Alicia
Being a diver and having had so many wonderful underwater encounters with marine wildlife in my past experiences, it’s devastating to witness and learn about the degradation of our oceans from illegal activities and non sustainable commercial development. With its mission to protect and conserve marine habitat and ecological systems, I would like to support Sea Shepherd for their direct actions to defend marine life at sea, and their ongoing effort with national authorities to help enforce international laws against illegal exploitation and environmental destruction.
Abbey
I am very grateful to be able to help a tiny association in Jerez called ‘Coherentes’ that help immigrants from all over the world. It is run by a group of retired friends (78 - 86 years old)
They have two apartments where they house, feed and help with paperwork, especially mothers with children, until they can get themselves on their feet.
I just can’t imagine being stuck with kids in a strange country with nowhere to go so it is so great to be able to support them.
They only have a handful of members and a small second hand shop so this money is going to make a huge difference this month for them.
Ali
I would like to donate to a Hospice that took care of a wonderful woman and close family friend earlier this year during her last few months - making it possible for her to be with loved ones at home rather than in hospital alone during covid restrictions. They continue to be an amazing practical and emotional support to her husband.
Alex
This year I would like to donate to Hope Mallorca. They are helping the people on the island deal with the consequences of the pandemic by distributing food and getting things needed to people.
A few numbers:
Over half of the Balearic population struggles to make ends meet at the end of the month. Around 26.3% of the residents live on the poverty line.
There are currently many more people in need in the Balearic Islands than before COVID - around 170,000 more. The proportion of people who suffer from severe material deprivation has increased by 138%.
Jocelyn
Big Love Alliance promotes equal rights for LGBTQ+ folks and aims to eliminate homophobia and discrimination through education, although what’s impressed me the most is their efforts in uniting and uplifting the community itself. It’s been especially difficult these couple of years with so many events cancelled and queer-friendly places closed because of covid, as well as disappointing developments in local legislature resulting in LGBTQ+voices no longer being represented (among others) -- so I’ve had a newfound appreciation for BLA and the way they’ve been supporting LGBTQ+ folks through organising events as well as virtually, eg creating content to promote sexual health, and offering a platform for underprivileged groups within the community to share their stories.
Chris
I’d like to donate to wateraid.org this year.
I did a cycle race in the summer this year and ran out of water in the desert. It becomes clear very quickly that without water we quickly are exposed to serious issues.
After this I started looking into the situation that many people in the world are still dealing with; no access to clean water. This is something western society takes for granted, we turn the tap and fresh water comes out. The implications of a lack of clean water are extensive: “Extreme poverty cannot end until clean water, toilets and hygiene are a normal part of daily life for everyone, everywhere.”
Wateraid help provide solutions to communities around the world. “We may be called WaterAid, but our focus is resolutely on all three essentials: clean water, improved sanitation and proper hygiene.”
Tobias
I'd like to give our local animal protection another shot, after the PayPal donation did not work here last year. They still aren't able to raise their funds as usual, with a lot of Christmas markets and other things being cancelled due to covid, but at the same time face rising numbers of animals in their care (after some people abandoned the animals they got during the lockdown). And since we just this year worked again with them to save a stray cat, that we found near our house and get it to a good new home.
Violetta
Same as last year I would like to give my donation to - “Order of Malta Relief Organisation in Lithuania”
The organisation helps ill and lonely elderly people. Their volunteers travel with food thermoses and baskets to the most remote farmsteads in Lithuania, where lonely elderly people are not only waiting for a bowl of soup, but they also need help in everyday life, a good word, and human contact.
In Lithuania, it is still a huge problem that many elderly people live below the poverty line because of the extremely low pensions so I think it's one of the most sensitive social groups and really needs our help and care.
With the help of all donations last year the organisation has opened the first Maltese nursing home. Maltese care home helps to ensure the permanent care of elderly people in cases when the regular Maltese visits are not enough. The purpose of this place is not just to be another institution for the elderly but to create an environment where seniors feel at home, surrounded by family members.
Jim
There is a HK charity I would like to donate to, Feeding HK. They supply food donations as well as work with food suppliers to reduce waste by re-distributing food supplies that would otherwise go to landfill. They also educate the community about better managing food as a resource.
