I’d like to share some charities in which I strongly believe and support.

Starfish Greathearts Foundation is an international development charity that is focused on supporting children in South Africa who have been orphaned by AIDS.  AIDS is South Africa’s largest threat, and as of 2010, approximately 2 million children will be orphaned in South Africa.  Starfish’s support is about opportunity and moves beyond simply monetary relief to addressing basic living, emotional, and educational concerns.  Their projects are community-based as Starfish believes that the children are best served through their local community.

Here’s a picture of my husband and I a few years back over Christmas throwing the kids from one of the projects we support a fun holiday party:

Heifer International creates sustainable solutions for impoverished families around the world, working with local groups and individuals to seamlessly integrate food and agricultural models that are ecologically sound and culturally relevant.  By providing livestock, seeds for farming, agricultural training and education, Heifer’s goal is based on the “teach a (wo)man to fish” model, focused on building self-reliance and hope.  Heifer’s Pass on the Gift approach requires that families share with other families in need the offspring of their animals as well as their resources and training to create a cycle of sustainability.

Charity: water’s mission is pretty straightforward: to bring safe, clean drinking water to individuals in developing countries.   Currently, charity: water’s projects are found in 17 countries around the world and are affected through local partners in the countries in which they work.  My favorite part: 100% of donations go directly to purchase materials, build water projects and provide training.