Helen Keller a “Top Charity” Second Year in a Row
Helen Keller International is proud to announce that we have been rated a “top charity” by GiveWell for the second year in a row for our vitamin A supplementation program.
GiveWell (www.GiveWell.org) is an independent, nonprofit charity evaluator that helps donors decide where to give each year by conducting extensive, in-depth research and reviewing charities for their evidence of effectiveness, transparency, cost effectiveness, and need for funding.
Helen Keller is one of only eight top charities recommended by GiveWell. Their assessment identified our vitamin A supplementation program in sub-Saharan Africa as an outstanding opportunity for donors to prevent child mortality and improve life outcomes.
“We are tremendously proud that Heller Keller’s vitamin A supplementation programs have yet again earned such a high rating from GiveWell for their cost effectiveness and their impact on reducing child death,” said Helen Keller Intl’s Chief Executive, Kathy Spahn. “This recognition from GiveWell will help us address a funding gap for this work in West Africa and increase our efforts to save the lives of vulnerable children in under-served communities.”
Vitamin A deficiency is a leading cause of preventable blindness in children worldwide and contributes to a high risk of disease and death. It is a public health problem in more than half of the world’s countries, with greatest impact on children and pregnant women.
In its November 2017 blog post announcing its top charities, GiveWell said, “We had considered vitamin A supplementation a priority program for a number of years but had not found an organization that was able to answer our key questions. We can now make a strong case for supporting Helen Keller Intl’s work on vitamin A supplementation.”
For more than 40 years, Helen Keller International has been a leader in designing, implementing, and monitoring programs that ensure annual delivery of vitamin A supplements to vulnerable populations worldwide.
This program is just one vital component of Helen Keller’s broader strategy to address the causes and consequences of blindness, vision loss, and malnutrition among the world’s most vulnerable people.
Our holistic approach strengthens health systems, treats neglected diseases, and empowers communities to prevent illness and improve their health. We promote essential nutrition actions among vulnerable mothers and children, while preventing malnutrition by fortifying key staple foods with micronutrients and empowering households to increase production of diverse, nutritious crops.
Helen Keller International delivers such programs in 20 countries in Africa and Asia, in addition to its eye health programs in the U.S.
Collectively, these actions are making a critical difference in the lives of millions of people, and Helen Keller continues to look toward engaging more supporters in this transformational work.
