Generally speaking, “human rights” refer to the rights that are spelled out in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as associated international treaties and covenants. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, "Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent, and indivisible.

Humanitarian studies, on the other hand, stem from international humanitarian law which addresses acceptable practices and actions during complex emergencies, particularly in armed conflict. Humanitarian studies thus involve issues dealing with the delivery of aid and assisting the victims of war, extreme poverty and natural disaster. Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law, general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.

To learn more, visit:

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  
• The United Nations
  
• Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
  
• U.S. Department of State
  
• Amnesty International USA report, Human Rights for Human Dignity: A Primer on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
  
• The International Committee of the Red Cross
  
• United Nations Peacekeeping
  
• World Health Organization

There are countless non-governmental organizations (NGOs) dedicated to human rights and humanitarian work. An excellent resource for locating these organizations – along with volunteer opportunities, internships, and job openings – is the Web site www.idealist.org. A few NGOs to get you started include:

• Amnesty International, www.amnesty.org
• Amnesty International USA, www.amnestyusa.org
• Human Rights Watch, www.hrw.org
• Human Rights First, www.humanrightsfirst.org
• Oxfam International, www.oxfam.org
• Women for Women International, http://www.womenforwomen.org/
• Save the Children, www.savethechildren.org
• World Vision, www.worldvision.org
• ONE, www.one.org

For an excellent resource for internship and volunteer opportunities with St. Louis based organizations click here.

Children and Youth Services
These organizations focus on families and children, offering services like counseling for children and parents, foster care placement and free health care.

• Annie Malone Children & Family Service Center: http://www.anniemalone.com/
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri: http://www.bbbsemo.org
• BWorks: http://bworks.org/
• Children's Foundation of Mid-America, Inc.: http://www.care4kids.org
• Children's Home Society of Missouri: http://www.chsmo.org/
• Epworth Children and Family Services: http://www.epworth.org/
• Family Resource Center: http://frcmo.org/
• Kingdom House: http://www.kingdomhouse.org/
• Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Clubs: http://www.mathews-dickey.com/
• Neighborhood Houses: http://www.neighborhoodhouses.org/
• University City Children's Center: http://www.uccc.org/

Community
These organizations work with community members to provide community resources and support services in a variety of areas, including education, housing and employment, to help them overcome social and economic difficulties.

• 100 Black Men: http://www.100blackmenstl.com/
• Ark of Safety Center, Inc.: https://www.arkofsafetycenter.org/
• Better Family Life: http://www.betterfamilylife.org/
• Beyond Housing: http://www.beyondhousing.org/
• Catholic Charities – Archdiocese of St. Louis: http://www.ccstl.org/
• Employment Connection: http://www.employmentstl.org/
• George Washington “Carver House”: http://www.carverhouse.org
• Grace Hill: http://www.gracehill.org/
• Hands On Disaster Response: http://www.hodr.org/
• International Institute of St. Louis: http://www.iistl.org/
• Provident: https://www.providentstl.org/
• Redevelopment Opportunities for Women: http://www.row-stl.org/

Disabled Persons
Some non-profit organizations help persons with mental, developmental, intellectual and physical disabilities. They offer life skills training, community living services, recreational activities and more for handicapped children and adults.

• Autism Society of America – Gateway Chapter: http://www.autism-society.org/
• Delta Gamma Center for Children with Visual Impairments: http://www.dgckids.org/
• Independence Center: http://www.independencecenter.org/
• KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) St. Louis: http://www.keenstlouis.org/
• Special Olympics Missouri: http://www.somo.org/
• SSM Rehabilitation Hospital: http://www.ssm-select.com/
• St. Louis Arc (Association for Retarded Citizens): http://www.slarc.org/
• St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired: http://www.slsbvi.org/
• UCP Easter Seals Heartland: http://ucpesh.easterseals.com/

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
These groups tend to provide emergency assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Typical services include 24-hour telephone help lines, walk-in clinics and safe houses. Other groups advocate for the rights of victims of sexual assault.

• ALIVE St. Louis: http://www.alivestl.org/
• Covenant House of Missouri: http://www.covenanthousemo.org/
• Family Resource Center: http://frcmo.org/
• Kingdom House: http://www.kingdomhouse.org/
• Missouri Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence: http://www.mocadsv.org/
• RAVEN (Rape and Violence End Now): http://www.ravenstl.org/
• Safe Connections: http://www.safeconnections.org/
• St. Louis Crisis Nursery: http://www.crisisnurserykids.com/
• St. Louis County Domestic and Family Violence Council: http://www.stlouiscodvcouncil.com/
• Saint Martha's Hall: http://www.saintmarthas.org/
• The Women's Safe House: http://twsh.org

Education
Educational non-profit groups often tutor children, teach adults to read and write and teach English as a second language to immigrants.

• Grace Hill: http://www.gracehill.org/
• International Institute of St. Louis: https://www.iistl.org/
• Luxor Learning: http://www.luxorlearning.com/
• MATHCOUNTS: http://mathcounts.org/
• Parkway Area Adult Education and Literacy: https://www.parkwayschools.net/Domain/801
• Reach One Teach One: https://gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu/each-one-teach-one/
• Teach for America: http://www.teachforamerica.org

Elder Care
Elder care volunteer opportunities include helping senior citizens perform everyday tasks, like driving to the doctor or fixing dinner. Some non-profits in this category help take care of elderly people with long-term illnesses like Alzheimer's disease.

