Somaly Mam’s courage and dignity in overcoming her traumatic childhood as a victim of human trafficking, prostitution and abuse has made her one of the world's most inspiring figures and leaders in combating slavery and human injustice. She has been honored as one of the “100 Most Influential People of 2009” by TIME Magazine, was featured as a CNN Hero, garnered the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation, was awarded the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the C...

The Virgin Group is one of the world’s largest conglomerates, with its head, Richard Branson, listed as one of the wealthiest men on earth. Virgin Unite is the company’s charitable institution, working under the charity, The Virgin Foundation.

Virgin Unite campaigns to end, prevent and treat three of the world’s leading health problems: malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS. The charity also hosts the Heavens Angels venture. Executives and employees of the Virgin Group, along with their ...

Violence against children is one of the most prevalent social problems on the planet. Children who cannot fight back are taken advantage of, abused and abandoned. In the United States alone, some 790,000 children are abused or abandoned yearly and Child Protective Services agencies record over 3.2 million referrals annually.

Elevate Hope Foundation (EHF) was founded in 2001 by Sheila E. and Lynn Mabry, both of whom were victims of sexual abuse as children. Their experiences led them to ...

Veterans have risked their life and limb for their country, and should therefore be entitled to proper benefits, so that they can fully live their lives after receiving incapacitating injuries. Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), a non-profit organization, fights for this very premise.

Founded by a group of servicemen, PVA lobbies for better health care services and benefits for veterans who can no longer work after having served in the American armed forces. The organization also seeks...

“Children are the hope of a future.” This may be a cliché, but it's also very true, and it's precisely what Dr. Jane Aronson had in mind when she founded the Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO) in 1997. The non-profit organization seeks to transform the lives of the thousands of orphaned children all over the world and give them a chance to grow up to become healthy and productive citizens.

Dr. Aronson, a well-respected pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases and adoption m...

Every child has the right to a good education, in order for him or her to realize his or her full potential and become an active, helpful citizen of his or her community. It is this belief that Get Schooled, a non-profit organization, espouses.

Statistics show that more and more young people are dropping out of high school and college, with some not even bothering to enter public school. Get Schooled seeks to reverse this alarming trend by empowering and encouraging young people to stay in s...

AIDS is no joking matter, and AIDS Project Los Angeles, simply known as APLA, knows this better than anyone. One of the United States' largest organizations providing services to over 10,000 residents of Los Angeles County who have HIV and AIDS, APLA has been leading the way in education, care, counseling, case assistance, treatment and advocacy.

APLA was founded in 1982 by Nancy Cole Sawaya, Matt Redman, Ervin Munro and Max Drew, who came up with the idea for the organization after real...

They may be some of the world's most adorably huge animals, but Asian elephants are becoming more and more endangered today. In the past 100 years, severe hunting, poaching and destruction of their natural habitat have put these lovable creatures on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with as much as 90% of their population now gone. Elephant Family, a UK-based organization, has taken up the rally cry to save the Asian elephants and prevent further loss of their numbers.

Elephant Fa...

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women all over the world. Breakthrough Breast Cancer, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer as well as raising awareness everywhere, has successfully been making leaps and strides in their continuing battle against this deadly disease. The organization's vision is “to work for a future free from the fear of breast cancer.”

Breakthrough Breast Cancer works by host...