The Ebola epidemic in West Africa seem to have attracted so much attention from across the globe. Many organisations are joining hands to help fight it, and now Facebook has joined in.
The company has said it would create a button to make it easier for its billion-plus users to donate to organisations battling the deadly disease. It noted that while the organisations have already been using Facebook to raise funds, it wants to amplify these calls for action and help organisations raise awareness and connect directly with people around the world.
The button, according to Facebook will appear at the top of user news feeds, This will enable an easy donation to groups such as International Medical Corps, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Save the Children. The “donate” feature will allow Facebook members to directly send money to one of the three organisations.
“All of the money raised will go directly to the charities working on the ground,” Facebook said
Additionally, Facebook will be working with UNICEF to deliver important education about Ebola symptoms and treatment to people in affected and neighbouring regions.
The social network will also offer emergency voice and data services in cooperation with the non-government consortium NetHope to assist aid workers in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The company now joins Samsung which last month donated 3,000 smartphones (worth $1 million) to support the ongoing fight in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, three of the worst-hit African countries.
It is also important to note that, Facebook’s boss Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla donated $25 million to the Center for Disease Control Foundation to help fight Ebola last month.
