* * * * *

Today would have been your last chance to get a nomination in, but I'll be extending things by a couple of days, so get nominating!

Wonderful idea and I'm glad to see the Sigil and their chimpy spokesperson at work. :)
I'm not particularly knowledgeable when it comes to charities, so this has actually been a great source of info.

As requested, I'm letting everyone know of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, specifically Make-A-Wish International. I can only imagine the heartache for a parent to know that their child--someone that should be so full of life and potential--is not going to get a chance to grow up. It's main purpose is to grant wishes to children who have terminal or life-threatening illnesses. This started in 1980 in the US with just a simple group of volunteers to make one boy's wish come true: to be a policeman. This act only snowballed with such enthusiasm that today it is now world-wide!

I think it's also a good time of year to bring this up as many fortunate children get their wishes granted for the holidays in the form of gifts and also because of those who volunteered to bring joy into less fortunate children's lives throughout the year.

Charity Navigator Report on Make-A-Wish International

News story on a Make-A-Wish Ontario wish

Batkid - Make-A-Wish Foundation in San Francisco

Like crew I would opt for Doctors w/out borders. Important work, and they've had a tough year, it seems.

it doesn't count as a nomination - please read the OP.
Can't accept that as a nomination - please check the OP.

Oh, I know. I used the conditional 'would' intentionally. Was just stating a preference, not actually nominating.

I'd like to nominate "Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome" in Portugal (which stands for Food Bank Against Hunger), a charity that collects and distributes food and also supports the activities of hundreds of institutions that prepare meals for people in need in Portugal.
http://bancoalimentar.pt

I nominate them because there's a growing number of Portuguese citizens relying on their aid as our economy keeps descending deeper in the gutter with a ~15% unemployment rate (33% youth unemployment) so their work is very important for those struggling to keep their families alive.

Here's a video report by a major Portuguese TV news channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGJC9oa0_N0

Thank you The Sigil and chadjenofsky for your generous gesture.

PS: I wanted to nominate a local charity where a donation could have a more significant impact but unfortunately I couldn't find one with a website.

Not-so-absent BUMP.

Another BUMP!

* * * * * FINAL CHANCE * * * * *

I'll be closing this later on, with a view to give a final check over nominations etc and complete the draw before the end of the weekend.

Wow. No offense meant at all, but looking there, it seems like Alzheimer's tops the charts in one category.

I'm afraid there is not any charity that I could recommend without feeling like more of your donation would go to administrative costs than it would to the person(s) it was meant to help.

You can consider giving a loan on Kiva, which is ultimately paid back, yet the proceeds can go to fund a loan for another in need. It's almost like a perpetuating of self-sustenance if you provide the loan to the right individual in need, at least there you can categorize them.

I was a little confused and hesitant due to the rules, as I'm not sure exactly what some of them mean, hence my lack of a suggestion.
I feel education is a vitally important part of the development of humanity, so while charities focused on food and such might have more immediate positive effects, the long-term betterment of our species probably depends on universal education.

With that in mind, my suggestion would be:
READ Foundation
An organisation with great penetration in Pakistan, with hundreds of schools and thousands of students. I'm not sure about the eligibility of this group, because it is described as not-for-profit.
Here is an article about the READ Foundation: Rebuilding Lives

If it is not a valid option, another option would be Developments in Literacy, which weirdly enough seems to have less of a media presence than READ, despite actually being on sites like charitynavigator (with pretty good ratings), and also has fewer schools operating in the country.
Here is a third-party reference to the site.

BTW, anyone can always take a spare moment to click and give food on The Hunger Site.

It costs nothing more than a click-through to donate food.