A charity is a non profit making organisation that raises money for people in need. These days there are thousands of charities round the world and it is possible to donate money to help people, animals and places.

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(A) The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) was the first organisation dedicated to the well-being of animals anywhere in the world. In England and Wales alone, the RSPCA employ more than three hundred inspectors whose job it is to investigate reported cruelty to animals. The SPCA was set up in London in 1824. At this time it was considered strange that people should care about cruelty to animals. They were regarded as either food, transport or sport. In 1840 Queen Victoria gave the organisation permission to be called a royal society: The RSPCA. These days there are almost two hundred branches in the UK.

(B) The RNIB (Royal National Institute of the Blind) is the UK’s leading charity for the blind. Sight loss is one of the most common disabilities in the UK with over a million people suffering from either partial or total blindness. The RNIB challenges the disabling effects of sight loss by providing information and offering practical services to help people lead as normal a life as possible. The organisation also works on the underlying causes of blindness working towards its prevention, cure or alleviation. The RNIB have centres all over the UK.

(C) TBG (Tidy Britain Group) is an independent national charity fighting to improve the quality of the local environment. They aim to make people more aware of the negative effects of litter, dog fouling, graffiti and vandalism and 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 councils and businesses to organise educational programmes designed to raise awareness of the problems. The TBG’s sister organisation, Going for Green, concentrates on pollution issues. The two groups share premises and have the same Chief Executive.

(D) Mencap is a charity which is dedicated to fighting against discrimination towards those people who suffer from any kind of learning disability. Most of Mencap’s work is campaigning. People with learning disabilities are disadvantaged because of discrimination and lack of funding of community care. Mencap raises awareness by working at local, national and European levels to raise the profile of those issues that affect people with learning disabilities. It also provides services of education, housing and employment as well as support and advice for families and carers of sufferers.

(E) EveryChild is a relatively new charity which was created when two existing organisations, the CCFGB (The Christian Children’s Fund of Great Britain) and the ECT (European children’s Trust) decided to merge in 1983. The organisation works with children, families and communities in twelve countries. The organisation believes that every child has the right to grow up and develop to their full potential in a secure, safe, family environment, free from poverty and exploitation. EveryChild identifies the needs of a particular community and then sets up sustainable 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 organisation then moves on to new projects, leaving things in the hand of locals.

Your turn
What do you think of this article? Do you think that money you give to a charity gets to the people it should get to? If not, why not, and what could be done in improve the situation? Send us your opinions.

Links from this article
RSPCA
RNIB
TBG
Mencap
Everychild

Links
Wikipedia: charity
Wikipedia: charities
Howstuffworks: How Philanthropy Works

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