Facebook announced Thursday that it has found a way for its users to show their support in the fight against Ebola.
This solution comes in the form of a button that users can press to donate money to several nonprofits working on ways to keep the deadly virus from spreading in West Africa, according to PC Magazine. The option will appear in a message in a user's news feed over the next week.
West Africa is the home of most of the Ebola cases that have turned up, with a total of 13,000 cases around the world.
"Organizations involved in the fight against Ebola are using Facebook to raise funds for their relief support," the social network said. "We want to amplify these calls for action and help organizations raise awareness and connect directly with people around the world."
The three charities that users will be able to donate to are the International Medical Corps., the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Save the Children, Reuters reported.
Facebook has found other ways to help in the fight against Ebola, such as donating 100 terminals to aid workers in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and other places affected by the virus. The terminals are intended to provide these aid workers with internet access and voice calling.
Another way the company is getting involved is by working with UNICEF to provide information about Ebola symptoms and treatment in news feeds to people in affected areas, PC Magazine reported.
"Communication and access to information is crucial to people fighting Ebola on the ground, but many of the areas most affected lack the infrastructure, like landline and cellular coverage, to support them," Facebook said.
The debut of the donation option follows a month after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan showed their support by donating $25 million to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to keep Ebola from spreading. Others who have joined the fight include Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen, as well as IBM, which is working with several companies on using supercomputers to combat the disease.
