UPDATE: The deadline for submitting ideas has been extended. From our friends at GOOD:
The great ideas are already pouring in, and lucky for you, they’ve decided to extend the deadline to Friday, February 25th to make sure everyone has the chance to participate.
Public voting will be open from March 2 to March 9 through www.good.is.
Vaccines save lives. We know that. You know that. Still, millions of people around the world go without the basic schedule of vaccinations that most of us in the west take for granted.
The good news is the global health community is redoubling its efforts to provide basic immunizations to people around the world. In his annual letter, Bill Gates said vaccines (especially for polio) will be a priority in the coming years. Just yesterday, USAID administrator Raj Shah discussed the role of the Obama administration’s Global Health Initiative in developing and distributing vaccine technologies.
Now, from our friends at GOOD, there’s an opportunity for everyday people to get involved in the cause. GOOD is hosting a competition for a $5,000 grant “to fund an idea that helps increase understanding about the role that vaccines play in the fight for global health.” Check it out:
Things are easy for most of us in the United States: We are vaccinated as children and then never think about it again until we travel to a foreign country. So it’s probably news to many of us that, worldwide, more than 2 million children under the age of five still die each year from preventable diseases because they don’t get the vaccine shots they need.
That’s why GOOD, a partner of the Be the Change: Save of a Life, is putting up $5,000 to fund an idea that helps increase understanding of the vital role that vaccines play in the fight for global health. Starting today, Monday, February 14th, until Friday, 2/18, you can submit your best idea for convincing people in your life—your friends, neighbors, family members—that vaccines matter and for getting vaccines to every child in the world, particularly in developing countries. They’re looking for creative ways of spreading the word—from a video to educate your neighbors about the need for vaccines in developing countries to a product concept for improving the delivery of vaccines around the world. Sky’s the limit.
Here’s how it works:
* They’ll review each submission and select the top 100 for public vote.
* Public voting will be open from February 23 to March 2 through www.good.is.
* The top project will receive $5,000 to jump-start their idea!So what are you waiting for? Click here to submit your idea, and prepare to make that idea a reality.