We are so lucky to have many amazing gift options available to show our moms how much we care about them – flowers, candy, jewelry and fancy dinners to name a few. This mother’s day I wanted to share an alternative gift idea, one that will make a life changing difference for women and their families’ in need in some of the most underserved and dangerous places in the world.

International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit, nonpolitical and nonsectarian organization that provides emergency medical help and most importantly, training for health professionals and workers to help bring their communities back to self-reliance. You can read up on what IMC is all about in detail here.  I was first introduced to IMC by a good friend of mine who has been involved with the organization for some time now. This week, I had the honor of hearing one of the fearless volunteers who has worked in the field in places we rarely hear about in the news like Somalia, Darfur, Kyrgyzstan, Burundi, and Sierra Leone. He spoke first hand about his experiences and what he saw in these far away places. The picture he paints is not pretty but it is also not hopeless. Thanks to people’s generosity they have been able to provide emergency care to the people who desperately need it. Here are a few facts that will illustrate just how much can be accomplished with relatively little:

What’s different about IMC is that 93 percent of funds goes directly to the fields to offer immediate relief and the resources to start the healing and rebuilding process. In addition, IMC is completely neutral in terms of politics – their goal is to help those in need regardless of the political climate in their area or the state of their government. You can see a map of all the places IMC has been making a difference here.

So this Mother’s Day why not celebrate your mom, aunt, mother-in-law or friend by making a donation in their name to an organization that provides care for mother’s in need all over the world. I highly recommend a visit to the IMC website which provides tons of information about their progress and successes all over the globe.

Happy Mother’s Day.

All images courtesy of International Medical Corps