When children and adults together are part of the process, it's more likely that projects will be successful and sustainable.

More than a children's charity
  children are at the center of everything we do.

Primarily through donations and sponsorships, we've been helping needy children and families around the world . And one thing we've learned is, when given the opportunity, children are eager to jump in and help make a better future for themselves.

We've also learned that children have a great deal to say, and wisdom to share. Besides, building a better future for children without the input of your major stakeholders (who are always accessible, curious, scrambling at your feet) seems like an unwise plan.

So we seek to actively involve children in our work—in creating and building a better future for themselves. We believe that all those who benefit from our programs are part of the entire process—from planning, prioritizing, designing, implementing, to maintaining projects once completed.

Because when children and adults together are part of the change process, it is more likely that projects will be successful and sustainable

 

Satellite project documents Darfur’s agony ‘Eyes on Darfur’ Web site watches over imperiled Sudanese villages Digital Globe This animated image shows the Sudanese town of Donkey Dereis, south of Darfur, as it looked in QuickBird satellite imagery from late 2004, then flips to a 2006 view. The "before" view shows well-defined enclosures and huts. The "after" view shows the destroyed village. View related photos Slide show Violence spreads Attacks by Arab militia have spread to neighboring Chad, where Darfurians were seeking refuge. View images. How to help in Chad and Darfur Visit these Web sites for more information AmeriCares CARE Catholic Relief Services American Red Cross STAND: Students Taking Action Now: Darfur Action Against Hunger Africare Mercy Corps Christian Children's Fund Caring for Kaela: International Children's Foundation Doctors without Borders Genocide Intervention Network Save Darfur Human Rights Watch Jewish World Watch The U.N. Refugee Agency World Food Programme UNMIS: U.N. Mission in Sudan Oxfam International International Rescue Committee Concern Worldwide US United States Fund for UNICEF International Medical Corps Most Popular • Most Viewed • Top Rated • Most E-mailed Is super-skinny Nicole Richie pregnant? Pardon a sensitive topic for White House Lost cat, lost heart Ancient frogs rafted to the Caribbean Person tries to jump in Benedict's 'popemobile' Most viewed on MSNBC.com Somali Troops Kill Would-Be Bomber Twin Bombings Kill 7 in Baghdad U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq at 3,494 Abbas Calls Off Meeting With Olmert Iran: Nuclear Program Can't Be Stopped Most viewed on MSNBC.com Scientists aim to cure blindness with stem cells Fans may save ‘Jericho’ from cancellation Martha Stewart on grilled chicken done right Ancient frogs rafted to the Caribbean Scores rise since 'No Child Left Behind' signed Most viewed on MSNBC.com By Michelle Locke Updated: 10:10 p.m. MT June 5, 2007 BERKELEY, Calif. - Human-rights activists are using high-resolution satellites to keep watch over imperiled villages in the Darfur region of Sudan and posting the images online to enlist help preventing violence. The new Amnesty International Web site was due to launch Wednesday in conjunction with a conference at the University of California at Berkeley. “We’re hoping that by shining a light that we will deter the abuse from ever happening,” said Ariela Blatter, director of the Crisis Prevention and Response Center for Amnesty International USA.

Satellite images have been used before to document destruction in Darfur and elsewhere. But the latest project offers clearer, more up-to-date images, allowing experts to better track developments, Blatter said. The quality of the pictures is “very, very good,” said Lars Bromley of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an international nonprofit group that publishes the journal Science and provided technical assistance for the project. “We can see cows. We can see vehicles. We can certainly see houses and fences and other structures.” That’s especially important in an area such as Darfur, which is too dangerous for most people, said Bromley, project director for the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program. The region has been wracked by violence since 2003, when ethnic African rebels and the pro-government janjaweed militia began fighting. More than 200,000 people have been killed, and 2.5 million have been forced to flee their homes. Sending a ground mission would be next to impossible, “but the satellite image provides you another way to peek over the walls,” Bromley said. The satellites watching Darfur are the latest effort to use the Internet to monitor hot spots such as crime-ridden streets or rush-hour bottlenecks. “This is the Web camera moved to outer space, basically,” said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project. “It’s an absolutely logical, expected extension of the stuff that’s been going on in the Internet.” Computer users have accessed remote images from their desktops for years, “and now this is being tied to political, economic and social activism in really interesting ways,” he said. The Eyes on Darfur project is funded by the Save Darfur Coalition of humanitarian groups. It also includes archive images showing villages destroyed since the conflict began. Amnesty International organizers hope the pictures will increase pressure for change. Click for related content Bush imposes new sanctions on Darfur Google Earth focuses on Darfur atrocities Ancient mega-lake discovered in Darfur “The picture is worth a thousand words, but it’s important that it’s carried by a million voices,” Blatter said. But Martha Saavedra, associate director for the Center for African Studies at UC Berkeley, cautioned that issues in the conflict are complicated. “I think it is good that people are becoming aware. In general, I would say, ‘Don’t just look today at the satellite, but commit to some kind of long-term education of yourself,”’ she said.