I’m a 7th grade teacher and am planning to have the kids write an essay for a contest.
The topic is **“If you could give $50 to one charity, which would you choose and why?” **
Now, the charity must be a real charity, so I want to give the kids some choices of some charities. I’m thinking that any charity that deals with children would be interesting to the kids, but don’t know a wide variety of them.
We’ve read about Child Labor and other issues involving kids, so they are interested in that topic. Do any Dopers know of some good charities I can recommend to the kids?
I’m also wondering if anywhere offers brief summaries of the charities that I could show to the kids.
As always, thanks!
By the way, the winner of the contest gets some cash to give to the charity they choose.
One child-friendly charity is The Heifer Project. In a nutshell, they give heifers or other animals to poor people, along with guidance in taking care of the animal, with the understanding that they will share the cow’s first calf with another family. A whole heifer costs $500, but one can buy a share of a heifer for $50 or some chickens and rabbits (or honeybees).
I’ve always had a soft spot for St. Jude’s Children’s hospital. As a kid, one of my friends was treated for cancer by them. Her family was very poor, but St. Jude’s gave her world-class treatment, as well as paying for her family’s lodging and other expenses.
The Railway Children helps runaway and abandoned children who live in and around the world’s railway stations. Working through partner organisations, the charity offers shelter, healthcare, education, training, protection and, above all, friendship.
How about Christian Children’s Fund or one of the several other charities with a similar mandate? I see it advertised frequently up here, but from the web page it looks like you have it too.
"By creating, finding and supporting programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is working to better the lives of children and their families around the world. "
I’ve had such a response from kids that I have a follow up. Does anyone know of a great charity that deals with Child Labor in the world? The kids want to help out by giving money to stop Child Labor in Asia and the world.
I need a reliable charity for this that I can get approved by the school(so I can do a fund raiser).
However, I have a philosophical issue with trying to donate to a charity that specifically fights child labour. I know your and your kids hearts are in the right place so this is a statement of my belief, not a criticism of yours. Child labour exists because families need the money to survive; I find it extremely difficult to believe that there are very many parents anywhere that would submit their children to child labour just to get some more unnecessary spending money.
Fighting child labour should, for the most part, be done by raising the standard of living of people whose children are doing child labour, and that can be done through any of a great many charities that don’t specifically mention the abolition of child labour in their mandate. Otherwise if it simply banned then you will get more child prostitution, selling of children, infanticide, etc. so that desperate third world families can get what they need.
So, give to whatever charity you want, but I would never dream of giving to a charity whose sole mandate was fighting child labour.
Good suggestions. I would second the Christian Children’s Fund. Your child will get pictures of the child he is helping, plus letters throughout the year, and periodic reports on how he has benefited the child. We presently support two children, and are about to add another.
