The Lingap Children's Foundation Creates a Better Future for Abandoned Kids in the Philippines

One of the highest rated non-profit organizations on GreatNonprofits.org, the Lingap Children's Foundation provides funding for projects to help disadvantaged children in the Philippines. The foundation was established by John Drake, who began traveling to the Philippines while serving as senior vice president of human resources and administrative services for CMS Energy and affiliate Consumers Energy in Jackson, Michigan. He started the Lingap Children's Foundation after seeing orphans and abandoned children living on the streets, not far from the luxurious hotels and white sand beaches.

The first goal of the Lingap Children's Foundation was to raise money to construct the new Lingap Center in Toledo City, Cebu so neglected, abused, or exploited children can rebuild their lives. The original Lingap Center was a former pig slaughterhouse that could accommodate only a few children. Furthermore, it had no stove, refrigerator, or other facilities, and children used the same trough to wash their clothes and dishes, brush their teeth, and bathe themselves.

Completed in early 2006, the new Lingap Center includes a kitchen, dining room, study area, dormitory, office facilities, and quarantine rooms. The building has been designed to accommodate future expansion as well. Currently, there are 100 kids between the ages of 6 and 18 living at the center. The staff ensures that the kids are well-fed and go to school. The Lingap Center provides a safe environment for children who would otherwise be in life-threatening situations.



Other programs of the Lingap Children's Foundation include basic education and microeconomic entrepreneur training for street children, a children's mass and soup kitchen on the third Saturday of each month, and a community library built in partnership with seven US Rotary Clubs, three Philippine Rotary Clubs, and Rotary International.

Drake retired from his position at CMS Energy in June of 2006 after 32 years of service. He now devotes his efforts to the Lingap Center, serving as president of the Lingap Children's Foundation.

Endangered Species International: Top-Rated Conservation Organization Works Hard to Save the Planet

Headquartered in San Francisco and with offices in Switzerland, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Philippines, Endangered Species International (ESI) is committed to saving endangered animals, protecting wild places, and reversing the trend of human-induced species extinction. Plants and animals are vital to our physical and spiritual well-being, purifying water, pollinating crops, recycling waste, and more. However, more than 16,000 species are in danger of becoming extinct in the near future. ESI focuses on species that are at the highest risk of dying out including those that do not receive media attention.

To this end, ESI develops innovative conservation science, implements this research in field projects worldwide, and then links both research and results to local, national, and global policy. The ESI team is composed of scientists, endangered species experts, and conservation awareness and communication leaders who have strong local and international experience. The organization's projects aim to address clear and urgent problems using affordable and technically simple solutions. Furthermore, each project is assessed to ensure its positive long-term impact on endangered species and local communities; projects that do not meet ESI's success strategy are dropped. ESI works closely with local and indigenous people, pursuing plans that benefit them.

Recognized as one of the most trusted and most efficient conservation organizations in the world, ESI is a GuideStar Exchange Gold Participant and two-time Top-Rated Nonprofit award winner. In addition, the organization has been named to Prince Albert II's Earth Angel List. Ninety-eight percent of ESI's budget is spent on projects on the ground to save endangered species and natural places. Administrative and fundraising tasks are kept simple and efficient, requiring only less than 2 percent of the budget.

Endangered Species International was founded by Pierre Fidenci, who became involved in studying and protecting nature at an early age. He has won several environmental awards and serves as president of ESI.

Young Survival Coalition: Support and Hope for Young Women With Breast Cancer

Founded in 1998, Young Survival Coalition (YSC) is the premier global organization dedicated to serving the needs of young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. YSC empowers and supports women by offering resources, outreach, and connections. The organization grew out of the experiences of three young women who were all diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 35. Recognizing the need for better information, research, and support for young women facing the same challenges as them, they started YSC.

Today, YSC has offices in New York, Atlanta, and Indianapolis, and supports and educates women throughout the US in four regions. YSC works with its members to advocate for more research about young women and breast cancer, educate women under the age of 40 about the importance of breast self-awareness and knowledge, and serve as a community of support for those with breast cancer. YSC does not discriminate and welcomes women of different backgrounds, cultures, and disabilities.

Revive the Dream Institute Revives the American Public Education System

Founded by Mike Rosskamm, Revive the Dream Institute (RTD) is a non-profit organization dedicated to renewing the American dream for underserved children. Each year, RTD selects 25 fellows who are empowered to be lifelong advocates for better public education.

During their first year, RTD fellows meet for 10 monthly sessions that immerse them in the national education crisis and develop them into effective catalysts of change. Led by education practitioners, sessions focus on important topics in education reform. In year two, RTD fellows get hands-on experience by being matched with an education organization and taking on a project to improve the organization's impact. After completing their fellowship, RTD fellows continue to work on behalf of millions of underserved American children.

