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Soles4Souls is a global not-for-profit institution dedicated to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty. Soles4Souls advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners, then distributing those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified micro-enterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Soles4Souls is committed to the highest standards of operating and governance, and holds a four-star rating with Charity Navigator.Soles4Souls distributes shoes and clothing in two ways. Most new items collected primarily from corporations and retailers are given directly to people in need, both in the U.S. and overseas. The organization has relationships with several of the world's leading apparel brands, which provides Soles4Souls with new but non-marketable overstocks, returns, discontinued models and other shoes or clothing items.At the same time, Soles4Souls receives millions of articles of used shoes and clothing that have been collected by individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners. After sorting items in its national warehouse system, Soles4Souls typically sells the used shoes and clothing, as well as some new items allocated by manufacturers, to carefully selected micro-enterprise organizations. These both private and non-profit companies are contracted to provide shipping, financing, inventory, training and other support to ultra-small businesses in countries like Haiti where there are virtually no jobs to generate personal income.Through the collection and sale of used (and new) clothing and shoes, Soles4Souls helps create self-sustaining jobs that generate desperately needed revenues throughout those communities. The sale of footwear and apparel to support micro-jobs also provides the majority of funding to sustain Soles4Souls operations and further expand its donations of new shoes and clothing.

OBAT Helpers works for the welfare, support, and rehabilitation of displaced and stateless people by providing programs to alleviate the daily suffering and burdens of thousands of Urdu speaking people (known as "Biharis") who are stranded in makeshift camps in Bangladesh. OBAT Helpers implements projects in education and vocational training, self- empowerment through micro-financing, health care with clinics, drinking water, proper sewerage, and emergency relief projects. The Biharis have been stranded in Bangladesh since it achieved independence from Pakistan in 1971. Referred to as, astranded Pakistanis,a this community was supposed to be repatriated to Pakistan after the two countries separated but most of them could not due to political complications. They are presently citizens of nowhere, unclaimed by either country and marked by the UNHCR as refugees, yet deprived of the rights of refugees. They still live in the camps/slums that were supposed to serve as their temporary shelter forty years ago. This population is scattered across sixty-six camps which house around 300,000 people. Anyone visiting these camps would see a family of 7-10 people sharing a living space of 8x10 ft.; open sewers and overflowing drains; a single toilet or two for one hundred or so people; innocent six or seven year olds who should be in schools, working for a living; high-infant mortality rates due to absence of medical facilities; lack of clean drinking water; terrible or no sanitation facilities and nothing but abject poverty. OBAT Helpers is the only organization in North America which is committed to helping the Biharis to become self-reliant and empowered through proper education, health care and micro financing projects. OBAT started with providing help to one camp in 2004, and now, it is improving the lives of people in more than 30 out of the total 66 camps, after just six years. This is almost half of the total number of camps in Bangladesh.

WMI was founded in November, 2007 by seven Washington DC area professional women to address women's economic disenfranchisement in rural East Africa. Two board members were working with a rural women's association in Sironko District, Uganda through a church project, and the village women asked for help to establish a loan program. WMI, unlike conventional aid initiatives, preserves its capital basis by providing loans rather than subsidies. WMI makes loans to impoverished women in developing nations who have no access to banks. Issuing affordable, collateral-free loans for as little as $50, WMI promotes women's economic empowerment to reduce global poverty. WMI's goal is to help poor women build assets to stabilize their income, improve their familiy's living standard, become advocates for their families/communities, and transition into independent banking and the formal economy. In its ten years of operation, WMI has created 13 geographical loan hubs in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, issuing over 40,000 loans totaling $5 million to 14,000 women. 5,000 have graduated from WMI's two-year loan and training program.

