Right now, 13.3 million people are in need of emergency assistance in the Horn of Africa, more than the populations of New York and Los Angeles combined. To help raise awareness, we have dedicated today – Wednesday, November 9th – FWD>Day. Today, we want to help 13.3 million people forward facts about the crisis to their friends and families.
We know that Americans are among the most generous people in the world. When we learn about suffering on such a catastrophic scale, we want to act. But unlike during other disasters in Haiti or the 2004 Tsunami, over half of Americans have no idea that millions of people are at risk today in the Horn . That is why we partnered with the Ad Council to launch the FWD campaign to engage Americans in relief efforts and educate them about long-terms solutions to hunger and malnutrition through Feed the Future.
You can donate $10 to a group of 8 NGOs working in the Horn by texting GIVE to 777444, or you can visit our website to find a list of other organizations on the ground.
But today on FWD>Day, we are asking you to do more than donate. We want you to FWD the Facts. Visit USAID.gov/FWD and take as little as 10 seconds to post infographics or one of our celebrity public service announcements to your Facebook wall.
Don’t just rely on celebrities to get the word out: make your own public service announcement (PSA). Today, in partnership with YouTube, we’re launching an outreach effort to help Americans make their own videos. Create your own PSA, tell us why you’re FWDing the facts and then post it on our YouTube page.
I’m also pleased to announce a partnership with GOOD, the online social good publication. Today, USAID and GOOD are launching a new challenge to hear from communities around the country how they’re going to raise awareness about the crisis. GOOD will award $5,000 to the plan with most online votes.
By forwarding the facts together today- November 9th, we can make a difference.