Sophie
I'd like to donate to DEBRA this year, a charity that supports people with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). EB is a genetic skin condition that causes severe blistering, which can get pretty nasty and really limit your day to day activities. It runs in my family and my two youngest cousins are quite severely affected, including internally on their organs. They're both under ten and they are always having to miss out on school, play dates and birthday parties when their skin flares up and it proper breaks my heart that they can't even run around and play some days because their feet are too damaged. DEBRA has been a massive help to my aunt and cousins in supporting them throughout the years and they also run some cracking charity shops which helped me a lot when I was a skint student!
Yika
I'd like to donate to ImpactHK this year. they help the homeless by providing food, shelter and training/jobs for employment. through money raised, they've been able to set up a secondhand clothing shop and a cafe where they provide work to the vulnerable. they also make their own merch and coffee to keep the ngo running.
Molly
This year again I would like to donate to Hong Kong Dog Rescue. I have adopted my third dog this year form HKDR (another foster fail!).
Poppy was one of 9 poodles abandoned together. Poppy had to go through; mammary gland surgery, tick fever, desexing, single remaining tooth removal, she was severely malnourished, had scabs from flee bites all over, she is missing half her lower jaw and now has no teeth. Poppy is the friendliest 9 year old dog who has had a horrible start to life, we are even considering her as a therapy dog how sweet she is! HKDR who have been through another tough year along with other shelters who have nearly closed down and needed emergency funding due to lack of social events due to Covid restrictions. HKDR paid for all Poppy’s surgery and vet appointments up until adoption and truly care about the dogs welfare. HKDR adopts a no-kill policy, which not all shelters do. It would be great to give a little back on top of giving them a new home.
Rachel
The Dragons of Lavapiés is a local, community-based initiative, set up by a group of parents from the Lavapiés neighbourhood (central Madrid). It aims at weaving, through football, bonds of solidarity, respect and community, thus fostering dialogue between people from very different cultures, from all corners of the globe. Currently, 120 kids from 40 different national backgrounds play at the club. One of them is my friend’s 6 year old daughter. She absolutely loves it.
I love the fact that they are committed to the most positive values of sport: gender equality, multiculturality and diversity and that they are part of amazing European projects like FIRE (Football for the Inclusion of Refugees Europe) among others.
All this is actually reflected in concrete actions in the life of the community and goes far beyond football: free English classes at the end of football training, summer camps or Xmas shows for kids in need… not to mention the distribution of food vouchers for the most vulnerable families during the first wave of Covid.
I see it as a very precious inclusion tool.
Shirley
The charity i would like to donate to is Southmead Hospital charity This is a local Bristol hospital charity that supports the different works of the hospital from patient &family support and wellbeing, staff support and wellbeing, research, equipment etc
The last couple of months have been a challenging time for my family and I. We are going through a massive period of change and adjustments. We were a bit clueless in the beginning and to be honest it is only with the help, knowledge and guidance that the team of consultants, doctors, nurses and admin at the hospital have given us that we’ve gotten through it. The support, information and advice that we have received have just been amazing.
Callie
This was soo difficult, as there is so many I would love to help, but have already helped Rock2Recovery last year and have a 50 mile run throughout January for Dementia Jersey (Typical that it is during the coldest month of the year), but anyway..
I don’t want to divulge in to it too much, but I hold this charity very close to heart.
Also having read recently that domestic violence is constantly increasing (think COVID could have played a significant part in it), it also increases around the festive period too. Also to be fair I feel like it’s something that is happening everywhere, but still very much so under the radar.
Having received help from the help we did from them in the past, I know the fantastic work that they do to help these venerable woman and families.
Markus
Mines, in my opinion, are one of the cruelest weapons because they are not even designed to kill but to maim people. In Tanzania, there are still a lot of these offenders lying around and maiming or killing a lot of people every year.
Since rats have an excellent sense of smell and are too light to trigger landmines, they are trained by the NGO APOPO to find landmines. In addition, these animals can sniff out tuberculosis and thus make an important contribution to the containment of the disease.
Matthäus
I would like to donate to Pink Ribbon. The aim of the organisation is to support breast cancer patients.
As i had multiple cases in my own family in the past and the diagnoses were just pure luck i would be happy to support the prevention and also help the ones suffering from breast cancer.
David
My donation will be going to Refugee action. A UK based charity that helps asylum seekers and refugees arriving in the UK. I think at the moment they are treated pretty unfairly and this charity helps find them housing and feeds them until they can get on their feet.
Alice
I'd like to donate to a small charity in Bristol, that my sister-in-law is involved with and has been telling me about. We were lucky enough to be together as a family this christmas, but refugees and asylum seekers often arrive on their own in this country, without any support network of friends and family. I can't imagine how hard that must be. The charity provide supplies, support and sanctuary and run a 'Connections' program, connecting people who have been displaced and who would like to meet a friend and feel part of a community.
