One of the things the owner of BellaOnline, Lisa Shea, strongly believes in is sharing information about charitable organizations. You've probably already noticed a number of ads appear throughout the BellaOnline site and forum to honour various charities. Like any site, BellaOnline has operational costs but it doesn't override visitor's senses with pop up ads all over the place just to make a mighty buck. After incurred expenses, any extra ads that BellaOnline has are designated to charity organizations. Lisa prides herself on this aspect.

In an effort to step up the visibility of charities, Lisa recently suggested each editor pick a charity to support and highlight for our readers with the hope of spreading more love, knowledge and funds around. There are numerous charities to choose from and the decision was hard to make but I've chosen Doctors Without Borders at the Large & Lovely site.

Doctors Without Borders, or it's official French name, Medecins Sans Frontieres (don't ask me how to pronounce it), began in 1971. It is an independent international medical relief organisation. Its main focus is to provide "rapid response medical care" to over 70 countries in peril. It is able to do this through the support received via donations from the community and businesses. Although not widely visible on their site, Doctors Without Borders, "does not accept funds from businesses with a significant source of income deriving from arms, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, mineral (i.e. diamonds, gold, oil and gas) extraction industries and pharmaceuticals".

Doctors Without Borders is a Nobel Peace Prize (1999) awarded organization that provides support to people suffering catastrophic events like wars, floods, earthquakes, drought, infectious disease and food crises. Doctors Without Borders lends support through public health, emergency medical care, HIV and AIDS education, nutritional support, water improvement, vaccinations campaigns, pharmaceutical distribution and much more. Current projects are underway in Haiti, the Republic of Congo, Colombia, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Darfur,

I've created a sponsorship page at the Doctors Without Borders official website with the hope that together we can raise $25,000 over the next year. Every little bit counts. And I do mean every little bit. Please consider making a donation. And please forward this article on to your friends and family to encourage them to make one as well.

Visit Doctors Without Borders.
Visit Give More for suggestions on making room for giving and other charities.