Social networking also improving universal charity

The internet is connecting the world for good once again, but this time in a place where its presence is quite unnoticed.

A small town in Iowa called Quad City is responsible for financing 12 new wells in Sierra Leone, Africa. Through blogging sites, Facebook, and Twitter, $59,000 was raised for this cause. Amazingly, only $20 can provide one African a water supply for 20 years.

Jody and Andy Landers are from Quad City. They adopted twins from Sierra Leone and could not believe the water shortages there. This encouraged them to get their community involved. In the northeast, a nightclub promoter traveled to Liberia for spiritual fulfillment, which encouraged him to raise money for wells there. Both parties decided to use the internet as a tool for their own charity. They aren’t celebrities, they’re Facebookers and bloggers.

It is impressive and extraordinary how the internet is working for good causes, even for people who do not have the luxury of computers. Awareness for causes is spread everyday through social networking sites and thousands of dollars can be raised. On Facebook alone, users can donate to many causes such as Darfur, global poverty, animal abuse, suicide, and addiction. Many causes are advertised by an saying that they will donate $1 for every person who joins the group.

This social media of blogging and tweeting is new to society, but just as photographs in newspapers began to do during the Vietnam War, social networking sites are promoting and exposing the public to global issues, which is a great use of the technology and social networks at hand.

Original article from the Huffington Post online, here.