth through individual and group projects Providing skills to address sexual and reproductive health knowledge and services Involving them in innovative strategies to total eradication of female genital mutilation (FGM) Supporting them to question gender based violence and use whatever formal or informal means available to them to end this vice in their community We mentor women with self-advocacy skills and motivate them to be leaders in their families and communities Educate women on their rights as guaranteed in the 2010 constitution We build the capacity of women to promoters of health, safe environment and other rights Our Core Values -To fight against marginalization of individuals -To be professional, confidential and respectful -Commitment to women's empowerment and seek respectful teamwork with individuals and groups and to uphold every person's human dignity and to do our work with utmost integrity, honesty, transparency and accountability -We have passion, calm and logic in our work to eliminate gender disparities Our History: HFAW was started in August 2011 by Dr. Grace B. Mose Okong'o and Mrs. Hellen Njoroge as a response to debates in our country that suggest that Kenya's women are not ready or willing to take up political leadership positions to fill the one third constitutional mandate. Currently only a few seats in the National Assembly are occupied by women, we have not met the 1/3 mandate. HFAW leaders see the problem as originating from our extreme patriarchal society which discriminates against women. Advancing women's participation in leadership has to start with addressing the whole spectrum of inequalities at the grassroots. We must address economic and educational inequalities. Women have to be economically empowered and educated about their constitutional and women's human rights. HFAW leaders are engaging women in civic education, women's rights, violence against women, reproductive health and services, and total eradication of FGM.We have started with two marginalized communities of Kisii and Maasai where FGM practice is universal with nearly 97% girls undergoing it. This practice is so detrimental physically but also mentally as it socializes women to accept their poverty and low status position in their families, communities and nation. The overall goal of this project is to improve economic and health of poor and vulnerable women,and advance human rights of Kenyan women and families through education, leadership training and the development of community health teams. One of our current objective is to adopt popular education model as implemented by EPES Foundation in South America to train 30 health and human rights promoters to work in rural villages in Nyamira. We will use the model to eradicate FGM in these communities; advance reproductive health, economic prosperity and human rights. Ultimately these women will lead much higher quality life and participate in their families and nation as full human beings.

Kenya Keys unlocks the potential of students in impoverished Kenyan communities, raising awareness and bridging cultures to provide education, mentorship, leadership development and girl empowerment opportunities. In the rural Kinango District of Kenya there are many obstacles to education, but there is one organization working hard to remove those barriers for as many young Kenyans as possible. That group is Kenya Keys and its purpose is to unlock the enormous potential of young people in Kenya. Kenya Keys is a vibrant demonstration that one person really can make a big difference. In June 2005, Rinda Hayes and her daughter traveled to the remote village of Bahakwenu in the impoverished Kinango District in Kenya. Rinda was stunned by the extreme poverty she found in Bahakwenu. She was also inspired by the tenacity of the children in the village, who longed to get an education. She had never observed such a single-minded desire to learn. Perhaps no Kenyan impressed Rinda more than Joseph Mwengea, the Headmaster of Bahakwenu Primary School. Joseph is an intelligent and driven man and a determined advocate for his students. As he and Rinda met together during her first visit to his village, he pleaded with her to help him help the students of Bahakwenu. He watched bright and capable students leave primary school with little or no hope of attending secondary school due to their inability to pay the required fees. After her visit, Rinda was determined to share her stories of this community and the people who had so impressed her with her friends in the United States. She believed she could find caring American individuals and families that would be able to provide financial support for top Kenyan students, enabling these students to complete a secondary education. The Kenya Keys sponsorship program began with 14 students. Five years later it became the nonprofit organization of Kenya Keys. Kenya Keys has supported hundreds of students - to secondary school and now into college and university. And that's not all. Kenya Keys' work has expanded to include multiple worthwhile related programs. Kenya Keys works with local communities to improve educational infrastructure and resources, such as libraries, dormitories, classrooms, desks, and more. The Kenya Keys Boards of Directors (one in the U.S. and one in Kenya) also provide financial and other support to grassroots organizations run by local Kenyan community leaders and councils. Each of these components of Kenya Keys' efforts in rural Kenya is described more fully in the following section. Everything Kenya Keys does is guided by its founding principles: First, education is the primary key to unlocking potential, both for the individual and for the community. Second, cultural awareness and exchange is vital and enriching for all participants. We live in an increasingly connected world, and exposure to new cultures and ideas is key to creating understanding and appreciation for one's own culture and for the cultures of others. Third, opportunities, not handouts, are what make a lasting difference. There should be no giving of things that run out or wear out. Giving such things only increases dependency, invites discontent, and isolates the givers from the receivers. Instead, giving should empower the receiver and provide an enduring benefit. Fourth: volunteerism is fundamental to the success of an organization. Nonprofit groups run by volunteers remain strong and dynamic. Volunteerism also connects global citizens in a meaningful way. Fifth, education provides the best defense against the ranges of poverty and hopelessness, and is the greatest catalyst for change and growth. Sixth, all critical decisions should be made by local leaders and councils. Local leaders and community members know their own needs and circumstances far better than any outsider, however well-intentioned. Allowing local people to make key decisions gives them vital ownership and accountability. It also provides the opportunity for these individuals to develop crucial leadership skills. Kenyans will always find the best solutions to the deep-seated challenges in their communities. Finally, education and the development of leadership skills in today's youth is critical to building the future leaders of Kenya.