David
This year I m going to be sending my donation to an organisation called the size of Jersey. They are aiming to replant a rainforest equalling the size of Jersey in Indonesia . I went to a couple of events and talks and it seems a really worthwhile project.
Alicia
Cool Earth is registered in the uk and they work with all three of the world’s major rainforest biomes to fight against deforestation. I’ve done a fair amount of research on many other similar organisations but this one stands out the most with their community led approach- a big part of their work is put into supporting the remote indigenous communities and villages, and empowering these locals to take control and protect their forest. :)
Yika
I'll be donating to Beehive school, they are currently looking for funding to provide electricity, computers and a printer for Vireak's backyard school (free classes for students) I've not visited here myself, but have visited other schools in Cambodia and also witnessed kids selling goods in Cambodia and Indonesia (when they should be in school!). hopefully with more resources, they will be more employable and independent :)
Rachel
I'll be donating to Translators Without Borders. It is a non-profit organization offering language and translation support for humanitarian and development agencies, and other non-profit organizations on a global scale.
I’ve been a TWB volunteer translator for a while, translating e.g. documents for Concern Worldwide, Save the Children, Think Equal, War Child, MSF… For a year, the focus has been on Covid-19. Tbh, it’s just an uplifting experience.
I really feel inspired by the TWB vision and what they try to achieve overcoming language barriers, helping make critical information available to all in a language they can understand, contributing to helping people all over the world understand each other better.
Tobias
I will be sending my donation to Doctors without Borders. An international organisation providing lifesaving medical humanitarian care across the world to the underpriviliged. They have been under even more strain this year than usual due to the COVID19 outbreak and need our support more than ever.
Shirley
The charity I wish to donate to is IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) which offers free independent and legally based information, advice and support to help get the right education for children and young people with all kinds of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Their unique range of services has been developed to ensure that families understand their children’s legal rights and entitlements and that they are empowered to secure the right education for their child.
I have seen the great work that this charity does in offering advice and support to parents and children who are very often unaware of their rights and entitlements or are just confused by the complexities of the policies, the education system and the SEND regulations and legal framework. I have seen the relief from parents knowing that they have a dedicated case worker from the charity who they can turn for support and guidance.
Molly
I would like to donate to Hong Kong Dog Rescue. I have adopted two dogs from HKDR after both being Fosters. HKDR paid for all surgeries, treatment while they where under foster with me back in 2016/2017 including a leg amputation, knee surgery, eye surgery, heart worm treatment and more. HKDR adopts a no-kill policy, without HKDR the ‘girls’ may not have survived. It would be great to give a little back on top of giving both of them a new home. Dog shelters have been struggling this year without being able to arrange their usual fundraiser gatherings, it would be a great help the current dogs with them/under foster care.
Liwern
I would like my donation to go to a single parent charity organisation in Seoul, Korea. Single and divorced parents are often stigmatised in Korean society and they do not receive any government assistance; on top of that the child is not eligible to apply for Korean citizenship. So these babies/children do not have access to the health care/ education in Korea. The money donated will help the parents to buy food/diapers/necessities for the kids and also pay for legal fees for the citizenship lawsuits. We have donated a few times to the organisation and its great that Workaway can help donate to the organisation too.
James
The charity I would like my donation to go to is the 'Heart of England Forest'. It's a charity I have supported in the past. It buys land to plant native broadleaf trees that promotes biodiversity and supports native wildlife in a region that has very little native forest left. They plant 300 acres per year and keep admin costs to a minimum to ensure as much of peoples donations go towards new trees as possible. The forest is open to the public to enjoy. So far they have planted 4,000 acres.
Chris
I'd like to donate to YoungMinds.
The 2020 pandemic has impacted young people massively, society has asked for a disproportionate effort from youth during this, especially considering they are far less likely to develop health issues. Enforced lack of social interaction and limited schooling have caused many issues during a period in our lives when this is really important for mental health and well being. The Young Minds charity aims to provide support to young people who are struggling to cope.
Alice
This year i'd like to my donation to go to The Lava Project which is a laundry facility for refugees on Lesvos, who wash clothes and bedding for scabies and bedbugs patients in the camps, which with limited hygiene are rife. They are currently working with other small NGOs, concentrating their efforts on washing donated winter clothing which will help prepare camp residents for a harsh winter.
