Social notworking to eradicate malaria
Internet mosquito net
:nana:
SOCIAL NOT WORKING could have its uses after all, according to British boy wonder, Tom Hadfield, who wants to use the phenomenon to combat and raise awareness for the deadly disease malaria .
Hadfield, who just eight years ago, at the tender age of 17, sold his football Website to American sports channel ESPN for $40 million, founded www.MalariaEngage.org after coming back from a tour of Zambia last summer. Deeply affected by what he saw there, Hadfield, who had also been named “Global Leader of Tomorrow” in 2001 by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, decided to try and see if social networking could prove in any way useful in combating the deadly disease.
The idealisitic Hadfield told Reuters, "Our dream is tens of thousands of people will use social networking tools to build a movement that eradicates malaria". The disease, which is spread by mosquitoes, is Africa’s biggest killer, claiming almost a million lives a year in the developing continent.
The now 25 year old Harvard university student says he hopes that the site will be able to encourage African scientists to share ideas, as well as help fund projects that could provide important malaria fighting resources. By encouraging people to donate anything from just $10 and up, the network hopes to be able to raise a ton of cash for the cause.
But, says Hadfield, "It's about more than about giving money -- it's about creating connections. By encouraging individual participation and involvement, we will create international communities of common interest. This is the essence of social networking."
Internet mosquito net
:nana:
SOCIAL NOT WORKING could have its uses after all, according to British boy wonder, Tom Hadfield, who wants to use the phenomenon to combat and raise awareness for the deadly disease malaria .
Hadfield, who just eight years ago, at the tender age of 17, sold his football Website to American sports channel ESPN for $40 million, founded www.MalariaEngage.org after coming back from a tour of Zambia last summer. Deeply affected by what he saw there, Hadfield, who had also been named “Global Leader of Tomorrow” in 2001 by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, decided to try and see if social networking could prove in any way useful in combating the deadly disease.
The idealisitic Hadfield told Reuters, "Our dream is tens of thousands of people will use social networking tools to build a movement that eradicates malaria". The disease, which is spread by mosquitoes, is Africa’s biggest killer, claiming almost a million lives a year in the developing continent.
The now 25 year old Harvard university student says he hopes that the site will be able to encourage African scientists to share ideas, as well as help fund projects that could provide important malaria fighting resources. By encouraging people to donate anything from just $10 and up, the network hopes to be able to raise a ton of cash for the cause.
But, says Hadfield, "It's about more than about giving money -- it's about creating connections. By encouraging individual participation and involvement, we will create international communities of common interest. This is the essence of social networking."