I chose the following international organization COP's which are directly helping children around the world.

Kids to Kids International! is a non-profit which allows children in the United States to send Friendship boxes and educational supplies to children around the world. 

http://www.ktki.org/

Child Aid International is an international non-profit which helps orphans in Iraq and provides sponsorship opportunities to help cover healthcare, food, clothing and education.

http://childaidinternational.org/

The third program I chose is an International charity called Free the Children, which has both domestic and international programming. The international program of Free the Children is called, Adopt a Village.

Adopt a Village supports community development in areas where there exists a high incidence of child labour, exploitation of children and minimal opportunities for the girl child. The development model is a true partnership with local communities as they are actively consulted and involved throughout the development process. Adopt a Village provides access to children and their families to help them achieve financial stability. Self-Sustainability is achieved through :

· Developing and building the capacity of community members to assume leadership and management of projects.

· Providing families (especially women) with opportunities to participate in alternative income and livelihood programs, and equipping them with the skills and tools to be successful entrepreneurs and give back to their community through financial literacy training, business planning workshops and leadership seminars; tapping into and developing the potential of “merry go rounds” (and other similar traditional lending and savings initiatives) to enhance the income earning and livelihood improvement activities of families.

· Tackling local environmental issues and providing solutions based on indigenous knowledge ensures programs can be sustained by both community and land base.

What is Adopt a Village?

Designed to meet the basic needs of developing communities and eliminate the obstacles preventing children from accessing education, Adopt a Village is a unique sustainable development model made up of five pillars crucial to community development:

· Education

· Clean Water and Sanitation

· Health

· Alternative Income and Livelihood

· Agriculture and Food Security

Together, these five pillars create a sustainable and holistic development model that helps to ensure children and community members are empowered to break the cycle of poverty.

Adopt a Village is currently implemented in Kenya, rural China, India, Sierra Leone, Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Ghana. (http://www.freethechildren.com)

I would be especially interested in working for the organization, Kids to Kids International! I think they do the most amazing and exciting work, and I want to get involved.

References: 

Child Aid International http://childaidinternational.org/

Free the Children http://www.freethechildren.com

http://www.freethechildren.com/international-programming/adopt-a-village-faqs/#after-you-no-longer-work-in-a-community-how-do-you-ensure-sustainability-of-adopt-a-village-projects-or-initiatives

Kids to Kids International! http://www.ktki.org/

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

The National Education Association http://www.nea.org

The National Education Association is an amazing resource for educators, their mission states,"Our mission is to advocate for education professionals and to unite our members and the nation to fulfill the promise of public education to prepare every student to succeed in a diverse and interdependent world." This website is a wonderful resource for educators and includes information about everything an educator could need including information about school safety, affordable healthcare and teacher quality. I especially like the fact that this site offers educators the chance to ask for advice:

For support and advice: http://www.nea.org/tools/AdviceAndSupport.html

Another related organization is the Missouri National Education Association http://www.mnea.org/Missouri/mneapublic.aspx

The MNEA is a community of practice which includes, “35,000 members of the Missouri National Education Association are public school teachers, librarians, counselors, coaches, school psychologists and psychiatrists, administrators and faculty in colleges and universities. We are proud to include among our membership all categories of education support professionals: bus drivers and custodians, teacher aides and paraprofessionals, nurses, school secretaries and food service workers.”

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATORS
http://www.naecte.org/
“NAECTE members are people from all across the United States and from countries around the globe. We are joined together by our common interest in Early Childhood Teacher Education.” I chose this organization because it offers a communication network for early childhood teacher educators.

The CHILD RIGHTS INTERNATION NETWORK

http://www.crin.org/index.aspThe mission of the CRIN states, “Guided by our passion for social and legal change, CRIN is building a global network for children's rights. We press for rights, not charity, and advocate for a genuine systemic shift in how governments and societies view children. Our inspiration is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which we use to bring children's rights to the top of the international agenda. We launch advocacy campaigns, lead international children's rights coalitions, and strive to make existing human rights enforcement mechanisms accessible for all. “
This website is an amazing resource for international information about specific countries and all the distinct programs which are working to support human rights.
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One of my dream jobs have an opening for  the Director of Programs, Partnerships, and Research

The Organization http://www.cfchildren.org/

"Committee for Children (CFC) is a dynamic nonprofit recognized both domestically and internationally as a leader in developing research-based violence prevention and social-emotional educational curricula." The qualifications for this job state, "

• At least five years of substantial management and leadership experience
• A graduate degree in education, prevention science, psychology, social work, or a related field
• Candidates with an Ed.D. or Ph.D. in a relevant field are strongly preferred
• Solid knowledge of social-emotional learning or prevention science research
• A background of developing, implementing, and evaluating research-based social-emotional learning and prevention programs both in print and online for educators, parents, and other youth-serving audiences is required; experience with the application of emerging technologies in this field is preferred 
• Excellent communication skills and a demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain partnerships

For this job, I have many of the skills, however I would need more job experience in a management position. My ideal position would be in a role where I could help children grow and succeed, and I feel that this job would be the perfect fit for me.