Make a Donation in Someone Else’s Name This Holiday Season
What do you get the person who has everything or, at least, doesn’t want more things? Consider making a charitable donation in their name. (Alternatively, you can ask someone to give to a charity in your name, as their gift to you.) The following girl- and women-friendly organizations all allow contributors to give in someone else’s name, and most will notify the giftee with a letter or e-card telling them that a donation was made in their honor.
Women for Women International (womenforwomen.org) supports women in war-torn regions of the world, teaching them the business and survival skills that enable them to improve their own lives, as well as those of their families and communities. Panzi Foundation (panzifoundation.org), started by a Congolese gynecologist who was up for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, provides hospital care and shelter for rape survivors in eastern Congo, and also works to seek legal justice for them. V-Day (vday.org) advocates to end violence against women and girls around the world, and was started by the creator of The Vagina Monologues. The Global Fund for Women (globalfundforwomen.org) bestows grants and affords resources to female-empowering initiatives ranging from ending violence against women to promoting reproductive health. Freedom From Hunger (freedomfromhunger.org) provides self-help tools, including microfinance programs and health education, to help women in rural areas in developing nations rise up from hunger and poverty. Camfed (camfed.org), the Campaign for Female Education, focuses on education for young girls in poorer, rural African communities (Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe). Donations go toward school fees and supplies to support girls as they continue their education. GEMS (gem-girls.org), Girls Education and Mentoring Services, provides support and services to girls who have experienced sexual exploitation or trafficking in the United States.
Written by: Debbie Stoller and Jenny Little
Photo: Courtesy of Women for Women International
This story originally appeared in BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!
