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Benj and Jessica launched a nonprofit. Follow our journey as we built a 501(c)(3) and a web site, and now usher in an endless stream of worthy charity nominees and monthly grant winners!

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Spotlight on nominee Doctors Without Borders

Nominee Doctors Without Borders aka Médecins Sans Frontières

Next in our series of posts about new Charitocracy nominees, we have nominee Doctors Without Borders, nominated by donor carolinatim. They care for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, and disasters in more than 70 countries. You can find their web site here.

A few words on Charitocracy

If you're late to the party, here's how it works. Donors pool their monthly contributions, as little as $1. The cause with the most votes each month wins the pot. No matter how much or how little you contribute, each donor at Charitocracy gets one vote. This is where charity meets democracy.

But as you may have heard, Charitocracy rides off into the sunset at the end of 2023. Regardless, keep voting each month until New Year's Eve. Our monthly grants will get bigger and bigger throughout the year!

About nominee Doctors Without Borders

We provide independent, impartial medical humanitarian assistance to the people who need it most.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, natural and human-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries.

Who we are

Every day, Doctors Without Borders teams deliver emergency medical aid to people in crisis, with humanitarian projects in more than 70 countries.

We are independent, impartial, and neutral

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) offers medical humanitarian assistance to people based solely on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender, or political affiliation. Our teams of doctors, nurses, logisticians, and other frontline workers are often among the first on the scene when peoples’ lives are upended by conflict, disease outbreaks, or natural or human-made disasters.

The decision to respond is based solely on our independent assessment of medical needs. We work to ensure that our teams can reach people in need without restriction and provide aid directly.

We are guided by medical ethics

Above all, MSF’s goal is to do no harm. We’re committed to providing the highest quality medical care possible—no matter where we’re working—and to acting in our patients’ best interests, respecting their rights to dignity, confidentiality, informed consent, and to make their own decisions.

We are committed to bearing witness

We believe that the principles of impartiality and neutrality are not synonymous with silence. When the world turns its back on crises, we are duty-bound to raise our voices and speak out on behalf of our patients. Our decision to do so is always guided by our mission to do no harm, preserve respect and dignity, and protect life and health.

We are transparent and accountable

Accountability is at the core of MSF’s identity. We strive to be as open and transparent as possible when it comes to the work we do and the money we spend. We continually reflect on both our successes and failures to ensure that the efficacy, quality, and efficiency of the care we provide is always improving.

Our financial independence ensures that the aid we provide is not used to further any government’s political or military goals. Most of our funding comes from small donations, and 97.2 percent of the money we raised globally in 2020 came from individual donors and private institutions. MSF USA does not accept any government funding.

We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion

With over 45,000 staff members of 169 nationalities working in more than 70 countries around the world, we recognize that diversity, equity, and inclusion are inextricably linked to the success of our medical humanitarian mission. We are making changes across our organization to better reflect this incredible diversity and build one global workforce by challenging operational structures, creating more opportunities for locally hired staff, reevaluating compensation and benefits policies, and more.

So please visit the page of nominee Doctors Without Borders to vote for, like, or discuss this cause! And watch this 2 minute video answering the question, What is Doctors Without Borders?

Spotlight on nominee Turkiye Earthquake Relief Fund

Nominee Turkiye Earthquake Relief Fund

Next in our series of posts about new Charitocracy nominees, we have nominee Turkiye Earthquake Relief Fund hosted by Turkish Philanthropy Funds, nominated by donor chesaustin. They provide immediate relief to survivors in the form of food, shelter, water, and medicine. You can find their web site here.

A few words on Charitocracy

If you're late to the party, here's how it works. Donors pool their monthly contributions, as little as $1. The cause with the most votes each month wins the pot. No matter how much or how little you contribute, each donor at Charitocracy gets one vote. This is where charity meets democracy.

But as you may have heard, Charitocracy rides off into the sunset at the end of 2023. Regardless, keep voting each month until New Year's Eve. Our monthly grants will get bigger and bigger throughout the year!

About nominee Turkiye Earthquake Relief Fund

All of us at Turkish Philanthropy Funds are saddened by the news of the terrible earthquake that struck Gaziantep and its neighboring cities, with a magnitude of 7.8 on February 6th at 4:17 am local time. The earthquake was felt by at least ten surrounding cities. Our thoughts are with the injured and the families of the victims. We extend our deepest condolences to all families who lost their loved ones.

Since the early hours of this A.M., we are in contact with our partners on the ground analyzing the need and have decided to establish the Turkiye Earthquake Relief Fund to provide immediate relief to survivors in the form of food, shelter, water, and medicine. In addition, we will provide longer-term assistance to help residents recover and rebuild.

Impact Reports and Transparency

We commit to transparent reporting and will update you on how we've used donations to this fund. Your contributions will go to TPF-vetted nonprofits at Afet Platformu, which is an umbrella platform consisting of various nonprofits such as Ahbap, ACEV, TOG, Ihtiyac Haritasi, TEGV that are directly involved in Kahramanmaras and its neighboring towns to help victims recover from the devastating effects of the earthquake and rebuilding efforts.

Grants made from the Earthquake Fund to date:

  • $100,000 to AKUT Foundation to local search and rescue team.
  • $100,000 to Needs Map to provide support for coordination, need analysis, and humanitarian aid.
  • $100,000 to Support to Life to disburse hygiene kits to affected people.
  • $100,000 to Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG) to temporary relief and emergency supplies for displaced families.

Challenge

People in Turkiye battle earthquakes on an ongoing basis. February 6th Gaziantep earthquake was a devastating one for many cities. More than 1,200 deaths were reported, and the toll was expected to increase. Immediate relief efforts provided by this fund will ensure that survivors and first responders receive critical resources, including food, housing, medical aid, water, and psychosocial care. TPF's partners at Afet Platformu immediately acted to provide support with recovery and respond to survivors' immediate needs.

Solution

100% of your donations to this fund will support TPF's Turkiye Earthquake Relief Fund and recovery efforts. We monitor the impact on affected communities and work with partners at Afet Platformu to allocate funds to where they're needed most. Initially, the fund helps first responders meet survivors' immediate needs for food, fuel, clean water, medicine, and shelter. As needs emerge, we will support longer-term recovery efforts run by local, vetted partner organizations in the impacted area(s).

How Your Donation Will Be Used

When you donate to TPF's Turkiye Earthquake Relief Fund, 100% of your donation will be used to:

  • Provide food and emergency medical supplies to people and animals
  • Support temporary relief and emergency supplies for displaced families
  • Provide support to front-line workers, like volunteers of our partner organizations
  • Meet other needs that emerge

TPF will post reports about how funds have been used and will email these reports to donors.

Trusted and Reliable

TPF is the most reliable and trustworthy foundation serving the Turkish-American community. We are committed to transparency and low overhead.

When disasters strike, TPF quickly delivers funds to its partners on the ground that are best suited to provide relief and long-term recovery. Our disaster relief funds have been recommended by many international organizations and local Turkish-American organizations.

TPF's Track Record in Disaster Relief

TPF has been responding to disasters and supporting emergency aid and long-term relief programs since 2011. We have facilitated more than $3M in disaster donations to funds like this.
See how we've responded to similar disasters like this, including:

  • Van Earthquake Relief Fund in 2011
  • Soma Relief Fund
  • Elazig Earthquake Relief Fund in 2020
  • Covid-19 Relief Fund
  • Izmir Earthquake Relief Fund
  • Wildfire Relief Fund

So please visit the page of nominee Turkiye Earthquake Relief Fund to vote for, like, or discuss this cause! And watch this 2 minute video from Turkish Philanthropy Funds offering sympathy to those affected by the earthquake and introducing their Turkiye Earthquake Relief Fund.

Spotlight on nominee Direct Relief

Nominee Direct Relief

Next in our series of posts about new Charitocracy nominees, we have nominee Direct Relief, nominated by donor zardoz. They work to expand access to medicine and healthcare by equipping doctors and nurses with lifesaving medical resources. You can find their web site here.

A few words on Charitocracy

If you're late to the party, here's how it works. Donors pool their monthly contributions, as little as $1. The cause with the most votes each month wins the pot. No matter how much or how little you contribute, each donor at Charitocracy gets one vote. This is where charity meets democracy.

But as you may have heard, Charitocracy rides off into the sunset at the end of 2023. Regardless, keep voting each month until New Year's Eve. Our monthly grants will get bigger and bigger throughout the year!

About nominee Direct Relief

Healthy People. Better World.

That means all people — regardless of politics, religion, or ability to pay. Improving their lives is Direct Relief’s mission.

Humanitarian Relief

Direct Relief works to equip health professionals in resource-poor communities to meet the challenges of diagnosing and caring for people in need.

Disaster Relief

Every day, Direct Relief prepares the most vulnerable communities worldwide for more frequent, more destructive emergencies. And when disasters strike, Direct Relief responds fast, effectively, and efficiently to get medical resources where they need to be to save lives.

Nongovernmental, nonsectarian, and not-for-profit, Direct Relief relies entirely on private contributions to advance its mission and perform a wide range of functions.

Included among them are identifying key local providers of health services; working to identify the unmet needs of people in the low-resource areas; mobilizing essential medicines, supplies, and equipment that are requested and appropriate for the circumstances; and managing the many details inherent in storing, transporting, and distributing such resources to organizations in the most efficient manner possible.

So please visit the page of nominee Direct Relief to vote for, like, or discuss this cause! And watch this 1 minute video describing in images rather than words what Direct Relief does.