• Alzheimer's Association St. Louis: http://www.alz.org/stl/
• American Association of Retired Persons (AARP): http://www.aarp.org
• Cardinal Ritter Senior Services: http://cardinalritterseniorservices.org/
• Meals on Wheels of St. Louis: http://www.mowstl.org
• South Grand Senior Ministry: https://saintstephenstl.org/ministries
• St. Louis Area Agency on Aging: http://stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/human-services/aging-services/

Environment
This category includes non-profits focused on environmental issues and the outdoors.

• EarthShare Missouri: http://www.earthsharemo.org/
• Forest ReLeaf: http://www.moreleaf.org/
• Missouri Coalition for the Environment: http://www.moenviron.org
• Missouri Sierra Club: http://missouri.sierraclub.org
• St. Louis Audubon Society: http://www.stlouisaudubon.org/
• The Green Center: http://www.thegreencenter.org/
• The Open Space Council: http://www.openspacestl.org/

Ex-Offender Re-entry
These non-profit organizations help ex-felons transition from prison into society by offering structured housing, skills training, employment assistance, and educational opportunities.

• Ark of Safety Center, Inc.: https://www.arkofsafetycenter.org/
• Center for Women in Transition: http://cwitstl.org/
• Employment Connection: http://www.employmentstl.org/
• Project COPE: http://www.projcope.org/

Health
Health-based non-profit organizations often provide medical care to those who cannot otherwise afford it. Others help terminally ill patients and their families cope financially and emotionally with their illnesses. Organizations that help individuals with drug and alcohol addictions are also included in this list.

• American Liver Foundation – Missouri: www.liverfoundation.org/chapters/missouri/
• American Lung Association of St. Louis: http://www.lungusa.org/associations/charters/plains-gulf/
• Doorways: http://www.doorwayshousing.org/
• Epilepsy Foundation of the St. Louis Region: http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/stlouis/
• Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri: https://www.mha-em.org/
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of St. Louis: https://www.namistl.org/
• National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NCADA) – St. Louis: http://www.ncada-stl.org/
• Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/stlouis/
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Metro St. Louis: http://www.rmhcstl.com/
• St. Louis Effort for Aids (EFA): http://www.stlefa.org/
• United Cerebral Palsy of Greater St. Louis: https://ucpheartland.org/

Homelessness
Most non-profit organizations that combat homelessness operate shelters where people sleep and eat. Sometimes, they also help the homeless find jobs and low-rent homes and offer financial assistance.

• Ark of Safety Center, Inc.: https://www.arkofsafetycenter.org/
• Epworth – Youth Emergency Service (YES): http://www.epworth.org/programs/youth-emergency-service.php
• Gateway Homeless Services: http://www.gatewayhomeless.org/
• Grace Hill Family Center: https://gracehillsettlement.org/
• Peter & Paul Community Services: http://www.ppcsinc.org/
• St. Louis Winter Outreach: https://www.stlwinteroutreach.org/
• St. Patrick Center: http://www.stpatrickcenter.org/

Hunger
These organizations donate food to hungry individuals and families.

• Centenary Church: The Bridge: http://www.centenarystl.org/
• Food Outreach: http://www.foodoutreach.org/
• Operation Food Search: https://www.operationfoodsearch.org/
• St. Louis Area Foodbank: http://www.stlfoodbank.org/

International
This category includes organizations with an international focus.

• Amnesty International USA: http://www.amnestyusa.org/
• Asha for Education: http://www.ashanet.org/stlouis/

Legal Assistance
Legal advocacy non-profits offer low-cost legal services to low-income residents. They often represent individuals in child custody, divorce and domestic violence cases. Some legal assistance groups specialize in helping children or the elderly.

• American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri: http://www.aclu-em.org/
• Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) For Children -- St. Louis County: https://stlcasa.org/
• Crime Victim Advocacy Center: http://supportvictims.org/
• Legal Advocates for Abused Women: https://www.supportvictims.org/legal-advocates-for-abused-women
• Legal Services of Eastern Missouri: http://www.lsmo.org/Home/PublicWeb

Poverty
These organizations provide any number of services to the poor, including those relating to health, education, housing and economic development, with the goal of creating healthy lifestyles and prosperous environments.

• Dress for Success Midwest: http://www.dressforsuccess.org/
• Habitat for Humanity – St. Louis: http://www.habitatstl.org/
• Metropolitan Employment and Rehabilitation Services (MERS) / Goodwill: http://www.mersgoodwill.org/

Many non-profit organizations oversee a broad range of activities, or give financial assistance to numerous charitable organizations. A non-profit job seeker can start at the umbrella organization and read about its non-profit members. Better yet, some non-profit umbrella organizations maintain their own job databases.

• American Red Cross – St. Louis Chapter: https://www.redcross.org/local/missouri/about-us/locations/st-louis-area.html
• AmeriCorps: http://www.americorps.gov
• United Way of Greater St. Louis: http://www.stl.unitedway.org/
• YMCA of Greater St. Louis: http://www.ymcastlouis.org
• YWCA of Metro St. Louis: https://www.ywcastl.org/

Many of Missouri's non-profit opportunities are listed in national or statewide databases of volunteer positions. The following websites list numerous non-profit organizations in St. Louis.

• Idealist: https://www.idealist.org/
• Serve.gov: http://www.serve.gov/
• VolunteerMatch: http://www.volunteermatch.org