Mobile phones, social media and other technologies are changing the way humans connect to each other; they’re also changing how we support one another. Today, the United Nations Foundation is launching the Global Good Challenge – an innovative digital initiative that asks people to “donate their voices” by taking action and engaging their online networks to help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, from malaria to child marriage to child mortality.
And did I mention the prizes?
By watching videos, taking quizzes, sharing posts and completing other actions, participants in the Global Good Challenge will be able to enter raffles for prizes like VIP backstage passes for a Lady Gaga concert, tickets to the MTV Video Music Awards or a visit to the set of “The Celebrity Apprentice.”
But the even bigger reward is the positive difference we’ll make in the lives of people around the world.
Through the Global Good Challenge, participants will engage in the life-saving and life-changing work of United Nations and the UN Foundation. This includes:
- Fighting malaria: Currently, a child dies every 60 seconds from malaria. The UN Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign raises awareness to fight malaria and raises funds to send anti-malaria bed nets to families.
- Protecting children from preventable diseases: One child dies every 20 seconds from a vaccine-preventable disease like pneumonia, measles, diarrhea or polio. The UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign helps provide life-saving vaccines where they are most needed.
- Empowering girls: Millions of girls around the world lack access to a good education, quality health care and the chance to thrive. The UN Foundation’s Girl Up campaign gives American girls the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds to help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls.
- Supporting the United Nations: Every day, the United Nations is on the front lines against the world’s biggest challenges – battling climate change, promoting human rights, working to reduce maternal and child mortality and so much more. The UN Foundation connects people to the work of the UN, so we can build a better world.
Each of us can be a champion for change – and together, we can become a movement for change. That’s what the Global Good Challenge is all about: building a large, energized and mobilized digital community that helps the UN transform lives.
The Global Good Challenge is also an example of the power of technology to spur progress on the important issues of our time. As a member of the UN Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council, I’ve had the opportunity to work with Ryan Allis, Sergio Fernández de Cordova and other council members on projects like this one, which leverage cutting-edge platforms and technologies to connect passionate global citizens to the UN and the UN Foundation. Groups like these and Palindrome Advisors — the nonprofit collective I founded along with 100 other like-minded individuals to change how leaders give back – are bringing new energy and thinking to philanthropy and social good.
While our challenges are huge, so is our ability to find solutions. It’s never been easier or more important for people to get involved. I hope you’ll join our digital movement to create a healthier and happier world.
You can visit the Global Good Challenge online at www.unf.org/good, and connect on twitter with @UNFGGC and #GlobalGood, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/globalgoodchallenge.
Zaw Thet
Founder and Chairman, Palindrome Advisors
@zawthet
@palindromeadv