Our two fold mission: To harness the power of dance and dance movement therapy to heal, empower and transform individuals into active citizens and change makers. To build the ecosystem for DMT for Change across Asia and create leaders and changemakers in the field, especially from underprivileged communities. KS's work addresses three Sustainable Development Goals: Gender Equality, Eradication of Poverty and Good Health and Well Being.The core of KS's work takes place in community settings. This consists of the conducting of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) sessions for survivors of trafficking, survivors of sexual violence, people with mental illnesses and other marginalized communities. The NGO has created a unique, culturally contextualized module of DMT known as Sampoornata (fulfillment). KS's DMT-for-change model redefines a survivor's relationship with her/his body and helps her/him to overcome trauma, guilt, and shame. Sampoornata is designed to be a vehicle for empowerment: DMT process enables them to form a vision for their life and live with confidence and positivity. Along with this KS has developed its dance based module on sexual and reproductive health and rights that aims to install positive gender relations amongst adolescents. In this way, KS is contributing to the Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality. Women and girl children are empowered to overcome social stigma and restrictions and make independent choices. By encouraging women and girl children to seek employment, KS contributes to the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating poverty. Another way in which the NGO contributes to this goal is through its 'childhood to livelihood approach'. Through this approach, individuals who have gone through the DMT process and who want to take it up as a profession go through a two-year Training of Trainers (TOT) programmed, after which they can be employed as Dance Movement Therapy practitioners. In this sense, they use the arts for economic progress. Additionally, the participants of the TOT programme go through capacity building, from which they get a range of skills that enable them to be employed in various other jobs. Most importantly, the TOT programme creates a new set of change makers from amongst the community. KS contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Good Health and Well Being, not only by helping individuals overcome their trauma but also by working in community, institutional care and Health Care Settings. KS conducts DMT in marginalized communities, mental hospitals for people living with mental illnesses. . The activities and aims of the DMT sessions are specially modified to suit the clients. Sampoornata has contributed greatly to developing services that help expand our understanding of mental health and aid in the development of cost effective, sustainable services that are less intrusive and easy to replicate across populations. WORKING POPULATION: Kolkata Sanved believes that everyone has the right to live a life of dignity. Often there are many structural barriers that deprive marginalized communities of this basic entitlement. Therefore Kolkata Sanved aims to reach out to these communities to ensure their rights. This includes Working with children, youth and adolescence: Childhood is a period with potential the potential to influence developmental outcomes. KS work's work with young people include helping them optimal development outcomes. KS works with all categories of young people. Its general well being program is aimed at children in general whereas its direct intervention programs are aimed at children who are at risk. Groups falling within this category are 1. Children and youth living in: Red light areas Railway platforms Rural and urban slums Government and NGO-run shelter homes Children in conflict with Law School children 2. Working with survivors of trafficking exploitation and violence: Most survivors of violence undergo intense trauma, KS helps to empower survivors through their trauma based interventions so they can reclaim their lives. This works on fulfilling the goals of gender equity and good health and well being. In lieu of their work KS found that a lot of violence happens in the context of gender based discrimination. For this purpose KS launched the module on sexual and reproductive health and rights that enables adolescents to work towards the goal of gender equity. This unique model uses dance as a tool of education and awareness. 3. People living with mental illness (PLMI): KS works with people living with mental illness to help in the process of their recovery. Through its general well being program KS ensures PLMI are able to gain the life skills necessary for reintegration. 4. Secondary stakeholders and beneficiaries include, care providers, academy participants, researchers and stakeholders within the government sector. KS also reaches out to other civil society members through campaign.

We are here to serve, guide, and help everyone who enters our site or doors. If you are here, we are here for you.

ChicagoCAC believes that freedom from abuse and exploitation is a basic human right and strives to always provide the highest standard of care to the children and families who come to the Center. Our mission is to unite public, private and community partners to ensure the safety, health and well-being of abused children in the City of Chicago.

