These days there are thousands of charities around the world and it is possible to donate money to help people, animals and places.
Mencap is a charity which is dedicated to fighting against discrimination towards those people who suffer from any kind of learning disabilities. Most of Mencap's work is campaigning. People with learning disabilities are disadvantaged because of discrimination and lack of funding for community care. Mencap raises awareness by working at local, national and European levels to deal with those issues that affect people with disabilities. It also provides services of education, housing and employment as well as support and advice for families and carers of sufferers.
EveryChild is a relatively new charity which was created in 1983. EveryChild identifies the needs of a particular community and then sets up projects to ensure that children in these communities have basic rights such as healthcare, education, social services and community development. EveryChild sets up the projects so that they are self running. The organization then moves on to new projects, leaving things in the hands of locals.
The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is the first organization dedicated to the well-being of animals anywhere in the world. The RSPCA was set up in London in 1824. At this time it was considered strange that people should care about cruelty to animals. In 1840 Queen Victoria gave the organization permission to be called a royal society: The RSPCA. These days there are almost two hundred branches in the UK.
The TBG (Tidy Britain Group) is an independent national charity fighting to improve the quality of the local environment. They aim to get everyone involved in doing their bit to keep Britain clean. The work of the TBG is done mainly through campaigning. Volunteers work closely with governments and businesses to organize educational programmes designed to raise awareness of the problems. The TBG's sister organization, Going for Green, concentrates on pollution issues. The two groups have the same chief executive.
