For those folk who would like to give, through a personally
constructed 'tithing' system, or simply when there is a little extra to spare,
we have put together here a list of charities that we'd like to recommend.
Please note, our research is limited, because we don't know
people who work on the inside for every one of these charities. If you have
information that you'd like to share, please let us know. And if you have
any charities that you feel should be on this list, let us know (there are
big gaps in the list) ...
ethical [at] druidnetwork [dot] org
In line with the article on Tithing,
and the idea of giving a little every month, the charities are divided into
months upon fairly artificial lines! We start at Samhain, the close of the
old year, the beginning of a new cycle ...
November
The hospice movement, caring for the dying, is an extremely
valuable part of our society. Many hospices are underfunded, struggling for
the resources they need to ease people through the journey into the otherworlds.
Instead of giving nationally, it is a sound idea to support a hospice close
to you. In Britain, you can find local hospices on this website :
http://www.hospiceinformation.info/findahospice/local.asp
December
ACTION AID
http://www.actionaid.org
Action Aid is an international development agency whose key
aim is to fight poverty worldwide. Established in 1972, they are now in a
position of helping over 13 million of the world's poorest and most disadvantaged
people in 42 countries worldwide.
Albeit a large organization, we at TDN have confidence (afforded
through a member who worked for the charity) that their work is valuable,
effective and efficient. Instead of imposing 'first world' solutions, wherever
they are involved Action Aid works with local partners to make the most of
their own knowledge and experience, allowing communities to throw off poverty
through their own strength, ever ensuring that help given is well grounded,
rooted and nourished from within. Among other crises, they are working specifically
with education, trade justice and HIV/AIDs.
Donate : http://www.actionaid.org/106/donate_now.html
January
PETA
http://www.peta.org.uk/
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an international
organization, established in the USA in 1980. The premise of their work is
the belief that 'animals deserve the most basic rights – consideration
of their own best interests, regardless of whether they are useful to humans.
Like you, animals are capable of suffering and have interests in leading their
own lives; therefore, they are not ours to use – for food, clothing,
entertainment, experimentation, or for any other reason. PETA educates policymakers
and the public about cruelty to animals and promotes an understanding of the
right of all animals to be treated with respect. PETA works through public
education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special
events, celebrity involvement and direct action.'
Some may feel they are a fairly radical organization, while
others are relieved to find a well-respected, well-reputed group working with
such commitment for all non-human animals with whom we share this beautiful
globe.
Donate : http://www.peta.org.uk/jnew/index.asp?eid=6
February
UNICEF
The United Nations Children's Fund
http://www.unicef.org/
Funded by voluntary contributions, this is an important organization
that doesn't only respond in emergencies but works for the ongoing improvement
of conditions for children worldwide.
The website says, it prioritizes 'Quality basic education
for all, especially girls; Reaching every child with life-saving vaccines;
The best start in life, survival, growth and early learning; Building a protective
environment for children,' and much more.
Donate : http://www.supportunicef.org/site/pp.asp?c=iuI1LdP0G&b=45523
March
THE WORLD DEVELOPMENT MOVEMENT
http://www.wdm.org.uk
(text taken from their website)
'The World Development Movement (WDM) tackles the underlying
causes of poverty. We lobby decision makers to change the policies that keep
people poor. We research and promote positive alternatives. We work alongside
people in the developing world who are standing up to injustice.'
The WDM asserts that there is both the wealth and means to
end poverty, worldwide, yet governments and private corporations don't help.
Trade and aid policies keep the poor poor.
WDM offer the following figures :
- nearly half the world's population live on less than £1.40 a day.
- 11 million children die from poverty-related illness each year.
- The 3 richest men in the world are wealthier than th4 48 poorest countries
combined.
- For every £1 of aid going into poor countries, multinational companies
take out 66p of profits.
WDM assert that we can influence the decisions that retain this deadlock.
Lobbying the decision-makers in governments, industry and the WTO, and researching
and developing new policy option that support sustainable development, WDM
challenges the powerful with regard to trade agreements, debt, aid and more.
Donate : http://www.wdm.org.uk/support/donate/index.htm
WDM, Freepost (WC4268), London SW9 7BR, England
Tel : 0800 328 2153.
April
TREE AID
http://www.treeaid.org.uk/
'TREE AID has a vision to see thriving, self-reliant
communities in Africa's drylands. It is working towards this by reversing
poverty and environmental degradation for some of the most threatened people
on earth, through skills transfer and community forest and income generation
projects.'
