charity

Charitable giving is the act of giving money, goods or time to the unfortunate, either directly or by means of a charitable trust or other worthy cause. Charitable giving as a religious act or duty is referred to as almsgiving or alms. The name stems from the most obvious expression of the virtue of charity is giving the objects of it the means they need to survive.

The poor, particularly widows and orphans, and the sick and disabled, are generally regarded as the proper objects of charity. Some groups regard charity as being properly directed toward other members of their group. Although giving to those nearly connected to oneself is sometimes called charity—as in the saying "Charity begins at home" -- normally charity denotes giving to those not related, with filial piety and like terms for supporting one's family and friends. Indeed, treating those related to the giver as if they were strangers in need of charity has led to the figure of speech "as cold as charity" -- providing for one's relatives as if they were strangers, without affection.

A Hope for Children, charity institution whose stated purpose is to serve the children of Ethiopia, with a primary emphasis on caring for orphans infected with HIV

AHOPE provides two children’s homes for the care of children infected with HIV, with a capacity of about 100 children total. AHOPE operates a child development center which is a community outreach program that provides services which enable a destitute extended family to keep its orphaned children at home. According to AHOPE, the center has the capacity to assist 100 children and their guardians and is designed as a model that is suitable for replication in other needy areas as funding allows. The children are provided with basic essentials to thrive despite the family circumstances, including food, clothing, psycho-social support, and schooling. The organization has an in-house preschool and the older children are provided with school fees, uniforms, books, etc. Medical care is provided, including anti-retro-viral therapy as needed. The guardians of the children receive family training in nutrition, hygiene, care of HIV infected persons and other skills that contribute to a healthy environment for the children and their families. AHOPE operates a daycare which has many activities and a before-school and after-school program of tutoring and activities for older children. The organization’s child development center also houses a community children's library to enable the children of AHOPE to socialize with other children and adults in the community in a natural social setting. AHOPE also provides ongoing training for families and the community to provide sensitization to HIV issues, community cohesiveness and mobilization