Facebook Joins the Fight Against Ebola

Facebook

The world’s largest social network is joining the fight against Ebola.

On Thursday, Facebook announced three initiatives that aim to help curb the recent outbreak of the deadly virus: a fund raising drive for aid organizations, an informational campaign, and donation of internet and telecommunications infrastructure to support remote areas affected by the disease.

Authorities have confirmed four Ebola cases in the U.S.–including one death—and the disease is ravaging certain parts of West Africa. There have been over 13,000 recorded cases of Ebola—with nearly 5,000 deaths—in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Facebook’s efforts are squarely focused on helping people in the countries most affected by the disease.

The most visible of Facebook’s projects is a button that will appear at the top of your news feed urging you to donate to one of the organizations selected by Facebook: West Africa: International Medical Corps, the Red Cross, and Save the Children. Using the button, you’ll be able to easily donate directly to any of the three organizations and, if you want, tell your friends that you donated.

The company is also working with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide information about ebola symptoms, prevention and treatment to people in both affected countries and areas neighboring those countries. It’s not clear how Facebook will be delivering this information.

Perhaps the most ambitious part of Facebook’s plan is its collaboration with NetHope, a consortium of 41 non-government organizations from around the world. The company is donating 100 mobile satellite communication terminals for the consortium to deploy in remote areas of the three affected countries to provide both telephone and mobile internet service, enabling medical and aid workers to communicate and gather information. There are of course echoes of Facebook’s plans to bring internet access to the rest of the world in this project.

This isn’t the first time Facebook has tried to use its massive platform to help people in times of crisis. Last month, the company announced a simple tool that helps people in crisis zones let their friends and families know they’re safe.