With the worldwide death toll at more than 4,800, and the total number of recorded cases now surpassing 13,015, global concerns over Ebola are rising rapidly. And, in addition to the many healthcare workers in West Africa (and around the world) who are tirelessly fighting to combat the disease, some corporations are now doing their part, too. Facebook is one of them.
The social networking giant has announced that it is implementing several Ebola-related initiatives. The first, which debuted today, is a "Donate" button that appears at the top of users' news feeds at login, and encourages them to donate money to their choice of three organizations — the International Medical Corps, American Red Cross, and Save The Children — that are working in the regions most affected by the disease.
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The company also plans to team up with UNICEF to promote accurate information and health education about the spread of the disease, prevention, treatment, and more. "At Facebook, we want to make sure we do our part to help in the fight against Ebola," Mark Zuckerberg said in a video statement released on November 6.
Facebook also intends to send teams to West Africa to help address the problem of unreliable Internet connectivity in countries like Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. The teams will be tasked with establishing satellite terminals for medical and aid workers, in order to help improve overall communication. This announcement came shortly after Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, donated $25 million toward relief efforts. "I’m optimistic that together, the Facebook community can help stop Ebola," he said.
Whatever your thoughts on Facebook, we think these efforts deserve some serious props. Now, we just hope that other major corporations will follow suit.
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