Charities in the Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, people have had a tendency to be a little wary of philanthropic organizations, fearing that a culture of ‘feathering one´s nest´ pervades, and that their donation may not go to those who need it. Even large organizations are sometimes viewed with a level of suspicion, and although people respond to calls for massive fund raising drives, disaster relief and children in need, there hasn´t been a pervading tradition of donating to charitable causes.

This attitude may be changing, however, due to the popularity of the Donors Message Service (DMS – Dárcovská SMS), a unique method of donation invented in the Czech Republic which lets people use their mobile phone credit to text a donation to a particular charity or cause. Over 13 million CZK were donated last year over DMS, not just to disaster relief but also basic social needs. The ease and relative transparency of the process, as well as the fact that the charities involved are ‘certified´, means that more young people and those who would not usually donate have started to do so. The donation numbers and causes can often be found on TV, radio, and billboards across town.

Deciding who should be the beneficiary of your donations can be difficult. There are many charities and funds operating in the Czech Republic, and it´s hard to know which ones are worth supporting. If you´re looking to give to a very specific cause, a local charity, or a smaller group, it´s worth doing a bit of research – look on the internet, visit their office if you can, even volunteer for a while if you have time. On the other hand, if you want a large, established charity, or a general cause, there are a few well established organizations here that are generally reliable.

UNICEF, Amnesty International, Greenpeace and the Red Cross all operate in the Czech Republic, and contribute to local and international causes. In terms of specifically Czech-based charities, there are also quite a few options. People in Need (Člověk v Tísni) is a humanitarian organization that was established by conflict journalists and dissidents involved in the Velvet Revolution. It concentrates on human rights, alleviation of poverty and the reduction of national prejudices and xenophobia – within the Czech Republic, it runs education and social integration programs, provides support and legal aid to the disadvantaged, and raises money for development, human rights, and aid in other countries.

The Catholic charity Caritas Czech Republic is the largest charitable provider in the country for social and health care, providing accommodation, health services, integration projects, and general help for the aged, disabled, migrants, prisoners, women with children, and the poor. ADRA is another major charity that has a wide ranging scope, helping with disaster relief in other countries and social and humanitarian problems here and abroad.

If you´re interested in supporting environmental organizations, the major ones are The Czech Union for Nature Protection (CSOP) operating throughout the country and dealing with education and environmental conservation, and Děti Země and Hnutí Duha (Friends of the Earth Czech Republic), which are education and campaign groups. Other charities that might be of interest are Sjednocená organizace nevidomých a slabozrakých ČR (Czech Blind United), Česko proti chudobě (Czechia against poverty), Nadace Terezy Maxové (Tereza Maxová Foundation), for the support of abandoned children, the Slovak-Czech Women´s Fund, and Miláčkové.net, a charity and internet rescue for abandoned dogs and cats.