Community Organizations
The Or Foundation (pronounced “or”) stands for choice. Choice is agency – agency to escape the predominant violent socio-economic system of corporate colonialism and to change it from within. We are a 501(C)(3) public charity in the USA and a registered charity in Ghana that has been operating in both countries since 2011. Working at the intersection of environmental justice, education and fashion development, our mission is to identify and manifest alternatives to the dominant model of fashion – alternatives that bring forth ecological prosperity, as opposed to destruction, and that inspire citizens to form a relationship with fashion that extends beyond their role as consumer.
Tangibly our goal is to catalyze a Justice-Led Circular Economy. There are many layers to this work, including immediate relief through direct action on human rights and environmental abuses, educational programming and awareness in order to shift individual actions, and research and institutional advocacy to steer systems level policies and investments. At every level our initiatives are founded on the belief that Justice within the violent yet beautiful world we share begins with Reckoning, Recovery and Reparations. There is much work to be done.
In a nutshell:
BuyNothing offers people a way to give and receive, share, lend, and express gratitude through a worldwide gift economy network in which the true wealth is the web of connections formed between people. We believe that communities are more resilient, sustainable, equitable, and joyful when they have functional gift economies.
Principles:
- We believe our hyper-local groups strengthen the social fabric of their communities, and ensure the health and vitality of each member.
- We come from a place of abundance ~ not scarcity.
- We believe in abundance, we give, we ask, we share, we lend and we express gratitude.
- We are a gift economy, not a charity. We see no difference between want and need, waste and treasure.
- We do not buy, sell, trade, barter, or otherwise exchange money for items or services.
- We measure wealth by the personal connections made and trust between people.
- We value people and their stories and narratives above the ‘stuff.’
- We are inclusive at our core.
- We value honesty and integrity in all our interactions.
- We view all gifts as equal; the human connection is the value.
- We believe every community has the same wealth of generosity and abundance.
In 1993, a community in Nottingham, moved by the devastation of the Bosnian war, sprang into action. A small group of volunteers began collecting money, clothes and medicine for the people of Bosnia.
Muslim Hands, an international aid agency and NGO, grew from this grass roots movement and since these first efforts, we have responded to countless more emergencies, as well as establishing long term projects such as schools, healthcare clinics and livelihood programmes worldwide.
We are working in over 30 countries around the world. By working closely with our partners and offices on the ground, we are able to distribute aid in an effective, efficient, transparent and wholly accountable manner and to make a lasting difference to the communities we work with.
Dedicated to tackling the root causes of poverty around the world, Muslim Hands is passionate about working beyond the provision of immediate relief, towards supporting communities over the long-term.
Our Vision
A world free from all forms of exploitation and discrimination where everyone has the opportunity to realise their potential.
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease and social injustice. Our interventions aim to achieve large scale, positive changes through economic and social programmes that enable women and men to realise their potential.
Our Values
Integrity.
Innovation.
Inclusiveness.
Effectiveness.
Trickle Up is an organization that was established in 1979 to help people living in extreme poverty and vulnerability to advance their economic and social well-being. So far, the Trickle Up has helped many women gain skills and confidence to achieve greater self-sufficiency, which directly affected around 1.5 million people. The organization is committed to help the next million rise from extreme poverty.
The organization partners up with governments, global institutions and local organizations to drive change and help those living in extreme poverty. It provides the poorest people with trainings and coaching and supports them in creating small businesses by connecting them to saving groups where they save money, create plans for the future and drive change in their communities. The organization’s focus is helping women, people with disabilities, and refugees in the poorest parts of rural Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
The Humanitarian Organization for Poverty Eradication (HOPE) was established in 1998 with a goal to empower marginalized people who are deprived of their rights by providing them with opportunities and resources. It promotes and protects the fundamental human rights of vulnerable groups such asylum seekers, refugees and migrants, whose lives have been traumatized by disasters, poverty, persecution or discrimination. The HOPE currently operates in New Zealand, Thailand and Pakistan.
The organization provides economic, social, moral and financial assistance, as well as develops activities to educate the broader public on the needs of vulnerable groups. It supports and launched fundraising activities to be able to provide sponsorship of vulnerable groups such as malnourished women, children, rural communities and indigent families. The HOPE encourages marginalized and vulnerable groups in the society come up with their potential of overcoming poverty. It also mobilizes people to take acting to achieve the UN sustainable development goals.