Good Search

Most of you probably know that some friends of mine and I formed a non-profit organization last year called Equitas (Latin for Justice). Equitas exists to be the catalyst for grassroots movements to provide advocacy and relief in three key areas: poverty, clean water, and HIV/AIDS. Please visit http://www.equitas.cc if you would like more information about the organization.

Our first initiative was to organize Charlotte Torch Rally in December 2007. The event was a huge success and we had the support of several great businesses and individuals from around the Charlotte area. This year, we have broadened our focus to include the country of Malawi in southern Africa. Malawi is the third poorest nation in the world and approximately 15% of all people are dying from HIV/AIDS. I recently returned from a trip to Malawi – you can visit my flickr page for photos from the trip.

Our first fund-raising effort for 2008 is to put 75 students in small villages in southern Malawi through secondary school. Primary school is free in Malawi, but secondary school is not. The majority of families cannot afford to put their children through secondary school, choosing instead to utilize the backs and hands of their children to work in the fields. 80% of all Malawians are subsistence farmers, barely getting enough food each day to survive. So education is typically the lowest priority on a list of survival needs. Due to this lack of educated people, there is an extreme shortage of professionally-trained workers – professionals are simply dying of AIDS or moving to neighboring countries for higher pay faster than they can be replaced. This has put an enormous strain on the country’s economy and ability to compete in a global market.

Today I'd like to ask you a favor – please go to http://www.goodsearch.com and make it your default search engine. You get the same results that you would get on yahoo.com, but they will donate [roughly a penny] for each search to a non-profit of your choosing. We added Equitas to their list of approved charities today, so we can start getting donations immediately! The first time you visit, type in equitas for the charity – that’s all there is to it! Every time you run a search from that site, we'll get a penny! It really is that simple. If enough of us start doing this, it will add up!

Additionally, please visit http://www.goodshop.com before you make your next online purchase. This site is affiliated with Good Search, and they have partnered with several retailers that have chosen to donate a percentage of each sale to charity. Chances are, you'll find what you're looking for at goodshop.com. Amazon, eBay, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Apple, iTunes, GAP, Target, etc. They're all listed! And Equitas will get a percentage of each purchase!

This is an easy way for us all to make a difference just by searching and buying online like we normally would. For as little as $12 a month, we can put one child through secondary school. The country of Malawi is depending on the education of its youth – and we can help. Thank you for partnering with me to combat extreme poverty and give the people of Malawi a fighting chance.