By Susan Thomas, Assistant Director, Electronic Communications, Boston College Center

If solving some of the world’s biggest problems were as easy as clicking a mouse button, would you do it?

Intel is counting on a “yes” answer, and is asking you to do exactly that on its Small Things Challenge web site.

Throughout the developing world more than 75 million primary age children are not in school, and at least 80 percent of humanity lives on less than $10 a day, according to data from the United Nations.

While these issues will continue to challenge our world for some time, Intel believes that we can improve people’s lives through pooling surprisingly small contributions, especially if millions participate. That’s why it created the “Small Things Challenge,” which encourages people worldwide to get involved and be part of the solution.

Intel is working with three respected organizations, Kiva.org, Save the Children, and Global Giving to raise funds and deliver hands-on support in the local regions where help is needed most.

A small donation to Save the Children and Global Giving, combined with other individuals’ contributions, will provide thousands of primary school children in conflict-affected and developing countries the opportunity to attend school or receive a higher quality education. Or, a modest micro-loan through Kiva.org will give an entrepreneur a hand-up to start a new business and provide for his or her family.

Intel has pledged to donate 25 cents for every click on the “we’ll donate 25 cents for you” button on the Small Things Challenge web site. The company will provide up to $300,000 this year to be split between the organizations, in addition to the $100 million that Intel is investing in other education programs this year. Intel is also providing opportunities throughout the year to increase global awareness for the issues addressed by the Small Things Challenge.

Individuals who want to be involved can also support the campaign in other ways:

• They can donate money to Save the Children’s Rewrite the Future program, which helps children in conflict-affected countries receive a quality education. The 5-year initiative, launched in 2006, is dedicated to ensuring that 8 million children in conflict-affected countries receive better-quality education by 2010. After only two years, Rewrite the Future has helped 5.7 million children gain access to school.

• They can provide a micro-loan through Kiva.org, the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending Web site. Support for Kiva.org is not a charitable donation, but a modest loan to an entrepreneur in the developing world that will allow him or her to take advantage of economic opportunities.

• They can donate to Global Giving’s Technology for Education Fund program to enhance education in developing countries through the effective use of technology. Global Giving’s Technology for Education Fund is an online marketplace that connects individuals to the causes and countries they care about. They select the projects they want to support, make a tax-deductible contribution, and get regular progress updates so they can see their impact. Individuals can donate any amount to the fund, which will be used to support non-governmental organizations around the world working to improve the quality of education through the effective use of technology.

• They can become an advocate and make their friends and family aware of the Small Things Challenge and urge them to donate, or lend money and signal their support at www.smallthingschallenge.com.

There is no minimum value for a donation to Save the Children or Global Giving, but micro-loans through Kiva.org start at $25.

Every small, individual action can make a big difference. For example, in Darfur, Sudan, a $10 donation can help Save the Children provide school supplies for a child or $50 can help provide a blackboard for a classroom. Or through Kiva.org, a $25 loan can be combined with others toward the $250 loan a fisherman in Cambodia needs for buying more nets so he can catch and sell more fish. 

Celebrities including Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz and Maroon 5′s Adam Levine have come out in support of the Small Things Challenge campaign.

The Small Things Challenge is currently scheduled to run through Dec. 31, 2009. Learn more about the Challenge and the programs it supports at http://www.smallthingschallenge.com/?view=faq.

Tags: company example, education, Global Giving, In Good Company, Intel, Kiva.org, poverty, Save the Children, Small Things Challenge
This entry was posted by Susan Thomas, Assistant Director, Electronic Communications, Boston College Center on Monday, March 23rd, 2009 at 1:11 PM, and is filed under In Good Company. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.