Last week we told you about some amazing grassroots projects on GlobalGiving’s website that are working to support education for women and girls around the world. Thanks to your votes, we have donated $50 to Lotus Outreach, which will help get girls to school in India.
This is the final installment of our GlobalGiving series, where we’re sharing some more incredible projects that are doing important work to empower women. You can give on your own—or, share this article on Twitter along with the organization that’s closest to your heart, and we’ll make a donation to the one that receives the most votes.
Read on to learn about five great organizations, and how you can vote your support for them!
The Cause: Healthcare and Health Education for Women Around the World
Sure, we complain about healthcare coverage in the U.S., but compared to many around the world, we’ve got it good. Many women in developing nations don’t have access to basic health education, let alone doctors and facilities they can turn to for treatment. And to make matters worse, female health issues like family planning are taboo topics in many of these communities.
Check out these five organizations that are trying to change that. Whether they’re working on issues related to reproduction, pregnancy, cancer, or healthy living, these projects are doing amazing work to get women the access and support they need.
The Organizations
Nepal Network for Cancer Treatment and Research: Screen Women for Cancers
While getting checked for common cancers is an important part of our yearly doctors visits, women in Nepal rarely, if ever, get screened. So by the time these women realize they have cancer, it’s often too advanced to save their lives. This project hopes to set up cervical and breast cancer screening camps and cancer education sessions to help overcome the forces of poverty, gender inequality, and lack of services and help save the lives of over 1,000 women.
For $10: Provide cervical and breast cancer screening for one woman.
For $25: Provide a cancer education session for 45 local community members.
For $50: Provide cervical and breast cancer screening for five women.
To Vote: #dailymuseNepalNetwork
CAGEM: Help Victims of Female Genital Mutilation in Nepal
Women who have undergone the cultural ritual of female genital mutilation—also sometimes referred to as female circumcision—suffer from numerous health problems, typically with no options for treatment and no support from their communities (if you’re unfamiliar with the issue, you can read more about it here, but be warned—it’s graphic). This project plans to create and run a free hospital for victims of the practice, which will offer treatment for the detrimental health effects, restorative surgery, and rehabilitation.
For $10: Ship a five-pound box of medical supplies to the hospital.
For $25: Provide ambulance service for emergency rescue treatment.
For $50: Ship a 25-pound box of medical supplies to the hospital.
To Vote: #dailymuseNepalCAGEM
Food and Rural Development Foundation: Promoting Healthy Diets in Cameroon
In the Akwaya Subdivision of Cameroon, malnutrition is a big problem, especially for young children. The issue is not so much lack of food, but lack of a balanced diet—the region’s carbohydrate-based diet leads to protein, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies. This project hopes to mobilize women with the knowledge and ability to feed their families well through initiatives like nutrition workshops, cooking demonstrations featuring local, nutrient-rich ingredients, and a seed bank to help in the cultivation of new crops.
For $10: Cover the costs of mobilizing local women’s groups and purchasing training materials.
For $25: Fund a village cooking demonstration.
For $50: Provide materials needed to train locals in community nutrition.
To Vote: #dailymuseCameroon
Marie Stopes International: Turn Afghan Women into “Health Education Champions”
For women in many developed countries, using birth control and other “family planning” methods is commonplace. But due to cultural taboos and lack of information, women in Afghanistan don’t have that sort of control over their reproductive health. This project aims to change that by training religious leaders and their wives about family planning and reproductive health, allowing them to pass information along to others in culturally sensitive ways.
For $15: Pay for one session for 6-8 women hosted by a “Health Education Champion.”
For $30: Pay for one year of Depo-Provera shots for 9 women referred by a “Health Education Champion.”
For $60: Pay for 20 IUDs for women referred by a “Health Education Champion.”
To Vote: #dailymuseAfghanistan
D-tree International: Saving the Lives of Mothers and Their Babies in Zanzibar
Giving birth is hard enough, but in Zanzibar—as in many developing countries—women often have to do so without skilled care, putting them at higher risk of death due to complications and leaving them and their children without post-natal care. D-tree hopes to develop and distribute a mobile app to guide midwives through the Zanzibar Ministry of Health care guidelines, so they can get mothers to a health center on time and help them through their birth safely.
For $25: Enable a mother to deliver safely in a health center.
For $40: Enable a safe delivery and one follow-up visit for a mother and infant.
For $75: Support a mother and child through his or her first birthday.
To Vote: #dailymuseZanzibar
Vote now! Voting will take place May 28-June 4.
