Once again this year humanitarian crises half way around the world captured the attention of people here at home: within weeks of each other, a cyclone in Burma and an earthquake in China dominated the news as the death toll climbed. Unlike the South Asian tsunami of 2006, these natural disasters were not captured on video by stunned vacationers. Indeed, in

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Burma, it was hard to see anything at all: international aid workers and media were not welcomed into the country, and the generosity of those who contributed to relief efforts was met with stories of corruption and misdirected funds. China demonstrated an unusual openness to the outside world, but also mobilized itself quickly to manage its own crisis, so the outpouring of aid that followed the tsunami simply didn't materialize. It's hard to know what impact these crises will have on international giving (typically just 4.3% of all contributions) - whether they will encourage individuals to think about their giving in a larger, international, context, or not. The world is a big place, and if you aren't Bill Gates, it's easy to feel that your contribution won't make a dent in its problems. But we here present three great projects that are having an impact in the communities and on the populations they serve. Two are advocacy groups: one works on behalf of the "bottom billion" - those living in extreme poverty, most of them women - and the other on behalf of orphans and highly vulnerable children. The third is a micro-enterprise organization with programs in twelve countries that makes life-changing loans as small as $50. (Please see our icon denoting re-featured charities.) It's extraordinary what a difference even a small contribution can make.