Helen Keller International

We begin our evaluation of all international charities by reviewing their websites. (How do we identify charities for review?) We reviewed Helen Keller International's website to determine whether it met either of the following two criteria, which we believe indicate whether a charity is likely to eventually be able to meet our full criteria for a recommendation: (Why do we rely on information found on a charity's website?)

• Does the charity publish high-quality monitoring and evaluation reports on its website? A charity meets this criterion if it freely publishes - on its website - substantial evidence regarding impact that (a) discusses how the impacts of projects or programs were evaluated, including what information was collected and how it was collected; (b) discusses the actual impact of the evaluated projects. (Why is monitoring and evaluation so important?) For health charities this involves showing that, depending on the type of program, either (a) medical treatments are administered appropriately; (b) health-related supplies (such as condoms and insecticide-treated nets) are used appropriately and consistently by beneficiaries; or (c) health-related behavior change programs succeed in changing behavior over the long term. We accept evidence of improved health outcomes (lowered incidence/prevalence of diseases; drops in death rates; etc.) as well.
• Does the charity stand out for program selection? A charity meets this criterion if it focuses primarily on (or publishes enough financial information to make it clear that 75% of its recent funding is devoted to) what we consider "priority programs." These programs have particularly strong evidence bases, enough to lower the burden of proof on a charity running them. (Why do we look for charities implementing proven programs?) Such programs include administering vaccinations, distributing insecticide-treated nets, and treating tuberculosis, among many others. (For more, see our full list of priority programs.)

Helen Keller International did not meet either of these criteria. If you have documentation that demonstrates that Helen Keller International does meet either of these criteria, please send it to us using our charity submission form for international aid charities.

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More information:

• Overview of international charitable giving
• Overview of developing-world health
• Our top-rated charities
• All charities we have evaluated

Published: July 1, 2009