Esperança was awarded the Independent Charities Seal of Excellence. This is awarded to the members of Independent Charities of America and Local Independent Charities of America that have, upon rigorous independent review, been able to certify, document, and demonstrate on an annual basis that they meet the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness. These standards include those required by the US Government for inclusion in the Combined Federal Campaign, probably the most exclusive fund drive in the world. 

Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United States today, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000, or 5 percent, meet or exceed these standards, and, of those, fewer than 2,000 have been awarded this Seal. “We are honored to receive this award and to be recognized as one of the best charities in America.” Said, Tom Egan, President and CEO of Esperança. “I knew that Esperança was a very special organization, but when they told me that fewer than 5% of the charities in the whole country receive this seal of approval, I was truly proud of our staff, board of directors, donors and volunteers for making us one of the best charities in America”.

PHOENIX, Ariz.  (Jan., 17, 2011)… Esperança is the first Arizona nonprofit organization to partner  with pledge4good.com, an innovative platform that lets individuals create a donation pledge tied to personal or professional goals. 

“Best of all, pledge4good lets you easily inform friends on Facebook, Twitter, and email as you set and then pursue your goals,” said Vik Bellapravalu, co-founder of pledge4good.com.  “Friends can share in your achievements by joining your pledge and making a donation (as low as $1) every time you adhere or achieve your goal.”   

Achievements may include hitting a birdie at golf, losing a pound, getting an A in school, or a win by your favorite football team. Individuals pick their achievements. Then, they simply invite friends or family members via  social media to join in and make donations tied to their achievements. Next, individuals log achievement +donations.  They can check-in on pledge4good.com’s mobile app or website to share the news with friends and make a donation.

“This is an innovative and fresh concept in fundraising,” said Tom Egan, president and CEO of Esperança.  “It’s simple enough that people will use it and it’s a great way to engage with supporters and followers through our growing social media networks.  Being a national organization, it also gives us the ability for anyone, anywhere in the country to raise funds to support our mission of building clean, sustainable and healthy communities worldwide.”

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Distribution

Contact: Lindsay Hansen
PR Consultant
(480) 205-6195
lindsay@ldhconsulting.net

Catholic Healthcare West Grants $50,000 to Esperanca for Healthcare Initiative with Latino Community At-Risk for Obesity-Related Diseases

PHOENIX, Ariz. (Dec. 19, 2011)…Catholic Healthcare West has awarded grant funding in the amount of $50,000 to Esperança to educate and improve the lives of Latino adults and children in the Golden Gate Community who are at-risk for obesity-related diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

“For years, we’ve been working in this community with SJHMC, the Golden Gate Community Center, Keogh Health Connection and Arizona State University to meet the health needs of the residents,” said Tom Egan, president and CEO of Esperança. “Members of the community are disproportionately non-English-speaking, poor, uninsured and have low levels of education. These factors increase the risk that people will develop obesity and related complications such as hypertension and diabetes and receive inadequate prevention and treatment interventions. “

The funding provided by Catholic Healthcare West will allow Esperança to provide community health fairs, cooking classes, adult and child nutrition and fitness classes and more.

“Our goal is two-fold, we want to provide educational information and classes to the Golden Gate community to prevent and control these diseases from occurring while coordinating with other agencies to provide a seamless continuum of care for residents at-risk for hypertension and diabetes,” said Egan. “Hypertension, obesity and diabetes are preventable diseases that cost our healthcare system billions of dollars. What our partners at Catholic Healthcare West realize is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

About Esperança
Since 1970, Esperanca has been providing programs to improve the health and well being of the world’s poor. Our programs include volunteer surgical missions, health education, training of community health workers, home building, clean water projects, micro enterprise, agricultural development, dental treatment and prevention, and donation of medical equipment and supplies to more than 14 countries. Our goal is to build clean, sustainable and healthy communities worldwide. To learn more, visit: www.esperanca.org.

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Distribution

Contact: Lindsay Hansen
PR Consultant
(480) 205-6195
lindsay@ldhconsulting.net

Izumi Foundation Donates $138,200 to Fund Esperança Chagas Disease Project in Bolivia for Two Years

PHOENIX, Ariz. (Dec. 19, 2011)…The Izumi Foundation, based in Boston, Mass., has awarded grant funding in the amount of $138,200 to Esperança over the next two years to enable them to train 15,000 families in three cities in Tarija, Bolivia to rid their homes of the vinchuca bug which causes Chagas Disease.

“Chagas disease is one of the greatest public health problems in Bolivia and affects thousands of people living throughout Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Tom Egan, President and CEO of Esperança. “In some areas, the infection rate is more than 20 percent.”

