A handful of technology and humanitarianism go a long way
Photo by Frerieke
Most everyone is familiar with Doctors Without Borders. It's an international medical humanitarian organization that provides medical care to people threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe. Usually, they're needed in areas that are suffering from both poverty and armed conflict or natural disaster, or are simply off the grid when it comes to adequate medical care.
But what about people whose lives are threatened by a lack of access to technology and the information that technology provides? Geeks Without Borders is hoping to be that solution.
The idea behind GWOB is to provide access to information to people in areas where conflict, catastrophy, and other crisis has occured. It will be key to the people who are working diligently to save lives, keep things organized, and aim everyone toward recovery. Here is a summary of the concept:
We often talk about how access to inexpensive, portable, practical medical technology is a life and death matter for people all over the world, particularly in poverty-stricken areas. GWOB can be a major stepping stone in ensuring that everyone can have information to not only life-saving devices, but also vital information needed during times of crisis -- everything from cell phone networks to news access to weather reports.
But first things first, GWOB needs to find geeks. The organization is urging people to follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook, and spread the word to geeky friends. With enough support for the idea, the launch of the organization (on 10/10/10 at 10:10 am) will be a success.
Follow Jaymi on Twitter for more stories like this
