Environment and conservation are hot topics in the world of charity these days. In catering to that interest, I’d like to spotlight a wonderful organization - the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT). ACT’s mission, conserving biodiversity, health and culture in tropical America, takes an interesting approach. They actually engage the stakeholders. Their mission statement follows.
The Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) was created in 1995 with the conviction that if international rainforest conservation efforts are to succeed, the active and meaningful participation of indigenous people is essential. The conservation of biodiversity is the primary focus of all environmental organizations working in the tropics. With the guidance of tribal elders, shamans, traditional authorities, and leading western conservationists, ACT has developed a uniquely successful and cost-effective approach that we term biocultural conservation. This ACT methodology incorporates the protection of biodiversity, strengthening of traditional health systems, and cultural preservation into a unified system.
I was really pleased to read about ACT’s approach to conservation. It’s often the case that western cultures come in with well-intentioned objectives and sweep aside the local population in the process. In contrast, ACT has engaged the native population and is working towards solutions with those to whom it really matters. Their efforts range from medical programs that place western medicine on equal footing with shamanistic healing to supporting Shaman programs through apprenticeship, ensuring that centuries of indigenous knowledge continues to pass through to future generations. They have worked closely with Indians from the Tirio communities of the Suriname, training them (at the tribe’s request) in western cartography and with western tools such as GPS to map over 15 million acres of forest, or over 30% of the Suriname. The success of this program led to the resulting maps being adopted as the official government maps. Other tribal communities expressed interest in the results and Kwamalasamutu Indians travel to share their knowledge and techniques.
In the interest of brevity, I’ll leave it to you to visit ACT and read about the wonderful programs they are engaged in. It’s worth your time. If you have concerns about how your money might be spent, Charity Navigator has rated ACT with 4 stars, their highest rating, for both the merit of their programs and their responsible use of donations. You can rest assured that the money you choose to contribute will be spent wisely and heavily weighted towards useful programs rather than overhead and administrative costs.
Please pay ACT a visit and consider a contribution today. This isn’t just about environmentalism or the hottest trend in environmental politics. Regardless your political position, the rainforests and cultures that call them home are worth your time. Even if you discount the forest’s beauty, diverse wildlife and the rich history of the indigenous peoples, the cure for the disease that could someday threaten the life of somebody you love might be hiding in some obscure corner of the rainforest just waiting to be found. Help to save something very much worth saving. You can find ACT’s donation page here.
I was once a routine contributor to a now defunct charity. The cause, in support of handicapped Americans, certainly seemed just enough. They didn’t ask for much and they made it easy to give. So I willingly parted with money I probably needed as much as those to whom I was giving (times were tight back then). It was a year or two after I started giving that I just happened to catch a news story in which this specific charitable organization was mentioned, along with several others. The story was on charity fraud. It was damning, the evidence solid and, soon after airing, the scam-artists quietly crept away never to bother me for a handout again. I felt violated.
I saw a shirt recently that proclaimed - Everything worth learning I learned from my dog. Cute though that is, my dogs lick themselves and sniff one another inappropriately so I won’t take every lesson a pooch has to teach as necessarily the best option (your mileage may vary). I will, however, agree that a great many characteristics inherent in dogs are worth emulating (loyalty, kindness, devotion, love, enthusiasm for life). There is one lesson above all the rest that stands out, though; a single character trait I’ll venture is common to every dog I’ve ever met and that is the absence of malice. I know you’re thinking of the annoying neighbor’s dog who would apparently like nothing better than to dig under the fence and chew your ankles off the next time you walk by, but hear me out.The nice thing about dogs is they don’t come with a lot of baggage. Even an adopted mutt who has led a rough life is likely, at worst, to haul a small carry-on bag full of fear. I’ve had dogs in my life since birth, have worked in veterinary medicine and, as a child, even spent time working (hanging out mostly) at a guard dog training facility in Germany as a child and what I’ve never seen in a dog is malice or hate. If there’s one thing we could stand to learn from our dogs, it’s the inability to hate. 