SosteNica promotes sustainable economic and community development in Nicaragua. Our loan programs strengthen Nicaraguan communities. The training and technical assistance programs we provide ensure the success of our rural borrowers. Our housing program embodies environmental values while affording low-income families a dignified place to live. In the U.S., SosteNica offers socially conscious investors an opportunity to use financial resources constructively, to have a positive impact on one of the poorest nations in the Americas, while preserving their capital and earning annual interest. Thanks to SosteNica, many of the productive poor of Nicaragua -- small farmers and micro-enterprises -- have access to credit that would be otherwise unavailable. The combination of thoughtful First World investment and careful socially conscious lending to Nicaragua's poorest creditworthy borrowers creates an opportunity for sustainable growth. We dream of rural Nicaraguan families owning their own land, and on that land, growing everything they need to lead healthy, happy lives. We dream of communities of Nicaraguan families supporting one another in good times and in difficult times, celebrating together, and grieving together. We dream of a verdant Nicaraguan landscape, an intact ecosystem free of toxins and pollutants, rich with biodiversity, clean air and fresh sweet water. We dream of ordinary Nicaraguan families having enough resources locally that they never think of emigrating to another country in search of work, families who love where they live and what they do. We dream of young families living in ecological homes built with their own hands out of locally available materials that are both beautiful and sustainable. We dream of a world in which people with resources in one country reach out their hands of support to people in another country struggling to make a sustainable life. We dream of a community of people in the US whose investments reflect their values, where doing good does not conflict with doing well. SosteNica gives US investors an opportunity to achieve their social and environmental as well as their financial dreams and values. With a portfolio of both invested and donated funds, SosteNica promotes natural building for low-income families, organic agro-ecology and reforestation for rural small landholders, and micro-credit for small credit-worthy businesses. More than just "socially responsible", SosteNica gives investors an opportunity to have an impact in a way that says: "I care about the future, as well as about the present."

Self-Help International (SHI) devotes its efforts to alleviating world hunger and poverty by providing opportunities to rural citizens that ultimately lead to self-reliance. Since its inception, Self-Help has served as a vessel; training, education, and opportunities are provided to rural citizens and whole communities in developing countries so that they can have better lives. MISSION STATEMENT: To alleviate hunger by helping people help themselves. SELF-HELP'S INITIATIVE Educate: We educate the people of the United States to understand the problems of life in developing countries particularly the awareness of the perpetual struggle by millions to produce and distribute food to battle persistent chronic hunger and poverty; we help tell their story Train: We train people in developing countries in the use of Quality Protein Maize (QPM). This increases crop yields and improves nutrition. We assist local farm families with planting, Improve: We improve infant and pre-school children's diets by administering an improved porridge feeding program. Made from QPM and pinches of barley malt, this combination has been proven to alleviate malnutrition, thwart sickness, and keep children in school so they can continue their education. Empower: We provide micro-credit loans for women to start small scale businesses. This availability of credit empowers women and increases their income - because they do not have access to traditional financing. Cooperate: We cooperate with other organizations and agencies in the introduction of appropriate farming practices or advancement in the battle against poverty and malnutrition.

VISION: A fair and poverty free society, where everyone has the opportunities needed to develop their capacities and fully exercise their rights MISSION: Work Tirelessly to overcome extreme poverty in slums, through training and joint action of families and youth volunteers. Furthermore, to promote community development, denouncing the situation in which the most excluded communities live. And lastly, to advocate for social policies with other actors in society. VALUES: Solidarity. It is an empathy with the most excluded families, which moves us to want to be and work alongside with them. Sharing their hardships and desires, to learn from their skills and perseverance, and to advocate against everything that excludes them and that does not recognize their rights as human beings. Conviction. To overcome poverty and injustice in our continent is possible. This certainty gives us the determination to work tirelessly and together with others to accomplish it. Placing challenging and high goals, as well as taking the necessary risks to go beyond all the fatalisms that surround us. Excellence. All of our work must be of high quality, given that it is intended for those less fortunate. Our work is rigorous, punctual, always creative and innovative. It is respectful of the commitments, perseverant in the face of difficulties, intelligent to recognize mistakes and correct them, and proactive in the search for solutions to the problems that arise along the way. Diversity. At TECHO, all young people are welcome, regardless of ethnic or social backgrounds, religious belief, political choices or sexual orientation. We are sure that our differences are an asset in joining forces for that which unites us: the fight against extreme poverty in our continent. Optimism. We look at the future with hope, without being naive, because we believe that it is possible to defeat the injustice that we see today. We move forward towards this future working with joy, because as young people we recognize what a privilege it is to dedicate our lives to make our world a more human and equal place for everyone.

