There’s no shortage of amazing organizations out there looking to make a positive difference in the world. As many humanitarian aid groups as there are, there’s never close to enough, and we could always do with a few more do-gooders looking to help those in need.

The choice to make the world a better place always starts from a single individual: you could be the head of the next great humanitarian group that changes the world for the better, but you could end up doing just as much good as a volunteer for one of the already-established organizations. Here are the top 3 humanitarian aid groups reviewed, although each member of the category is worthy of praise.

Humanitarian Aid Groups

Red Cross: You’ve probably heard of this massive humanitarian organization that’s been around for over a century. What started as an army aid group quickly expanded to become one of the strongest forces of good on a global level. These days, Red Cross offices and operatives can be found everywhere: from impoverished parts of the U.S. to destitute parts of Europe all the way to Africa and the Middle East. Likewise, their mission evolved from ‘merely’ helping with wartime issues to providing assistance to everyone who needs it, from the poor and sickly to those who are down on their luck and need some support. If you’d like to become a member of the Red Cross, you’ll have no trouble finding an office near you and the requirements are fairly lax – all that matters is a clear desire to help people.

Salvation Army: For some reason, the Salvation Army doesn’t seem to get nearly as much praise as it should. Perhaps some of it stems from the fact that it’s essentially a religious organization, more specifically a Christian one – many people have a problem with religion and have a feeling that working for religious groups would be a step towards indoctrination. Others might have an issue with the organization’s army-styled system of command, ranks and everything. But no matter your opinion on the specifics, one thing is clear – in the last 150-some years since its foundation, the Salvation Army has done more good than most aid groups can ever hope to. It focuses on receiving donations that are converted to food, medicine and shelter for those most in need, and the group could always use additional volunteers for its cause.

UNICEF: They say that children are our future, and the good people at UNICEF agree wholeheartedly. Short for United Nation’s Children’s Fund, the group specializes in improving the present and future of children in over 190 countries around the world, be it by finding them better-suited homes, providing them with a proper education or simply by ensuring they have unlimited access to food and water. While it’s been running ‘only’ for around 60 years, UNICEF made the most of this time and is now the premier children’s aid organization in the world, their impact being felt in virtually every area of the globe no matter how prosperous it might be.

It’s safe to say that most people want to have children one way or another, even those that wouldn’t be caught dead admitting it. When people think of being parents, they’re usually thinking in biological terms: finding the right person to parent a child with and raising someone who is your own flesh and blood.

But there are other ways to become a parent – ways that are oftentimes more rewarding than the ‘standard procedure’. If you’re considering making an addition to your family, have you thought about adopting a child?

Without a doubt, every adoption completely alters the course of a child’s future, almost invariably for the better. Still, the process can be intimidating to some, and not every parent ends up being satisfied with the choice after everything is said and done. To help you make the right decision, here is a better look into the adoption process and what it means for the parents as well as the children.

The first decisions – the most important ones?

The first thing you think about should be whether an adoption is a good idea for you and your family. You might want it, but what about your partner? Equally as important, do your biological children want it? Make sure not to skip this part of the adoption process – you don’t want to feel as if you forced anyone to do anything. You won’t just be changing the life of the child you’re adopting, but also the lives of everyone else involved.

Moving on, consider where the ‘adoptee’ will come from. Is it going to be a child from a far-out corner of the world? Yes, the prospect is appealing – these children are usually those who need a better life the most. But bringing a child into a different culture can spell a lot of difficulties as he or she tries to integrate into a foreign world. It’s more than just the odd looks from bystanders you might receive – your child might grow up to feel like an alien in its surroundings, especially if you adopted past toddler age.

The nitty-gritty details

To adopt a child, you might want to connect with an adoption agency and see what they can do for you. These entities specialize in bringing the right parents together with the right children and will employ various means of finding the best match. In general, expect to have your home, living conditions and parenting potential closely scrutinized to maximize the efficiency of the process.

This is another reason why it pays to know where the child should be coming from. As appealing as they are, consider that many ‘international’ adoptions cost anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 or more just to bring the child to you. To make matters even more difficult, many children from impoverished zones will have pre-existing health conditions that will incur a lifetime of additional expenses you’ll have to be willing and able to deal with.

If this option is too costly for you, think about an adoption closer to home: foster care adoptions will usually cost nothing, and you might even find yourself eligible for monetary support from the state. The children in your city or state that are in foster care need a good life every bit as much as those from abroad do, and you shouldn’t overlook them on your way to becoming a foster parent.