Rosskamm, who heads RTD as executive director, is the principal at Achievement First Bushwick Middle School in Brooklyn and a Broad Resident in the 2011-2013 cohort. Previously, he served as a project leader at The Boston Consulting Group and taught high school math to low-income students in NYC.

Medic Mobile: Better Health Care With Mobile Technology

Medic Mobile is a San Francisco-based non-profit using mobile technology to improve health in underserved communities around the world. It all started when a group of students at Stanford and Lewis & Clark began using FrontlineSMS, a free software application, to coordinate community health workers at St. Gabriel's Hospital in Namitete, Malawi. They realized that health care in remote and disconnected communities can be improved with existing communication technologies. Since then, Medic Mobile has helped over 50 organizations in more than 20 countries.

Medic Mobile uses both its own tools and open source software created by other organizations to carry out its mission. Medic Mobile believes utilizing tools that are already available generates the greatest health impact per dollar invested. If no sufficient solution exists, the non-profit builds new tools to serve its partners' needs.

One of these tools is Muvuku, an award-winning platform for SIM card applications that enables community health workers to collect data using GSM mobile phones. Data collection forms are loaded directly onto the SIM card, making Muvuku compatible with any standard GSM device including simple $15 handsets that are already in health workers' hands.

Medic Mobile has also developed Kujua Lite, a web app for clinic staff and managers that sends and receives regular forms and messages and schedules time-targeted confirmation messages. By providing real-time access to community data, the app enables faster communication and more targeted support to patients. Working seamlessly with Kujua Lite is Kujua Analytics, a data analysis and visualization platform designed to help Medic Mobile's partners measure the impact of their work, track operational progress, and make decisions. The cloud-hosted, customizable tool is currently being used to monitor drug stocks in Mexico, and to keep track of patient referrals and provide feedback to health workers in Nepal.

Medic Mobile is headed by CEO Josh Nesbit, a Stanford grad and Ashoka Fellow.

Action in Africa: Student-Founded Non-Profit Empowers Ugandans

Based in Aspen, Colorado and Bbira, Uganda, Action in Africa Incorporated is a small non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Uganda by educating its youth and inspiring its communities. Action in Africa believes everyone has the right to education, no matter where they live. Through scholarship programs, the organization has put hundreds of children back into the school system, giving them the opportunity to get a well-deserved education. Additionally, Action in Africa collaborates and develops meaningful relationships with locals to bring about lasting change in communities. Action in Africa encourages and supports sustainable programs that are initiated by Ugandans and not dependent on its contribution. The non-profit believes that improving the whole community leads to positive long-term outcomes.

Action in Africa began as a small high school club in 2005. After watching a documentary on child soldiers, a group of Aspen High School students, assisted by their geography teacher, formed a school club to help fight this practice. Four years later, Action in Africa became an NGO with a mission to provide the children of Bbira with proper health care and education and thus nurture the country's next teachers, doctors, and politicians.

After graduating from Aspen High School, the founders of Action in Africa took their cause with them to the college campuses of Chapman, Dartmouth, and Stanford. Over the years, the non-profit has organized various events to raise money and awareness on behalf of Bbira. Through concerts, movie screenings, auctions, and a vow of silence, Action in Africa has raised more than $200,000 and gotten the entire town of Aspen involved. So far, Action in Africa has built or funded a public library (the sixth in Uganda), a girls' dormitory, widows' homes, improvements to St. Johnson's Primary School, and more than 250 school sponsorships. Every year, the organization runs a service trip to Bbira to ensure that the money is being spent efficiently.

Trees, Water & People: Helping Communities Preserve Their Natural Resources

Headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, Trees, Water & People (TWP) is a non-profit organization that helps communities protect and manage their natural resources. Founded in 1998 by Stuart Conway and Richard Fox, TWP is composed of a group of conservationists dedicated to equipping people with the skills and knowledge they need to conserve the natural resources on which their long-term well-being depends. TWP believes that natural resources are best protected when locals are actively involved and that preserving local ecosystems results in the ongoing social, economic, and environmental health of communities everywhere.

Trees, Water & People works with local NGOs and community leaders, as well as designs and implements community-led projects. The non-profit's community-based development model stems from the philosophy that the best way to help those in need is by inspiring them to play an active role in caring for their natural resources.

Because TWP engages with local residents and respects their culture, its projects have been well-received in several Latin American communities and on Native American Reservations. TWP has won the Energy Globe Award and the Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy, among other accolades.