The African SOUP's Vision is to transform the lives of Ugandan youth through education system reform. The African SOUP leads a national education reform effort through Active Learning and provides educational opportunities to vulnerable children in rural eastern Uganda. The African SOUP School utilizes the following strategies to fulfill our vision: The African SOUP Model School Secondary Enrichment Program The Active Learning Project Baby SOUP SOUP Model School Mission: To educate, nurture, and inspire scholars to unleash their potential and that of their community. Vision: The African SOUP School will become the premier active learning model school in Uganda Active Learning Project Mission: To improve the quality of primary education across Uganda through the implementation of active learning. Vision: The African SOUP's Active Learning Project will bring active learning into every primary classroom and teacher training college in Uganda. Secondary Enrichment Program Mission: To provide secondary scholarship support, mentorship and leadership training to African SOUP School Alumni so that they develop the skills needed to meet their potential and transform their community. Vision: The African SOUP's Secondary Enrichment Program will produce leaders who will transform their community. Baby SOUP Mission: To serve vulnerable children and pregnant mothers by providing health education, growth monitoring, and nutritional supplements to ensure holistic child development. Vision: The African SOUP Emma's Baby SOUP Program envisions a future where every child has the ability to survive and thrive in Namutumba District. Sustainability Mission: To cover all organizational operating costs through local, income-generating projects. Vision: The African SOUP will become a financially independent and secure Ugandan NGO.

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.

Outreach Uganda is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Colorado and dedicated to helping empower Ugandans, especially women and children, to rise out of poverty. To do this, we work with village groups in Uganda to bring hope and improve lives, especially in the areas of education, women's empowerment, and self-sufficiency through job creation. Initially, our village groups help support themselves and their families through sales of paper beaded jewelry and other craft items. The beaders save money from their bead sales so they can then start own group or individual businesses to supplement their income and eventually we hope it will be their main source of income. Micro-credit loans from their group's internal revolving loan fund provides additional help for the ladies to either start businesses or further expand their existing businesses to a level that will help them rise above poverty. As an organization, we emphasize to both our donors and our clients that we believe in truly empowering those we help. In everything we do, we seek to be a partner with those we serve so that they do not become dependent on us, and so that we do not take away their spirit of wanting to help themselves. We believe that income-generation of the women, and education of the children is the way that families can truly become empowered. But it is essential to take a holistic approach and focus on multiple areas, all of which impact the woman's income-generation potential. For instance, a woman must be relatively healthy to be a successful business owner. Therefore, we must also help a woman address issues of health. For many of our women in northern Uganda, agriculture and the raising of cash crops will be key to their income generation potential. Therefore, agricultural issues, water issues and even land access and rights become important areas to address.

NicaWorks! seeks to help impoverished Nicaraguans break out of the cycle of intergenerational poverty into which they were born by providing, or increasing, access to education, healthcare, food security, vocational training, leadership development, and youth mentoring with a special focus on children, at-risk teens and adults, and single mothers. Nicaragua is the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Empower, educate and employ people of all abilities.

PeaceTrees Vietnam is dedicated to the healing of communities impacted by the consequences of war. We sponsor the removal of explosive remnants of war, provide survivor assistance and mine risk education, promote community building projects including kindergartens and libraries, and engage in citizen diplomacy.