Digital Philanthropy: Facebook's Contribution in Virus Combat

Digital Philanthropy: Facebook’s Contribution in Virus Combat

In an effort to help more communities get access to the COVID-19 vaccines, Facebook announced that it’s donating $5 million to the World Health Organization’s (WHO)Go Give One fundraiser. The goal of the fundraiser is to ensure that everyone gets access to the COVID-19 vaccine, including those living in developing countries.

Facebook to Donate $20 to Every Go Give One Facebook Fundraiser

A post onthe About Facebook blog revealed Facebook’s planned contribution to the Go Give One fundraiser, which “calls on everyone to play their part in helping to vaccinate the world.”

The money raised in the fundraiser will go directly to COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access), a WHO-backed international fund that hopes to provide COVID vaccines to poorer countries.

To raise money for Facebook’s goal, Facebook will donate $20 to every Facebook Fundraiser created for the United Nations Foundation. This campaign will be rolled out first for fundraisers in the US, UK, Germany, and Norway.

Image Credit: Facebook

“These fundraisers will support equitable vaccine distribution around the world, reducing the spread of COVID-19 and putting countries on a path to recovery,” Facebook notes. Facebook will donate a total of $5 million to the cause.

Facebook Also Aims to Highlight “Trusted Messengers”

In the same blog post, Facebook also outlined its goal to help people affected by COVID-19 the most.

Facebook is working with the Kaiser Family Foundation, BlackDoctor.org, and the National Academy of Medicine in the US to “to amplify content that features black doctors, nurses and researchers answering common questions about COVID-19 vaccines.”

The platform is teaming up with AARP and Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health to roll out vaccine-related campaigns in Spanish as well.

Meanwhile, in the UK, Facebook is partnering with Dope Black Dads, the British Islamic Medical Association, and the Caribbean African Health Network to ensure that all communities are informed about the COVID-19 vaccines.

Lastly, Facebook will also be working with UNICEF to promote posts of healthcare workers receiving the vaccine around the globe. By making these posts more visible, Facebook hopes that it will encourage more people to get the vaccine.

Facebook Fights for Vaccine Equity

It looks like Facebook is trying to help promote the COVID-19 vaccines both on and off the platform. While Facebook’s donation will go towards helping the most vulnerable communities receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the platform-wide vaccine campaigns will also encourage users to get vaccinated.