The aid organisation generated the highest amount of media coverage of all NGOs during the month of May.

BBC News and others reported that the Red Cross was part of the international aid effort to shelter thousands of foreign workers who had been subjected to violence by mobs in South Africa.

Save The Children moved into second position after it published a report claiming that children in disaster zones were being abused by aid workers.

Sky News reported that the organisation found instances of children offering sex in exchange for soap, money and mobile phones in combat and disaster zones.

The charity claimed that abuse was being conducted on a wide scale and that there were 'endemic failures' in official responses.

The Government's plans to roll out measures circumventing fuel poverty generated coverage for both Friends of the Earth and Age Concern.

According to the Financial Times, the sharp rise in energy costs will now see the Government instigate various measures to help those families most in need.

The Burmese cyclone triggered a massive international NGO response last month, attracting widespread media attention for both Oxfam and UNICEF, which did not feature in the previous table.

It was reported that concern for relief workers was mounting as relief struggled to get to the people who needed it most.

NGO WATCH - MAY 2008 RANKING
Ranking NGO No of mentions
1 Red Cross 201
2 Save the Children 156
3 RSPB 154
4 Friends of the Earth 123
5 UNICEF 106
6 Oxfam 101
7 Cancer Research 95
8 Age Concern 94
9 RSPCA 73
10 Christian Aid 53
Source: Infonic