Dionne
I would like to donate to a local associate called RAINLILY which promotes gender equality and women’s rights in Hong Kong. They help females facing sexual violence with crisis support to reduce secondary trauma from what they experienced. They also provide sexual violence preventive education to our kids in schools.
Jessica
I would also like to donate to RainLily here in Hong Kong. I have been personally involved in their charity activities and I've seen how much care and empathy they have for victims. Thanks so much for this opportunity to help.
Jocelyn
I'd like the donation to go to Fixing Hong Kong, which is a group of repair workers, social workers, students and volunteers who go to different districts in Hong Kong to visit the homes of marginalised communities every week. They help repair home appliances, do small-scale water and electrical engineering, as well as collect donated goods and distribute them to those in need. I’ve been following their work for a while but my elderly aunt who lives alone recently re-introduced them to me as they’ve been very helpful in checking up on her and making sure she has enough masks to get through the pandemic. At times like this while sending over a pack of masks or assembling a bed or fixing a roof doesn’t seem like much, it’s these small acts that remind us that we’re a community and should always look out for each other.
Matthäus
I would like to donate to Hospiz Haus Emmaus. It is a small hospice nearby where seriously ill and dying people as well as their relatives and friends are accompanied during the time of parting and mourning. A few years ago my girlfriends cousin suffered from a lethal illness at a very young age. He and his family received a lot of help during this time and they noticed how important these facilities are.
Ali
I’d like to donate to Project Elea - a group of volunteers from around the world helping to improve conditions for the refugees and migrants at the ELEONAS Camp in Athens, Greece. They not only focus on food & clothing distribution but also creativity, sports, activities for children and skill-sharing workshops - aiming for a better quality of life for the residents and enabling the community to become as self-sustainable and autonomous as possible.
I learned about this project recently and together with friends sent boxes of warm clothing, shoes, toys and toiletries direct to the project in Greece.
Abbey
Unfortunately, I was recently involved in a domestic violence situation with one of my neighbours. It is still a huge problem in Spain so many women are suffering in silence. So my donation is for the Fundación Ana Bella, created by a survivor of domestic violence in Seville who aims to help through a network of initial support, education, media awareness and empowerment.
Alicia
A charity that is dedicated to supporting people living without home in Hong Kong!
Hong kong has been rated the least affordable housing market in the world for 8 years in a row; I’ve lived here for most of my life and have only witnessed the problem getting worse. Apart from those with mental health / drug addiction issues, there are also homeless people that are actually employed, but are simply forced onto the street cause of the city’s astronomical property prices.
Rachel
2 years ago, my then 1-year old baby had to stay at the hospital for a week in Spain. Red Cross volunteers organised weekly events for the hospitalised children and it was something both parents and children looked forward to. It felt like a spark of a happy chill for everyone. The simple, positive impact these actions had on the children, some of whom had very serious conditions, was very humbling.
Matthäus
SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit is active in 135 countries.
They build and support schools and facilities for children.
Other things they help with/work on...
Andreas
As well as direct disaster aid, Welthungerhilfe mainly provides support for people in developing countries in the fields of rural development and food security. Projects to restore basic infrastructure (schools, roads, etc.) to improve social integration and education and to strengthen civil society and health care are also carried out.
Violetta
I would like to give my donation to - “Order of Malta Relief Organization in Lithuania”
With all the covid situation - their mission is now even more important. The organisation helps to ill and lonely elderly people. Their volunteers travel with food thermoses and baskets to the most remote farmsteads, where lonely elderly people are not only waiting for a bowl of soup, but they also need help in everyday life, a good word and a human contact. This year, they're also raising funds to the first Maltese nursing homes in Telšiai district. The organisation will house those lonely people who need constant help.
In Lithuania it is still a huge problem that many elderly people live below poverty line because of the extremely low pensions so I think it's one of the most sensitive social groups and really needs our help and care.
Viki
I would like to 2nd Violeta and give my donation to “Order of Malta Relief Organization in Lithuania”. For elderly people it means a lot.
Aira
Every day the volunteers deliver warm food, which is symbolically called “Maltese Soup” to the homes of ill and lonely elderly people. Imprisoned in their tight and miserable apartments, bedbound by severe illnesses they can only hope for someone to remember they are still alive.
For many of the beneficiaries the soup is the only warm food they receive during the day. Very often the visiting person becomes the only human contact with the outside world. As a result, volunteers not only provide meals but celebrate, communicate with their beneficiaries and help them around the house.