MISSION To eradicate extreme poverty in rural areas of southern India. To improve the living conditions of India's most disadvantaged groups, enhance their dignity and self-esteem, and help them achieve the necessary means to combat poverty. To ensure sustainable development with the active involvement and leadership of the communities. To reach as many poor people as possible and help organize them both individually and as community-based organizations, affording them strength, confidence, and the ability to lead their own development. To transform the semi-desert land through a holistic approach involving land, water, vegetation, and livestock development and to ensure the people live in harmony with natural resources. To sensitize men and women to the inherent discrimination and violence against women in both family and society, and to develop appropriate support systems and networks to fight such discrimination. To help people with disabilities gain equal rights and opportunities in every area of development, as well as access to all resources and services related to health, education, livelihood, and rehabilitation, helping them live a dignified life. To build a dynamic and creative organization that strives to participate in all development efforts and is spiritual in its motivation, based on knowledge and skills, shares the aspirations and struggles of the poor, and, though permanent in time, adapts to the changing times and needs. To raise public awareness about the living conditions of the rural and urban poor and to promote a more caring society. VISION For everyone from poor and oppressed communities to live with justice, dignity, and socioeconomic equality, and for all people to live in peace and harmony with one another. For people to live in harmony with nature, on land capable of sustaining its population. VALUES Permanence: We are a long-term project. Respect: We respect the people's culture and customs. Participation: We encourage the active participation and leadership of our stakeholders. Action: We have an action-based work philosophy. Accountability: We believe in efficient and accountable program and financial management. Humanism: We are strong believers in people and their capacity to help others. OUR PRINCIPLES RDT-Vicente Ferrer believes that people are the main actors in their development process and ensures their active involvement and leadership in the programs. The organization endorses a multi-sectoral approach with a view to enhancing people's overall progress. As a result, RDT addresses all major areas of development, including access to quality education, improved livelihoods, ecologyand the environment, equal opportunities for people with disabilities, women's development and empowerment, and access to healthcare. We organize, at a grassroots level, women, men, andpeople with disabilities into groups to enhance their strength, confidence, and ability to resolve their own issues and problems. An important RDT-Vicente Ferrer approach is the continuous sharing of knowledge, skills, and awareness about all aspects of life. Collaboration with the government and other NGOs to draw maximum benefits from development. To raise people's awareness and support their use of government schemes and resources. Though the organization has a special program forwomen's development, it believes that women's progress should be a factor in every area of work and life, including education, where emphasis is placed on young girls, and healthcare, for the overall well-being of women and girls. We believe in continuous training and orientation for staff members and people. We also have an HR department that regularly organizes internal and external training sessions for staff members of all levels and people on leadership, group building, problem solving, and gender-related matters, among others. To create an efficient human organization capable of acting regardless of where the need arises, even in emergencies. We believe that we must have a strong organization focused on community development, yet flexible and able to accommodate the changing needs of the people. RDT-Vicente Ferrer also stresses continuous dialogue with people and seeks to ensure its programs are useful and practical. An empathetic approach to helping individuals in severe distress due to chronic or acute illness, abandonment, or abuse of any kind.

No one will die of an illness because (s)he couldn't afford the medical treatment. No one will be denied school or college education because (s)he couldn't pay the fees. No one will remain unemployed because (s)he couldn't afford to hone a skill and earn a livelihood. No one's financial capacity will hold him/her back if (s)he wants to give. At ImpactGuru.com, India's largest online crowdfunding or fundraising platform, we believe that every social cause deserves a chance to succeed. We help people to raise funds for NGOs, for themselves and/or help others in need.

Our name highlights the necessity to take care of the future, the desire and the need to develop the world in which we live in. Children represent the first beneficiaries of the future and thus are the clearest symbol on how important it is to build a future together, starting today. Our organization is active in cooperation towards development, the integration of various cultures and the growing partnership based on solidarity. All of these aspects combined provide an equal and sustainable growth that we aim to achieve and value deeply. We are a group of people from various religious backgrounds with shared goals, who believe in the collaboration of mankind towards the construction of a common future.

THE BLINDNESS FOUNDATION works in Burma/Myanmar,Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines & Thailand. Our mission is: "HELP US,HELP OTHERS, HELP THEMSELVES" -working with local eye Doctors in these SE Asian countries to help prevent & cure blindness. This is achieved through education, training and mission supply for outreach cataract surgery programs to the rural & urban poor . To date for example we have over the last two decades, contributed lens implants that have been implanted in over 65,000 patients' eyes to help them see again -curing their blindness. Ongoing training and education, upgrades the knowledge and skill -sets of young Eye Doctors in training so that they can treat their own people better, without reliance on outside Ophthalmologists. This builds their health care systems closer to modern world standards. We respond to specific requests for assistance in placing young Eye Doctors in residency & Fellowship programs out of country , Also supply of anti-fungals for the Burmese fishermen with corneal infections after the Nargis Cyclone hit the Irawaddy delta region of Myanmar. Our goal is sustainable self-sufficiency for eye care in these developing nations. We have annual missions that incorporate training & lectures at university based teaching hospitals where possible to assist their development. During these missions we process requests for equipment, traing and supplies and coordinate with industry in the US to raise supplies. Your funding helps develop the third world and truly ,you do ,indeed, "make a difference" Thank You, CHRISTOPHER LYON, MD PhD Director THE BLINDNESS FOUNDATION

The Girlz with Goals Leadership Center is a grassroots movement and community-based organization working to help girls of all backgrounds develop the qualities needed to become future leaders. At Girlz with Goals we believe in the development and growth of every girl. Our program strives to inspire girls to be strong, beautiful and brilliant with programming that focuses on academic achievement, a healthy lifestyle, and life-skills. Our programs teach girls to develop a love of learning, manage money, develop healthy relationships, deal with peer pressure, critically examine global events, and be physically active. All programs are designed to drive positive outcomes for girls and reinforce necessary life skills.