Holiday Giving is a Lifelong Gift for the World’s Most Vulnerable Children
Press Release – LAGUNA HILLS, CA – December 14, 2017 – World of Children, a global recognition and funding organization for nonprofit leaders managing programs that exclusively serve the needs of vulnerable children, is going beyond the holiday season to show that end-of-year donations are more than just a tax write off—they’re a lifetime investment in a child’s life. World of Children, celebrating its 20th anniversary, has dedicated more than $11.5 million in grants to Honorees working in over 50 countries. The long-term relationships with each of the Honorees, and the children who have been impacted by their work, show that a giving a year-end gift today will change the course of a child’s life forever.
“Especially during the holiday season, donors are searching for a nonprofit organization that will make the greatest impact and ensure their generous gift is being used for exactly what it was intended for,” said World of Children Co-Founder Harry Leibowitz. “We are proud to say that 100% of every single dollar donated our organization is used to fund high-impact programs, but the greatest gift is that we can change the course of a child’s life who is at risk of abuse, illness, homelessness, illiteracy or hunger.”
The impact of World of Children’s 100% funding model and long-term commitment to the programs they serve was seen first-hand at the recent 2017 World of Children Awards Ceremony held in New York City on November 2, 2018. Humanitarian Award Recipient Winnie Barron, founder of Makindu Children’s Centre in rural Kenya, was the recipient of nearly $90,000 in funding. But the biggest gift of the night was a surprise appearance by Babu Juma—one of the first children brought in to the program after its inception—who was flown in from Kenya by World of Children to present Winnie with her award.
Juma was orphaned and living on the streets 20 years ago when a handful of generous donations helped Barron open the doors to Makindu Children’s Centre in 1998. He went on to graduate from high school and college, and this past summer, he graduated from law school and passed his board exams to become a lawyer. A husband and father of three healthy boys, Juma aims to focus his law practice on child advocacy, while still making time to visit the Centre frequently to play with and mentor children.
“Winnie and Makindu Children’s Program redirected my future. They afforded me, and many other children, the opportunity to dream, achieve our goals, and most of all, they gave us hope,” said Juma. “I am where I am because someone cared enough to donate their hard-earned money to give hope to a hopeless situation, and because someone dared to believe I could be something and someone.”
World of Children receives thousands of nominations every year and uses a uniquely rigorous vetting process to select Honorees like Barron, including an on-site investigation and independent audit of each Honoree. They assume the hard work of finding the bravest heroes who protect, nurture, educate and heal the world’s most vulnerable children so that the decision for donors looking to make an end-of-year gift isn’t about finding the right organization—it’s about deciding how big of an impact they can make. Donors can be confident that a donation today to an organization like World of Children could change a child’s life for the next 20 years, and beyond.
About World of Children
World of Children unlocks the future for vulnerable children by funding, elevating and educating the most effective changemakers for children worldwide. Since 1998, the Foundation has dedicated more than $11.5 million in grants to high-impact programs for children, led by more than 100 Honorees working in over 50 countries. World of Children is recognized as the “Nobel Prize for Child Advocates,” and is the only global recognition and funding program that exclusively focuses on a broad range of children’s issues including health, education, safety and human rights. Nominations the 2018 Awards will be open from January 8 – April 1, 2018. Learn more at worldofchildren.org/nominate.
World of Children has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, People, Town & Country, and Harper’s Bazaar. World of Children Honorees have also been featured by CNN, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Fast Company, Glamour, TEEN Vogue, TIME for Kids, and USA Today, among other national and international media. The Huffington Post named Co-Founders Harry Leibowitz and Kay Isaacson-Leibowitz one of the most inspiring “power couples” in the country for their lifetime commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable children around the world.
For more information, visit worldofchildren.org, or join the community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