This is a beautiful project for Druids to support, for it
enables the planting of trees (appropriate to the environment and the community)
that bring their own natural physical and spiritual wealth to a region. Instead
of carrying out its own projects, the charity funds local organizations that
are already working within village communities. Providing back-up in terms
of training, they aim to strengthen the technical and management capacity
of those they work with, ensuring local expertise wherever possible, so that
the projects can continue even when funding has run out.
Donate : http://www.treeaid.org.uk/support_us.htm
Tree Aid, FREEPOST (BS 8866), Bristol BS2 8ZZ, England
May
SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL
http://www.survival-international.org
Survival help tribal people across the globe to defend their
lives, protect their lands and determine their own futures.
Donate :
http://www.survivalinternational.org/how_to_help.php?howto_help_id=1
June
PEACE DIRECT
http://www.peacedirect.org/
Peace Direct is an organization that works for peace at grass
roots levels, by creating partnership groups where individuals address conflicts
through a committed non-violent policy.
The UK's defence budget is £32 billion; with less than
2% of military spending aimed at preventing conflict, Peace Direct works to
refocus resources, particularly in terms of supporting the extremely powerful
movement of community peacemakers. All their work is based within a vision
of a large-scale long-term peace movement, and each step they take is upon
that current.
They currently have groups working in Congo, Sierra Leone,
Kenya, Uganda and Iraq.
Donate : http://www.peacedirect.org/we-need-you/donate-now.html
July
COMPASSION IN WORLD FARMING
http://www.ciwf.org.uk/
Compassion in World Farming is a campaign group that focuses
on farm animals. Using hard hitting political lobbying, exposing cruelty to
farm animals, their high profile campaigns are designed to achieve better
standards and happier lives for farmed animals not just in the 'west', but
all around the world.
Their vision statement states : ‘CIWF seeks to
achieve the global abolition of factory farming and the adoption of agricultural
systems which meet the welfare needs of farm animals in the belief that this
will also benefit humanity and the environment.’
Donate by joining this organization, or simply sending them
a donation.
http://www.ciwf.org.uk/home/join.shtml
http://www.ciwf.org.uk/donate/index.html
CIWF, FREEPOST (G1/2198), Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3BR,
England.
Telephone : 01730 237 365
August
THE WORLD LAND TRUST
http://www.worldlandtrust.org/
'The World Land Trust is a conservation charity that
has helped purchase and protect over 300,000 acres of rainforest and other
threatened wildlife habitats worldwide. You can help us save even more.'
With David Attenborough as one of its patrons, this is a
charity that buys and conserves areas of rainforest and other endangered habitats.
It has a beautiful range of resources for education and to encourage support.
Donate : http://www.worldlandtrust.org/supporting/donation.htm
WLT, FREEPOST ANG20000, PO Box 27 Halesworth, Suffolk, IP19
8ZT, England
Telephone : 0845 054 4422
September
RAPID UK
http://www.rapidsar.org.uk
RAPID is an acronym from Rescue And Preparedness In Disasters.
It describes the work of this organization, formed in 1996 to meet the growing
international need as disasters become more frequent, whether caused by human
stupidity, poverty or powers of nature. Within just hours of a disaster occuring,
RAPID's self-sufficient, highly trained team can be on their way to help.
An NGO (non-governmental organization), it is run by volunteers
who give their time and expertise, and, as it states on the website, the
'primary objectives are the relief of human suffering and distress in any
part of the world resulting from disaster of any kind and the protection and
preservation of human life in particular, but not exclusively, by providing
suitably trained and experienced response teams free of charge upon receipt
of a request for assistance.'
RAPID-UK is part of the UN's International Search and Rescue
Advisory Group (INSARAG) and the British government's Department for International
Developments (DfID) response.
Donate : http://www.rapidsar.org.uk/index.cgi?content=5
October
DR HADWEN TRUST
http://www.drhadwentrust.org.uk/
The Dr Hadwen Trust is a registered charity dedicated to
finding alternatives to the use of animal experiments. They aim to achieve
this by funding and promoting research of the highest quality into many illnesses,
to create and develop new replacement methods that can save animals and advance
the understanding of human illnesses.
Their website states, 'Millions of animals continue to
be used in research and testing. Cats, dogs, rabbits, mice and other animals,
no different from those we care for as pets, are used in experiments which
can involve brain damage, lethal infections or heart attacks. As well as causing
pain and suffering, animal testing is scientifically unsatisfactory because
differences between people and animals can give rise to misleading results.'
The trust has successfully developed new medical techniques
that continue to save countless animals from unnecessary suffering.
Check the website and click the 'Support the Trust' link
for information about how to donate.
