You may notice a difference in your friends’ Facebook statuses over the next few days. Mentions of hardships or triumphs in countries you didn’t know your friends had ever visited might seem confusing. Don’t worry—they probably haven’t been hacked! Just look for the #ShareHumanity hashtag, which means they’re commemorating World Humanitarian Day.
Mashable explains: the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) created the #ShareHumanity campaign as a way to share first hand, stories of refugees, health workers and humanitarians around the world. Anyone can sign up to have his or her Twitter or Facebook account automatically post a first-person narrative of a powerful humanitarian crisis. Over a few hours, several posts or Tweets sharing one person’s story will unfold on your Facebook or Twitter feed.
Many who want to help change the world don’t have money to donate, but they do have a network of friends who can benefit from learning more about what many face every day. This means reaching out to a younger generation who wouldn’t typically post about humanitarian issues.
Global spokesperson for World Humanitarian Day, Natasha Scripture, told Mashable, “We want people to feel empowered and inspired to make a difference in the lives of people affected around the world.”
Take Action Challenge
Join the likes of Maria Sharapova, Christiane Amanpour, Cody Simpson, and Malala Yousafzai, and donate your social media accounts for World Humanitarian Day! Read the Mashable article to see some great examples of donated messages, or go to this page to donate your social media feed right away.
Tweet Me: Donate your feed today & share an inspiring story from a person affected by humanitarian crisis. http://bit.ly/whd819 #sharehumanity