The vinchuca bug thrives in thatched roofs and mud walls of typical homes in the region. The bugs have developed immunity to the chemicals used for fumigation, so it can be very difficult to combat and eliminate the problem.

People who contract Chagas may initially have flu-like symptoms or swelling and redness near the site of the insect bite for a week or ten days, but many have no symptoms at all. They can remain symptom free for the next 10 to 20 year until they begin to experience organ failures. An enlarged heart, liver or megacolon are common complications.

For the past 10 years, Esperança has been working with Bolivian families to train them to identify and eliminate the bug, protect their homes, choose building materials the insects dislike, get tested and if necessary, get early life-saving treatment. To date, Esperança has reached more than 25,000 families and 6,300 families have received assistance to repair their homes using safer materials to eliminate vinchucca.

The first community in southern Bolivia to receive training was San Lucas. Thanks to Esperança’s efforts the infestation rate has dropped from 20 to less than 2.4% percent. Impressed with the results, the Imuzi Foundation granted Esperanca $51,448 to spend during July 2010 to June 2011. The money was used to train rural villagers in Chuquisaca, Bolivia.

“The results of that project were so promising, we have decided to increase our funding and enable Esperanca to reach another 15,000 families in three cities,” said Eliza Petrow of the Izumi Foundation. “Esperança’s mission compliments our work nicely. Our Foundation works to assist the world’s poorest people by supporting programs that improve health in developing countries. We’re proud to be associated with this project and are confident they are improving the health and well-being for thousands of families in Bolivia.”

A new component of the project includes schools. Children will receive instruction at school and their homework includes searching for bugs at home. Several local governments, who have also been impressed the results, are now requiring their public health workers to receive training in these effective methods to combat the persistent problem of Chagas disease.

About Esperança
Since 1970, Esperanca has been providing programs to improve the health and well being of the world’s poor. Our programs include volunteer surgical missions, health education, training of community health workers, home building, clean water projects, micro enterprise, agricultural development, dental treatment and prevention, and donation of medical equipment and supplies to more than 14 countries. Our goal is to build clean, sustainable and healthy communities worldwide. To learn more, visit: www.esperanca.org.

December 7, 2011

Letters to the Editor
The Arizona Republic
P.O. Box 1950
Phoenix, AZ 85001.

Dear Editorial Staff:

While we always appreciate stories about Arizona nonprofits and the ever growing need for donations, we were disappointed to see that Russ Wiles’ story which ran Sunday, Dec. 4 and included information on charity rankings was incomplete. Eleven Arizona nonprofits were omitted from the list of 4-star rated charities, the highest rating available from Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator.

We’re bringing this to your attention because several of the omitted nonprofits have little or no budget for marketing and advertising, which means every media mention is appreciated and considered an opportunity to engage with potential donors. Additionally, as non-profits we must work very hard to earn the prestigious 4-star rating from Charity Navigator.

According to Guidestar.org there are 31,903 charities in Arizona, of which all but 281 have budgets under $10,000,000. Smaller charities account for 99 percent of nonprofits in Arizona and serve a very important purpose in helping those in need. Unfortunately, many Arizonans never hear enough about nonprofits such as Esperança or Child Crisis Center because our operating budgets are small. However, we are also in need of donations and appreciate contributions at any level. A small donation small or midsize nonprofit is significant and appreciated, and a larger donation can be transformational.

Hopefully in the future, you will consider inclusion of smaller nonprofits as well and help educate readers about the wide variety of wonderful charitable organizations in Arizona, not just those with the most recognizable names

Attached is the complete list of 4-star charities in Arizona: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.results&overallrtg=4&stid=50

Sincerely,

Tom Egan
Esperança, CEO

Christine Scarpati
Child Crisis Center, CEO

Fox 10 News
Local Organization: Shocked by Aid Worker Killings
Updated: Monday, 09 Aug 2010, 9:14 PM MST
Published : Monday, 09 Aug 2010, 8:47 PM MST

PHOENIX – A local aid organization is reacting to the murders of a group of volunteer medics in Afghanistan.

Esperança is a local volunteer surgical program that serves countries in Central and South America, as well as Phoenix.

Christina Araiza, their program director, says they will not be changing the way they operate but are shocked by what has happened.

“You’d never expect our volunteers who are there to do good and serve those who most need it to be victims of this type of crime, so definitely, this puts our volunteers on alert,” she says.

Araiza says petty crime is the most serious crime that their volunteers encounter on the road, and that they do take precautions when traveling abroad.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/health/local-organization-shocked-by-aid-worker-killings-8-9-2010