McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health
University of Toronto / University Health Network
20-Apr-2008
British entrepreneur, 25, created world’s top soccer Web site; now teams with leading global health professors to innovate in malaria philanthropy
Philanthropy just got easier and a lot more accessible to the public thanks to the social networking power of the Internet and a ground-breaking partnership between a young British entrepreneur, a global health think tank and an African medical research institute.
Debuted April 20 to offer individuals a meaningful way to mark World Malaria Day (Friday, April 25), its creators hope http://www.malariaengage.org/ will do for African research what YouTube did for sharing videos and what eBay did for trading things – open it up in a creative and engaging way to the vast global community through the World Wide Web.
At MalariaEngage.org, people can enlist directly in the anti-malaria battle by contributing $10 or more to an initial choice of seven highly varied projects involving selected scientists in developing countries. Over time, new projects will replace those that reach their funding goal (the original seven have objectives ranging from $10,000 to $50,000). The site features a discussion area where supporters can interact with researchers and each other, obtain news and photos of both funded and proposed projects, a running tally of money raised, and stories from the front lines in the war against the scourge of malaria.
Full text: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/unep-fmi041408.php
Example coverage, by Reuters, click here