Mission:

To improve the lives of women and children in need and ultimately "nourish the hungry, inspire the broken, and connect the world."

Background:

RU4Children was founded in 2001 by Trey and Jennifer McAlister after they witnessed firsthand the plight of orphaned children in Russia and Ukraine. Starting with a group of sixty-four kids from Orphanage #4 in Kharkov, Ukraine, over the next eight years the McAlisters provided their young charges, many of whom faced a future of prostitution, drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, joblessness, and/or suicide, with summer camps, secondary educational classes, life-skills courses, and trade skills training. The original group of sixty-four kids took advantage of the opportunities with which they had been provided and subsequently encouraged, mentored, and provided hope to other young orphans in Kharkov. In 2009, the McAlisters expanded their reach into Guatemala, where their focus shifted from serving only orphans to addressing the needs of vulnerable children and their families more generally. In 2010, after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, RU4Children helped provide emergency relief and reconstruction support to organizations and churches on the ground. Today, as part of its effort to improve the lives of Guatemalan women and children in greatest need, RU4Children works with local organizations to provide vitamins developed specifically for malnourished children, install clean water systems and safe cooking stoves in hundreds of homes, and raise awareness of other poverty-related issues in that Central American country.

Outstanding Web Features:

Visitors to the site can learn more about the organization's efforts to feed orphans and school children in Guatemala; inspire poor families to prioritize health, education, and social responsibility; and connect partners with children and families that desperately need help. On the site's update page, visitors can read about the organization's latest accomplishments and learn more about its efforts to reduce poverty in the country by bringing job opportunities to small villages; watch a video detailing the benefits of reducing malnutrition; and learn how to get involved. For its website, the organization has adopted a "no stock-photo images" policy and makes a point of letting visitors to the site know that "what they see is what we do" —  something that's also demonstrated in its robust Instagram feed. In addition, the site's shop page features handmade Traveler's Mochillas, the organization's signature item, as well as t-shirts, hoodies, and caps — proceeds from the sale of which support the organization's programs; as well as a donation page with multiple options.