Fair Trade Certification empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace.

Doctors in India say its time for the Indian government to integrate palliative care into routine health care.

Voluntourism is a rare opportunity to spend time with the world’s children in a way that most people couldn’t imagine. Our trips to India combine sight seeing in one of the most interesting places on our planet with serving those who are in need.

We have multiple trips planned for 2009 and all include visits to our children’s homes to meet the children and opportunities to see the wonderful scenery and culture of India.

A trip to one of The Miracle Foundation homes will be one of the most fulfilling trips of your life!

These unique and culturally fascinating volunteer abroad Quests blend working with children in one of the world’s most beautiful and exotic places, while learning about the incredible culture and people of Nepal! United Planet’s unique Quest opportunities enable you to gaze beyond cultural boundaries to support, learn from and befriend the warm and gracious people of Nepal.

“We found ourselves standing shoulder to shoulder with predators in a small room, looking at little girls through a pane of glass. All of the girls wore red dresses with a number pinned to their dress for identification. They sat, blankly watching cartoons on TV. They were vacant, shells of what a child should be. There was no light in their eyes, no life left. Their light had been taken from them.  These children…raped each night… seven, ten, fifteen times every night. They were so young. Thirteen, eleven… it was hard to tell.  Sorrow covered their faces with nothingness. Except one girl. One girl who wouldn’t watch the cartoons. Her number was 146. She was looking beyond the glass. She was staring out at us, with a piercing gaze. There was still fight left in her eyes. There was still life left in this girl…”

Here’s what you should know:

• The chief culprit in global warming is carbon dioxide. But recent studies show that black carbon—microscopic airborne particles commonly known as soot—is also a big factor. Black carbon may account for as much as half of Arctic warming. Curbing black carbon is crucial for slowing Arctic and global warming, and for averting catastrophic tipping points such as the melting of sea ice and the Greenland ice sheet.
• Black carbon comes from diesel engines, industrial smokestacks and residential cooking and heating stoves. Most black carbon that falls in the Arctic comes from North America, Europe and Asia. Because black carbon air pollution is also a leading cause of respiratory illness and death, controlling emissions will save lives and improve health around the world. In India alone, black carbon-laden indoor smoke is responsible for over 400,000 premature deaths annually, mostly of women and children.

The U.S. and Europe must lead on this issue by committing to stricter standards at home for diesel engines and other sources of black carbon pollution, and by committing to increased financial and technological assistance to the developing world to reduce black carbon pollution from diesel, home cooking and heating and other sources.

Uprooted by war and persecution, a refugee’s journey can span years and borders on the road to safety. With skill, passion and daring, the IRC has helped refugees rebuild their lives for over 75 years.

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