There's An App For That!
We all want to contribute to our communities, but when your to-do list is longer than your assigned reading and “giving your brain a break” from studying history means switching to math homework, it can be difficult to fit charitable acts in. That’s why websites and apps that allow you to do good on the go are so great! Here are some of our favorites.
1. Freerice.com
Freerice has an extremely simple premise: for every question you get right, the organization will donate ten grains of rice through the World Food Programme. Ten grains may not sound like much, but since the project began in 2007, it has donated more than 99 billion grains. That means just by answering questions online, users have been able to feed millions of people suffering from chronic hunger. Even better, Freerice lets you study while you earn rice. Questions are sorted into subjects like English, math, the humanities, the sciences, language, and more—even SAT prep.
2. Uniceftapproject.org
Contrastingly, Unicef’s latest campaign actually encourages you to stay away from technology. Your phone, that is. After opening up Uniceftapproject.org, set your smart phone down and don’t use it for as long as possible. For every ten minutes you don’t touch your phone, Unicef will donate a day’s worth of clean water to children around the world. Not only do you get to “detach” from the addicting yet mindless worlds of Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat, but you’ll help some of the 768 million people worldwide who don’t have access to clean H20.
3. Ecologyfund.com
This may be one of the easiest ways to promote change ever. Ecologyfund runs several active programs at one time; right now, that include preserving land in the South American rain forest, reducing pollution, and protecting the habitats of endangered species. Click the “Save Land” button beneath each project and the website’s sponsors will donate money to that cause. Clicking the “save land” one, for example, will save 70 square feet in the rain forest, and each button can be clicked once per day! In addition, Ecologyfund will preserve 500 acres every time someone new signs up.
4. Goodsearch.com
What if each search you performed on Google meant a penny was given to a cause of your choice? Um, that would be a lot of pennies! Goodsearch, a Yahoo! powered company, lets you pick out a charity from a huge list—there are almost 100,000 to choose from—and gives them money not only every time you use their search engine, but check the weather, buy from Goodsearch-approved retailers like Amazon, and even purchase food from restaurants as varied as Dunkin’ Donuts and Quiznos.
These websites are reminders that no matter how stressful or tired we are, there are painless and even fun ways to give back. Whether you choose to do all of them, or just one, your clicks will be heard. In fact, they’ll be the clicks heard ‘round the world.