A Glimmer of Hope Passes the Million Beneficiary Mark

A Glimmer of Hope Passes the Million Beneficiary Mark Milestone Coincides With the 20th Anniversary of the Song That Inspired Its Creation, 'Do They Know It's Christmas' AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Inspired by the original song "Do They Know it's Christmas?" produced in 1984 by Bob Geldof and featuring David Bowie, Duran Duran, U2 and Paul McCartney, Donna Berber is dedicating her life to helping the impoverished people of Ethiopia. Today, A Glimmer of Hope, the social-profit foundation started by Berber, announced it has helped more than one million Ethiopians receive clean water, education, famine relief and health care in less than three years. The milestone coincides with the release of Geldof's update of the classic song featuring modern artists like Joss Stone, Travis and Coldplay. "I was so moved by the original Band Aid recording and the tireless efforts of Bob Geldof that I decided then to do something about it if the opportunity ever arose," said Berber. In 2000, Berber's husband Philip sold his online trading company CyBerCorp to Charles Schwab for $488 million. From the proceeds, the Berbers took $100 million in stock to create an endowment for A Glimmer of Hope. "One reason why Philip and I are so hands-on with A Glimmer of Hope is because our early research left us shocked and dismayed by the widespread mismanagement of charitable funds," continued Berber. According to the McKinzie Report published in the Harvard Business Review, charities and foundations waste more than $100 billion annually due to inefficient business practices, slow distribution of funds, and high fundraising and operational costs. A Glimmer of Hope takes a business-like approach to project selection and management, giving indigenous people in rural areas the tools to help themselves. "In all my experience, A Glimmer of Hope is unique for its pragmatic approach in applying a successful business model to sustainable development," said Tibor Nagy, the former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia who has spent a total of 23 years working in Africa. Since the foundation launched its national aid program in 2001, it has worked with the people of Ethiopia to complete more than 450 development projects. The foundation has 925 projects slated for 2005 in Ethiopia. For more information on A Glimmer of Hope, visit http://www.aglimmerofhope.org/ . Source: A Glimmer of Hope CONTACT: David Tishgart of Porter Novelli, +1-512-899-4649, or david.tishgart@porternovelli.com , for A Glimmer of Hope; or Michael O'Keefe of A Glimmer of Hope, +1-512-328-9944, or michael@aglimmerofhope.org Web site: http://www.aglimmerofhope.org/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment