- Africa Exchange and its partner organizations - Run by my friends, CBF missionaries Sam and Melody Harrell, Africa Exchange works with a number of groups in Kenya to educate Americans about Africa and to help Kenyans, particularly those affected by urban poverty in Nairobi. The Baptist Children's Center is now working in partnership with Buckner Baptist Benevloences (see below) to serve the street children of Nairobi by providing housing, medical care, education, and vocational training. Kids to Kids works along the same lines. Amani ya Juu ("A Higher Peace") is a workshop where women in very difficult circumstances make beautiful crafts and home goods so that they are able to support their families. (I spend way too much money at Amani when I'm in Nairobi - their stuff is top quality and very reasonably priced.) Other Africa Exchange partners are listed here. You can support these ministries directly, through Buckner, or by giving designated gifts for Sam and Melody's ministry through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
- Buckner Baptist Benevloences, the Texas Baptist organization that does so much to support orphans, foster children, children who have been neglected or abused, those living in nursing homes, and families in crisis in Texas and around the world, is a great organization. They are becoming very active in Kenya and South Africa with CBF through the KidsHeart Africa initiative. You can support Buckner's ministries in their holiday gift catalog. My friend's Paige's husband is the controller at Buckner - he can tell you exactly what happens to your check.
- Mobile Loaves and Fishes is an outstanding program run by the Catholic Diocese of Austin. They provide thousands of meals every year for homeless and working poor families, and have been leaders and a model of response to Hurricane Katrina. You can donate to their efforts here. It's also a great place to volunteer - you only commit to one night a month and it's a wonderful experience. My church is very involved in MLF and we are confident that the organization uses its resources well.
- Austin Habitat for Humanity continues to be one of the country's most efficient affiliates at building simple, decent places to live for our neighbors in need. AHFH celebrated its 20th anniversary this fall. They need money, they need volunteers, and they need land. I've been volunteering with Habitat since college and can attest to their effectiveness and wise use of resources.
- The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty - You don't have to be a constitutional scholar to realize that the separation of church and state is under attack these days from many angles. The BJC is one of a few organizations who works to maintain that separation, not out of hostility towards faith, but because they realize that the only way to maintain our precious freedom to practice our faith as we choose is to guarantee religious liberty for everyone. You can donate to support their work in lobbying Congress, preparing Supreme Court briefs, and educating Baptists and others here.
- World Vision does a wonderful job of combating the effects of HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. You can support their work by sponsoring a Hope child who has been orphaned due to AIDS, or through their gift catalog. World Vision spends 87% of its money on its programs, which is a very good indicator that they are financially responsible and will use gifts well.
- The Heifer Project does a great job in sustainable development projects by helping communities and families become financially stable through the provision of animals for food and income. My friend Amanda works in their Africa section and will definitely see that gifts are put to good use.
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holiday giving guide
I love giving presents, especially at Christmas. There' s something about finding exactly the right thing for a specific person that just makes me really happy, to the point that I really enjoy giving gifts more than receiving them. Weird, I know. Anyway, 'tis the season of thinking about gifts we want to give, gifts we'd like to receive, and gifts we hope we never have to write a polite thank-you note to anyone about. It's also the time of year that (I hope) we all start thinking about those who are less fortunate than us, and about supporting worthy causes. A lot of people ask me particularly about ways to help people in Africa. With that in mind, here are some organizations that I feel confident in recommending for your support this Christmas season and beyond: