Can Cleaner Cookstoves Help Save the World?

Did the slick animations in the Girl Effect video that’s been viewed 3.6 million times compel you to buy soccer cleats for a South African girl? Maybe Matt Damon persuaded you to invest in Water.org so you can supply clean water and toilets to the world’s poor. Perhaps you’ve bought something (RED) to fight AIDS?

If you haven’t, you’ve missed out on a big trend. Overseas development assistance is going private. More and more, private charities, foundations and nongovernment organizations are joining or displacing government organizations such as the U.S. Agency for International Development and multilateral groups like those of the United Nations to help the poorest of the poor. Celebrities vouch for various projects, and the Internet makes giving simple. From 2005 to 2010, overseas aid from U.S. private groups jumped by 164 percent, while official development assistance grew by only 8 percent, according to figures tracked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.