The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Over one million people have downloaded the ShareTheMeal app, which links to a credit card or PayPal account.
They have donated over 20 million meals with it in some of the WFP’s most critical operations such as war-torn Syria and Yemen.
Users are able to share what they have given via social media, which can encourage their friends to do the same.
– ‘Enlarged the pie’ –
Donations made through the app have come mainly from young people who usually do not give to the WFP, said ShareTheMeal’s head of growth, Massimiliano Costa.
“We actually believe we have enlarged the pie rather than just taking money that would have come from elsewhere,” he said.
“We are always on our phones, especially when we are eating, even taking pictures of food. We thought it would be fantastic if we could, with just the press of a button, allow another person who has nothing to eat to almost eat together with you.”
An app allows people to make a donation immediately after watching heart-wrenching images on the news of children going hungry, Costa said.
With online donations via a laptop or PC, people need to enter payment data, so they tend to put it off and the urge to give often passes, he added.
Facebook, the world’s largest social network, has also made it easier for people to donate through their mobiles.
It has allowed charities since 2015 to add a direct donate button on their Facebook pages and posts to collect money.
When a user donates, he can share the cause he gave to, and that post will also display a donate button.
