This is something I have been planning to do for a long while.

There are a lot of programs, small, grass-roots projects which are making a difference in Third World countries, war-torn, or recovering from war. These aren't projects funded by super-powers or the ones pumping large sums of money directly into the pockets of government officials.

Many of the projects that I will highlight are funded and carried out by small groups, working directly with the people in crisis. One provides wells to communities where children would normally walk 5-6 miles a day to collect a bucket of filthy water. A group of Israelis plant olive trees in Palestinian communities, for the Palestinian people. Another teaches women in African countries to plant trees in an effort to reforest drought-stricken regions.

I'll be adding to the list frequently.

Fotokids: http://www.fotokids.org/en/home.html

"The purpose of Fotokids is to help small groups of Central American young people from the poorest of barrios develop useful, employable skills as a means to self-exploration, expression, and discovery. Through intensive, long-term, personal relationships with teachers and mentors, participating children learn and use photography, creative writing, and computers as tools to examine their lives, families, communities, and environment."

"Light Up the World": http://www.lutw.org/

"Light Up The World (LUTW) founded in 1997 by Dr.Dave Irvine-Halliday is a humanitarian initiative whose chief goal is to assist poor villagers in the developing world obtain a useful, healthy, safe, reliable, rugged, affordable and environmentally friendly White Light Emitting Diode (WLED) based form of home lighting."