Facebook Users Can Join The Fight Against Ebola With A Click Of A Button
By Edward Cardenas
SOUTHFIELD (CBS Detroit) - Facebook is using the power of its global reach to help educate its users about Ebola, and fight the disease.
The company announced Thursday that it is launching three initiatives to battle the disease including an easier way to donate, providing health education and donating emergency voice and data services to aid workers.
"In times of crisis, people turn to Facebook to learn about what's happening, share their experiences and offer support," the company posted on its media site.
The fight against Ebola - of which there has been 13,000 cases reported by the World Health Organization - is a personal fight for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. He and his wife have donated $25 million to the Centers for Disease Control Foundation to help fight Ebola.
Facebook launched a donate feature where people can donate funds for International Medical Corps, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Save the Children, with the push of a button on their newsfeed. All of the money raised will go directly to the charities working on the ground, according to the company. They can also choose to share that they donated on Facebook.
The company also is collaborating with UNICEF to show information on Ebola symptoms and treatment to people in targeted regions on Facebook. It will also work with NetHope and donate 100 mobile satellite communication terminals for deployment in remote areas of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to provide voice and data services that meet the highest priority needs of medical and aid workers.
"If not addressed, the Ebola epidemic could become a long-term global health crisis," the post by Facebook stated. "Together with our partners, we're hopeful that by offering people the tools they need, we can all help fight this disease."