A final look at our second-quarter beneficiaries

Before we say goodbye to our second-quarter beneficiaries, take another look at these great organizations and the work they’re doing to make the world a better place.

Poverty and Health: 50 Cents. Period.

Menstruation Matters was the rallying cry—and Twitter hashtag—for the first ever Menstrual Hygiene Day held on May 28, 2014, and 50 Cents. Period’s Executive Director Lorrie King was the event’s U.S. Ambassador. 50 Cents. Period. leads the charge to bring attention to the lack of facilities for women and girls in rural communities around the globe, and why #MenstruationMatters. Learn more about Menstrual Hygiene Day here, and click here to learn more about how 50 Cents. Period. empowers women and girls.

The Natural World: The Greening of Detroit

The Greening of Detroit, this quarter’s Natural World beneficiary, integrates two of Foundation Beyond Belief’s goals: promotion of environmentalism and education. They have several programs aimed toward environmental education, an extremely important objective for any environmental organization. A firm public understanding of the natural world is instrumental to our society’s progress, and educating future citizens on these topics in early years is important to effect the change we want to see in environmental practices. Read more about their education efforts here, and click here to learn more about their efforts to return green spaces to blighted Detroit.

Education: Worldreader

Worldreader’s programs harness the growing presence of mobile devices across Africa to distribute e-books. In order for poverty to be eradicated, communities to thrive, and global public health to be improved, universal literacy must be nurtured. To become literate, children need to practice reading. To practice reading, they need books. A study of 16 sub-Saharan countries showed that most primary schools have few or no books, with up to ten or even twenty children sharing a single textbook. Read more about how Worldreader is bringing e-books to students here, and learn about FBB supporter Jeff Strang’s recent collaboration with Worldreader.

Human Rights: Leo Igwe Research Project

Leo Igwe is no stranger to FBB members—we’ve twice before supported his work to prevent witchcraft accusations and help the accused. Leo’s ongoing project studies, protects, and provides for the needs of people (often women and girls) accused of witchcraft in northern Ghana. Accused witches are stripped of their belongings and shunned by family and friends, and are often unable to get medical treatment for their injuries or to ensure their own safety from further harm. Click here to read the story of Satu, an 82-year-old woman whose life has been turned upside down by an accusation of witchcraft. Leo will be speaking at the Humanism at Work conference, July 18-20 in Chicago—read more about Leo here.

Challenge the Gap: Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty

FBB’s Executive Director Dale McGowan explained why we have so much in common with the BJC, and why they’re a perfect fit for our Challenge the Gap program. As their website states, BJC is “fighting to uphold the historic Baptist principle of religious freedom. It stands guard at the intersection of church and state, defending the first freedom of the First Amendment.” Read about how the BJC encourages self-advocacy here, and learn more about their amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Town of Greece v. Galloway.

Stay tuned: Next week, we’ll announce our selected charities for the third quarter of 2014. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with FBB news and events.