After three years of weakening support for charities, Americans indicated that they are more likely to increase donations this year, according to a study released Monday.

This is the first time since the recession began that Americans said they are more likely to increase their giving to charity than decrease their support, found the annual Dunham+Company New Year’s Philanthropy Survey, conducted by Wilson Research Strategies.

Nearly 1 in 5 respondents (18 percent) said they plan to increase their giving in 2011, marking a 29 percent increase in households compared to 2010. There was a 48 percent drop in the number of households that said they plan to decrease their giving and a 20 percent jump in households that said their giving will stay the same. more >>

With Sri Lanka facing its worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami, Christian aid agencies are providing emergency relief to those affected by the heavy monsoon rains.

Caritas Internationalis is supporting some 100,000 people suffering from flooding in Sri Lanka.

“Some areas are difficult to access and people are trapped there. Rivers are overflowing, dams [are] breaking and the main roads can’t be used,” reports Fr. George Sigamoney, secretary general of Caritas Sri Lanka. more >>

It is one year later, but most of the 1.5 million people displaced by the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti are still living in tents in squalid conditions. But for a fortunate few, a new home funded or partially built by American churches will arrive this year.

Haiti Transformed, a ministry of Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas, has, as of this date, built 48 homes for Haitian quake victims in the city of Leogane, about 20 miles west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The church’s goal is to construct a total of 100 homes for the families living in a tent village there.

The church moved close to reaching that goal when university-aged students at the Passion 2011 conference in Atlanta donated $140,400 to Haiti Transformed, or enough to build another 39 homes. more >>

If Southern Sudan were to form its own country as a result of the ongoing referendum, it would only be the start of a long journey to overcoming the poverty and underdevelopment it has suffered since Sudan gained independence from Britain and Egypt more than 50 years ago.

But in the midst of a rural community where villagers are mostly living in mud huts, Akot Medical Mission center, founded by evangelical Christian organization Mustard Seed International, has been operating for over four years.

Since the facility opened its doors to patients on October 1, 2006, the impact on the community where the sick would have had to walk two to three days to see a doctor in the past, has been significant. more >>

ATLANTA – The 22,000 students that attended the Passion 2011 conference were the most generous in the history of the event.

University-age students, known for regularly joking about being broke, collectively donated $1.1 million, far exceeding the $500,000 goal as well as the $668,000 total for Passion 2010. Students donated specifically to nine global aid projects through Passion's Do Something Now campaign, which seeks to teach young adults to exchange self-centered lives for God-centered ones that focus on the needy.

"Together, we are a force for good, making a massive difference in the lives of people around the globe in Jesus' name," states the Passion vision for the Do Something Now campaign. "At the core of it all is a desire to wed worship and justice, believing that what God wants most is not just another song, but a reflection of His love and mercy among the poor, the imprisoned, the voiceless and the oppressed." more >>

Habitat for Humanity, known for building homes for those in need, is “aggressively” working on providing affordable shelter by buying foreclosed homes and selling them at low cost to poor families.

For about a year and a half now, the ecumenical Christian ministry has worked in local markets across the United States buying foreclosed homes in cities such as Miami, Boston, New York, Charlotte and Atlanta. HFH is also considering buying homes across the state of Michigan where there is a “huge opportunity,” said Mark Crozet, senior vice president of resource development for Habitat for Humanity International.

Crozet noted that it is oftentimes cheaper to provide a family with a foreclosed home than to build a new house. more >>