3 Websites You Can Use to Make the World of Difference

It is almost without doubt that the vast majority of the public within every country desire greater global equality. According to a recent report by Oxfam though, the 85 richest people in the world are now as wealthy as the poorest half of the world combined.

This is a sobering fact and shows that the world is continuing to become less equal. There are also many other issues happening across the world such as climate change, job losses, bankers´ bonuses, and even the recent ruling in Ferguson in the US that can lead to a sense of disillusionment and helplessness.

In the face of the government, authorities and powerful corporations, it can often seem impossible to make a difference. In fact, through simple online actions, you can bring about positive change!

3 Websites You Can Use to Make the World of Difference:

Change.org

"Change.org is the world's largest petition platform, empowering people everywhere to create the change they want to see."

"There are more than 70 million Change.org users in 196 countries, and every day people use our tools to transform their communities – locally, nationally and globally. Whether it's a mother fighting bullying in her daughter's school, customers pressing banks to drop unfair fees, or citizens holding corrupt officials to account, thousands of campaigns started by people like you have won on Change.org – and more are winning every week."

Avaaz.org

"Avaaz—meaning "voice" in several European, Middle Eastern and Asian languages—launched in 2007 with a simple democratic mission: organise citizens of all nations to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want."

"Avaaz empowers millions of people from all walks of life to take action on pressing global, regional and national issues, from corruption and poverty to conflict and climate change. Our model of Internet organising allows thousands of individual efforts, however small, to be rapidly combined into a powerful collective force." Avaaz currently has over 40 million members and is growing rapidly.

One.org

"ONE is an international campaigning and advocacy organisation of more than 6 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa… because the facts show extreme poverty has already been cut by 60% and can be virtually eliminated by 2030, but only if we act with urgency now."

"Co-founded by Bono, we raise public awareness and work with political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency so governments are accountable to their citizens.

ONE does not raise money itself to build schools, hospitals and the like, but does its work by advocacy and campaigning so that government funds continue to flow to programs that make a difference in people’s lives.

ONE works closely with African activists and policymakers as they fight corruption, promote poverty-fighting priorities, monitor the use of aid, and help build civil society and economic development. ONE’s work is strictly politically non-partisan."

These sites all have a number of things in common. They all have millions of members with rapidly growing user-bases, they all harness social media such as Twitter and Facebook to share their campaigns, and they have all had huge successes which couldn´t have been achieved without the Internet. The massive victories achieved by each site can be read about in-depth on each of their websites. These include:

"Meriam Yehya Ibrahim saved from execution in Sudan" on change.org. "One million people from around the globe signed Emily Clarke's petition, joining a chorus of international voices demanding freedom and justice for Meriam, a Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death because of her faith."

"Confronting Horror in Paradise" on Avaaz.org. "When a 15-year-old rape survivor in the Maldives was sentenced to be flogged for also allegedly having consensual sex with another man, it put the global spotlight on these so-called paradise islands. Over 2 million Avaaz members signed a petition asking President Mohammed Waheed to intervene in the girl’s case and put an end to the practice of flogging altogether."

"Playing a crucial role in the G8’s historic commitment in 2005 to double funding to fight poverty and disease in Africa – and holding their feet to the fire ever since." One.org

The victories and facts on each of these sites speak for themselves. You can make a difference no matter how difficult the odds facing you may seem. The power to change things is shifting and all it can take is enough people taking the time to sign a petition online.

If you liked this blog post and feel others might be interested in the websites I have mentioned please share it below. I would love to know any other websites that are great for online activism. Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading!