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How to Really Help Children Abroad

Tina Rosenberg

October 23, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Short-term volunteering trips, especially those that involve working directly with vulnerable children, can do more harm than good. Instead, volunteers should look for opportunities to support staff and primary caregivers. Or even just send the money that would otherwise go towards airfare and expenses. “We confuse our own caring for help,” argues Tina Rosenberg.

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The Lasting Pain of Children Sent to Orphanages, Rather Than Families

Tina Rosenberg

October 16, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica, San Jose

Casa Viva is an organization in Latin America that prioritizes family reunification over adoption. They have placed about 640 children with foster families, “60 percent of those went back to their biological family or another relative. About 35 percent were adopted.” In contrast to foster homes, orphanages have become thriving business which recruit western volunteers and charge them large fees. Casa Viva opposes this model because most kids have parents who are alive, but can’t afford to raise them.

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Mending Our Disposable Culture

Nick Holland

October 02, 2018 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Netherlands, Bussum

When something breaks, most people go to the store to replace it. In Amsterdam, the UK, and elsewhere, people take their broken goods to repair cafes. Led by volunteers who want to preserve the art of repairs while also reducing waste, these organizations can make a big difference. There are now at least 1600 repair cafes around the world.

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Lessons From Katrina: This Organization Tries to Get Hurricane Florence Survivors Home Quicker

Deonna Anderson

September 27, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Bern, North Carolina

In the aftermath of natural disasters, like Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, SBP is an organization that works to provide long-term assistance for affected communities through a limited volunteer base, partnerships with local organizations, and a focus on the disproportionate impact that disasters have on already marginalized communities. And although the group's main purpose is to provide long-term recovery assistance, they've found it is vital to have a rapid disaster-response to prevent mistakes of the past.

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How to get people to behave better? Use carrots, not sticks

Mattha Busby

September 21, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

Incentivizing good behavior is a tried and true tactic often used in child development. However, as the need for better behavior around issues such as recycling and public discord rises, some are finding that going back to a system of incentivizing the preferred behavior is the most successful pathway to creating habits that are crucial for the betterment of society and the environment.

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Nosara Firefighters Manage to Respond to 260 Emergencies This Year With Their Cell Phones

Noelia Esquivel

September 18, 2018 |

La Voz de Guanacaste |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica, Nosara

In Costa Rica, a group of volunteer firefighters use donated equipment, gear, and their own cell phones to fill in a big gap in emergency services. More residents are now accustomed to calling them directly for fires and other emergencies, and the community supports them financially. The firefighters are trying to integrate their work into the country's emergency alert system and to build their own fire station.

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Where a Sore Throat Becomes a Death Sentence

Denise Grady

September 16, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Rwanda, Kigali

In poor countries, where strep throat is not diagnosed, a seemingly harmless bacteria eventually causes the immune system to attack the heart valves. In order to help, the humanitarian group Team Heart, sends 40 to 60 volunteers of cardiologists, heart surgeons, and nurses, to Rwanda every year. Together, they help around 16 people get a new heart valve, and a chance to live a longer life.

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Meet the Delaware Teen Fighting for the Rights of Former Juvenile Offenders

Hallie Steiner

September 14, 2018 |

NationSwell |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Wilmington, Delaware

After her neighbor was incarcerated, a Delaware teenager and her brother began supporting youth coming out of detention with clothes, school supplies and other items. Their nonprofit grew and was so successful in raising money and awareness that the state legislature took over the re-entry fund just a year and a half after the organization's launch. The founder is now working on a pilot program to provide financial literacy training for formerly incarcerated youth.

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The business of voluntourism: do western do-gooders actually do harm?

Tina Rosenberg

September 13, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Guatemala, Zacapa

Voluntourism, or the practice of western volunteers paying to do service in developing countries, seems like a moral, do-good activity. However, the practice has been proven to have consequences, including reducing the need for local labor and stunting development of children in orphanages. There has recently been progress in discouraging volunteers from working in orphanages - the volunteer efforts in institutions never benefit the children - but true progress might involve staying at home.

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Eight drivers, five days: A migrant's emotional journey to find her daughter

Marrisa J. Lang Arelis R. Hernández

September 11, 2018 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Immigrant Families Together is a coalition of volunteers trying reunify parents and children that were separated due to the Donald Trump administration’s “Zero Tolerance” policy. They are paying for bonds, releasing immigrants, and driving them across state lines to be reunited with their children. Already, they’ve helped reunite a dozen families.

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