Happy Festive Season to all who read this....

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Christmas 2014: give the gift of help...

I wrote a little guide back in August listing some places where one could donate if seeking to help out in the battle to contain Ebola virus and try and prevent more loss of life due to Ebola virus disease (EVD). 

With Christmas day nearly upon us, and many who read this blog likely to be doing something to celebrate it involving the giving of gifts to friends and loved ones, please think about donating to help the fight. 

You can easily add a donation, in the name of your friend or loved one, to help a range of organisations help save lives. I've re-posted my earlier list below in case you need some ideas. These donations can be made online-you can even get in a little Christmas craft and make a "voucher" tells the recipient what they did to help!

And the donation does not need to be limited to EVD of course! These organisations supply aid in many ways to those in all sorts of need. They also have a good record of getting that help to where it really needs to go. In some cases you can see that these guys spend most of your donation on tangible items and real aid - not on administration - a good thing to look out for. 

• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)They are meticulous, fastidious and well trained so they don't needlessly risk themselves. They are on the front lines everywhere. They have been all over this outbreak from early one. They warned us.
  http://www.msf.org/
• Direct ReliefThey can (and have) mobilize the personal protective equipment (PPE) and other material. They have contacts with others in industry. They are a nexus for getting this done.
  http://www.directrelief.org/
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.They are one the ground helping keep locals informed about Ebola virus
  http://www.ifrc.org/
• United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
  Always finding way to help children. There is a large orphaned population in West Africa due to EVD this year.
  http://www.supportunicef.org
• Ebola Response Fund, United Nations Foundation 
  The UN created this fund as way to allow individuals, corporations and civil society organizations to directly support UN entities in their efforts to respond to the Ebola virus disease outbreak.
  https://secure.globalproblems-globalsolutions.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=5A0017918CF67B11BD1FA907C0DE8C70.app246a?9260.donation=form1&df_id=9260
• Africare
  Among other things, they are helping to outfit health care workers with PPE in West Africa
  http://www.africare.org/
• globalgiving
  Among other things, they help to educate and provide medical supplies to the countries under Ebola virus assault
  http://www.globalgiving.org/
• actionaid
  Spreading awareness about Ebola through village visits, music, explanation, drama...and some pretty cool dancing!
  http://www.actionaid.org/videos/ebola-door-door
• USAID
  Has a link to a range of agencies seeking funds to help stop the EVD epidemic
  http://www.usaid.gov/ebola
• Australia Red Cross: Ebola Outbreak 2014 Appeal
  Providing education, care and aid with burial
  http://www.redcross.org.au/ebola-outbreak-2014-appeal.aspx