The big charities

Charities whose work we complement, albeit in a very small way, who are working for justice and for the eradication of poverty, include:

Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognised human rights. AI’s vision is of a world in which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is upheld everywhere. It has a varied network of supporters around the world, see www.amnesty.org.

CAFODCAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) believes that all human beings have a right to dignity and respect, and that the worlds resources are a gift to be shared by all, whatever their race, nationality or religion. It works for the eradication of poverty, and for trade justice (among other things). It is the English and Welsh arm of Caritas Internationalis, see www.cafod.org.uk .

Christian AidChristian Aid is an agency of the churches in the UK and Ireland. It works wherever the need is greatest, irrespective of religion and supports local organisations who are best placed to understand local needs. It campaigns to change the trade and other rules that keep people poor, see www.christianaid.org.uk .

Earth ActionEarth Action whose network includes over 2200 organisations in more than 150 countries. Their Children’s Rights Campaign is one of their many efforts to harness the power of people all around the world to bring about change. Part of that campaign is to get people to write to legislators, and to urge governments to do all that they can to protect children from violence – and especially to protect those who live and work on the street who are more vulnerable, see www.earthaction.org.

OxfamOxfam is dedicated to finding lasting solutions to poverty and suffering – and works with others. It supports a variety of campaigns, and produced a major report entitled Rigged rules and double standards as part of the Make Trade Fair movement, see www.oxfam.org.uk.

Shared InterestShared Interest is a cooperative lending society that aims to reduce poverty in the less developed parts of the world by providing fair and just financial services. It was started in 1990, and has some 8000 members who have invested more than £20 million. The pooled savings help fair trade businesses to develop, and provide microcredit lending, see www.shared-interest.com.

Trade Justice MovementThe Trade Justice Movement (TJM) campaigns for fundamental change to the unjust rules governing world trade, so that trade benefits poor and disadvantaged people, and has respect for the environment, see www.tjm.org.uk.

UnicefUNICEF is the United Nations Children’s Fund, and seeks to uphold the Convention on the Rights of the Child in every situation. One of their areas of activity is with street children, see www.unicef.org.

Save the Children plays a massive role in fighting for children’s right and helping them fulfil their potential in 120 countries. See:   http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/about-us

Many other organisations are operating in parallel with the ones we have listed. Some specifically work with street children, others are concerned with various aspects of relieving poverty and of justice and human rights. You will find them by using links from the sites detailed here