Fighting international poverty club?Project ideas?

Question

I want to start a club at my high school that focuses on international poverty and relations. I really want to 'adopt a school/orphanage'. By having the ability to send supplies directly to that particular establishment. Do you a way that I can do that? Or do have any other project ideas?

Answer 1

That's a great project!

Do you have any particular country or school in mind? Ask around for teachers or classmates with family from another country who may know of schools there that you could partner with. Having someone make introductions will smooth out future relations.

Do you have any estimates about shipping costs? You can ask for donations for supplies and shipping; I would get friendly with the local DHL, UPS, or FedEx office and see if they might ship supplies for you for free or at discount.

There are a few programs that do something similar to what you want to do, here is some information:

http://www.sister-cities.org/sci/sciprog...

http://www.bighelp.org/bh/jsp/main.jsp?p...

http://members.aol.com/mozartsalz/school...

Good luck!

Answer 2

What a wonderful project!

Getting into the path of helping others is not an easy way to walk on. You have to be patient and let God be the unique Commander. The first thing you have to do is to call a tax (accounting) consultant in order to be Incorporated then be recognized by the IRS. I suggest you to call at 1800 393 6785 Eric Rogers & Co and ask for Alice Walsh there are the best in the US when it comes to Nonprofit.

   Seven years ago, I founded an humanitarian organization seeking to reduce worlwide poverty;  FHED, Inc (Foundation Humanitaire pour l' Education et le Développement) a tax- exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501 (c) (3). We are currently working in Haiti and we are aware of the disatrous effects of poverty, social stratification and political instability on its most vulnerable citizens, namely the women and children.  According to the Human Development index, Haiti has remained the poorest country in the western hemisphere over the past 25 years with over 80% of the population currently living below the poverty line and over half of the population living in extreme poverty.  The World Bank reports that at least 97% of the Haitian terrain is deforested and that Haiti has the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS outside of sub-Saharan Africa as well as the highest levels of illiteracy in the western hemisphere.

    We are seeking to develop a youth center in Carice, Haiti which will also serve the populations in the surrounding town of Mont-organisé. Carice is a city in rural northeast Haiti that shares a border with the Dominican Republic. It has a population of roughly 24,000 people and only 20% of parents can afford to send their children to scholl fulltime.  Currently, there are no recreational centers where the young people can go to express themselves in a productive and creative way.  Nor are there libraries where students can go to do research for school projects or to find out about what is going on in the world.  There are no opportunities for young people to gain training in the areas of basic math and literacy, leadership, social and political activism, health education and cultural education.  The youth center of Carice will engage and prepare youths to be active citizens of the community by training them in the areas of leadership and cooperative management, community building, drug and violence prevention, conflict resolution, and social justice. The Youth center of Carice will also teach young people to think critically and develop marketable job skills so they can find legitimate work in Haiti that can avoid young males to be coerced into harvesting sugar cane and young girls as s*x workers in Dominican Republic.  A youth center would be the first center of its kind that is neither religious nor politically based and that places an emphasis on the socio-political and cultural development of haitians youths.  In fact, it will be the only youth center in Carice and the northeast Department.  Providing for the increasing demands of the citizens of rural notheast Haiti in the areas of education, health care, and sustainable agriculture are some of the challenges that FHED faces as an NGO.  From that point,  we can work together, develop and explore the possiblities offered in the United States so we can make a big difference by bringing hope and a brilliant future to the haitian Youths. You can visit our website at www.fhedinc.org and make the organization, by forming a strong partnership, properous and more accountable to assist those in needs.

Answer 3

I need to collect money from the poor to fight poverty

Answer 4

There are many things to do but first you need to have knowledge. First I suggest that you visit the One Organization or Oxfam websites because they are leaders and know the issues.  Also I suggest you learn about Poverty Reduction Strategies worldwide. I also encourage you to learn about the economics of Pro-Poor Growth.

Answer 5

Not sure about what aspect of poverty you are looking at fighting (health care? food? water quality?) but if you are interested in fighting infectious diseases among some of the poorest of the poor, Dr. Paul Farmer in Haiti is doing great help to fight infectious diseases in the area. Search Yahoo! for "Partners in Health" (the charity his clinic works with) or "Mountains Beyond Mountains" (a book about his clinic and some of the problems with infectious diseases and why they are so hard to combat, good book club/charity club read! By: Tracy Kidder)

Answer 6

Great idea - the reality is it's cheaper to send money than actual items.  Find a charity that can handle the financial transactions on your behalf.