MassiveGood

MassiveGood

Location	USA, UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Spain
Area served	Global
Focus	Health: HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis
Method	Innovative Financing
Website	Official website

MassiveGood is the Millennium Foundation’s fundraising project which was launched in the United States on March 4, 2010.^[1] MassiveGood will also be available later in 2010 in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Spain. MassiveGood gives travelers the option to make a $2, €2 or £2 micro-contribution towards major global health causes every time they buy a plane ticket,^[2] reserve a hotel room or rent a car. Funds will be used to provide drugs to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.^[3][4]

Origin

MassiveGood was developed by the Millennium Foundation for Innovative Finance for Health, an independent, non-profit Swiss foundation.^[5] The original idea was conceived by Jean-François Rial, the head of a French travel agency, after officials from George W. Bush's administration rejected the idea of a tax on airline tickets in the United States.^[6] The Millennium Foundation was created in November 2008 to develop new ways to finance health systems in low- and middle-income countries and is directly aligned with helping to achieve the three health-related Millennium Development Goals^[7] agreed to by the United Nations in 2000. The Foundation is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Fundraising

Donations received by MassiveGood will be used to provide support to UNITAID,^[8] a global health initiative created in 2006 and hosted by the World Health Organization.^[9][10] Additional funding will go towards improving maternal and child health in the developing world.^[11] Current supporters of this project include Bill Clinton, will.i.am, Samuel L. Jackson, Susan Sarandon, David Guetta, Spike Lee, Mary J. Blige, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Paul Auster and Brian Greene.^[12][13]

See also

• The Millennium Foundation
• UNITAID

References

1. ^ UN News service (March 4, 2010). "UN enlists travelers to do ‘massive good’ for global health". UN News Centre. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33972&Cr=mdg&Cr1=. Retrieved March 8, 2010. 
2. ^ Gumbel, Peter (September 18, 2009). "New Airline-Ticket Tax to Aid the Developing World". www.time.com. http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1924470,00.html. Retrieved March 6, 2010. 
3. ^ Joshua Freed (September 23, 2009). "Buy an airline ticket, donate to UN health fund". www.usatoday.com. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-09-23-un-health-fund-airline-ticket_N.htm. Retrieved March 8, 2010. 
4. ^ Peter Orengo (October 19, 2010). "Experts seek new options to fund health services". www.standardmedia.co.ke. http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=1144026640&cid=4. Retrieved March 8, 2010. 
5. ^ "About the Millennium Foundation". www.millennium-foundation.org. http://www.millennium-foundation.org. Retrieved March 8, 2010. 
6. ^ Philippe Douste-Blazy and Daniel Altman, Power in Numbers: UNITAID, Innovative Financing, and the Quest for Massive Good 
7. ^ "The UN Millennium Development Goals". www.un.org. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals. Retrieved March 8, 2010. 
8. ^ Associated Press (September 24, 2009). "Airline tickets to raise cash to help fight AIDS". www.foxnews.com. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,554800,00.html. Retrieved March 8, 2010. 
9. ^ "About Unitaid". www.unitaid.eu. http://www.unitaid.eu/UNITAID-Background.html. Retrieved March 8, 2010. ^{[dead link]}
10. ^ "Unitaid’s Mission". www.unitaid.eu. http://www.unitaid.eu/en/UNITAID-Mission.html. Retrieved March 8, 2010. 
11. ^ Stephaine Strom (September 22, 2009). "Travelers’ Fee Can Help Fight Diseases". www.nytimes.com. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/world/23surcharge.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=unitaid&st=cse. Retrieved March 8, 2010. 
12. ^ Simona Rabinovitch (February 26, 2010). "Stars ask travelers to contribute to global health". www.theglobeandmail.com. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/spike-lees-plea-give-when-you-go/article1482518. Retrieved March 8, 2010. 
13. ^ Rachel Cernansky (March 5, 2010). "Bill Clinton, will.i.am, Ban Ki-Moon Launch MassiveGood". www.planetgreen.discovery.com. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/plane-ticket-treat-malaria.html. Retrieved March 8, 2010. 

External links

• Official website
• The Millennium Foundation