Neri
Raudonos Nosy is a charity that coordinates social clowns activities and seeks that as many ill children in Lithuanian hospitals as possible will be able to meet doctors clowns.
"This is important to me because I had to spend lots of time in the hospitals during one period of my childhood (because of the illness I had). These institutions are certainly lacking funny and joyful moments for ill kids. I believe that this project can make the days/weeks or even months in the hospital brighter and and easier to live through for many kids".
Michael
Plan International a worldwide children's fund for a sustainable development. Their slogan is „helping people help themselves“. I think that children’s access to education and education itself are one of the most important things in the world and it seems that this NGO has a good approach to give them a chance.
Markus
Donating to this charity as due to no fault of their own there so many kids that don't get opportunities in their lives and suffer from the consequences of a disease that adversely affects them and the lives of their parents and relatives. Hoping that my donation can make a small difference.
Ali
A charity set up to support parents and carers of children with Selective Mutism and to provide information to professionals working with children who have SM.
Selective Mutism is an anxiety-based mental health disorder which usually commences in early childhood. Those with SM speak fluently in some situations but remain consistently silent in others.
When my daughter was 3 we realised she has SM - we found an overwhelming lack of information or understanding among doctors and the school system - We knew we had to help her straight away but didn’t know how - SMiRA collects all the resources in one place meaning we could inform ourselves of how to start our own intervention. They also provide the space for a community of families in the same situation, so we could share our story and find the valuable peer support we needed.
Liwern
I became a mom recently, so i would like my donation to go to a children's charity fund in Singapore. this fund gives allowances to children from underprivileged families so that they have money to get basic necessities such as food. as a new mom, it breaks my heart to know that some children do not have enough food daily and might go to bed hungry. this charity works together with the government ministry in Singapore too so it is also good to know that the money donated will be for those who truly deserves.
Abbey
A mental health charity. A very close family member of mine suffered with depression for many years. It is a silent killer that is difficult to understand as you can't physically see the damage or pain. After lots of inaccurate treatment from doctors and several suicide attempts she finally found the right help. I think it is important to support a charity like this which provides help for people that see no other way out and can save lives.
Crispy
A bicycle charity in South Africa
12 million of the country’s 16 million school-going children walk to and from school and 500 000 of these walk more than two hours to school and two hours back. With a Qhubeka Bicycle, a child’s commute time is reduced by up to 75%.
They also donate bikes to adults based on help they provide in the community and to emergency assistance first responders.
Alice
This charity organisation has built a female-friendly shower space on Lesvos in Greece for displaced women and their children who are living in the worst refugee camp in Europe: Moria where an estimated 7000 people are living in a camp built for 2500. The lack of safe and private washing facilities adds to the indignities that women and children in particular suffer on a daily basis.
Yika
A non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing children from human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Their goal is to rescue 100,000 children from the sex industry by the end of the year 2020.
Shirley
A charity working to improve child literacy rates in Africa and South America by providing children with books and the inspiration to read them. Over the years I have personally been involved in different programmes encouraging reading amongst underprivileged children and have seen the difference books can make to children and families.
Joslyn
This is a group for marginalised immigrant women living in Hong kong to learn photography and share their stories with their local communities. The donation helps support providing the women with cameras, courses and public exhibitions to showcase their work.
Chor
I hold this charity very close to my heart and have personally experienced and seen how much this charity can help each individual and the support they give to families and friends.
Alex
This year I would like to donate to Sea Watch, an NGO that runs ships to save refugees who are in danger to drown at sea around European borders. Through covid they have also lost a lot of attention this year, while some of them are risking their freedom and lives, and it seems all too easy to be accepting / ignoring this other humanitarian crisis going on.
David
An NGO that supplies a boat and a spotter plane to pick up stranded immigrants in the
Mediterranean.
Its something thats important to me as when living in Spain, I saw first hand immigrants
arriving on
the coast and running up the beach in panic.. As well as witnessing bodies of those that didn't
make it being washed up. Hopefully a donation may make a difference and save a life or two.
Zivile
Lithuanian social reintegration projects in a salat bar for people addicted to drugs. I know this place and heard success stories of reintegration.
Established to implement and sustain the work reintegration program for addicted people. The purpose of ongoing social projects is to help former drug addicts, prisoners and socially isolated people to reintegrate into the society. Most of the "My Guru" employees have had these problems but now they're learning and gathering valuable work experience.