Spotlight On: HelpThirst

HelpThirst http://www.helpthirst.com/ is another site that has decided to make providing clean water to impoverished areas its philanthropy. The site does not feature the founder, or any of the people that are attached to the project, however, it clearly states that they make their donations of water through World Vision (http://www.worldvision.org/), an organization already known for its many philanthropic ventures, amongst them the donation of water, food, education, malaria intervention etc.

The way that the site works is that the creators clock and calculate the amount of water generated or "donated" by the user, and give World Vision the equivalent monetary value of the water, the revenue for which is generated via the advertisements on the site. World Vision then supply developing nations with clean drinking matching the number of liters that helpthirst.com has produced.


The website features a mathematical "memory" game. A number is displayed in a rather cute droplet shaped area on the screen, alongside an ever decreasing blue bar, so you only have a certain amount of time to memorize this number. Once the blue bar diminishes entirely and the time is up, you have to enter the same number, either through the web-based pad provided or through your own keypad. For every correct answer, you have donated a cup of water. The numbers get more complicated and longer as the levels progress. The interesting thing is, these are not just actual numbers - they are actually numbers to the populations of different countries, the area of a certain place/country, the GDP of a certain place, etc. A little question (for example: What is the GDP of the United States? Answer: 13843825 million USD - u better memorize that!)



According to the creators the game helps improve your short term memory recall, and falls under the category of something called "Daily brain training" or "Daily brain conditioning". It is supposed to be helpful in improving memory, attention, focus and the ability to calculate mathematical figures quicker, thus improving cognitive function.

The HelpThirst people calculate 1 cup at 100 ml, and a liter = 1000 ml, which results in 1 liter of water for every 10 cups donated. That's marvelous, don't you think? Overall, I really like this website, however, the only qualm I have is about the format of the questions involved - the time allotted passes so quickly that although I may be conditioning my brain to react/memorize faster, I am not really retaining the facts, such as what the actual question was - I merely remember the numbers! But you can't have it all! It is still an extremely interesting and fun game - and I realize that I am able to memorize the numbers better the more I play! :)

Spotlight On: FreePoverty

FreePoverty http://www.freepoverty.com/ is another site much like the aforementioned FreeRice & FreeFlour sites. The founder of FreePoverty is Chung-Guk Kim, a college student in Rome, Italy who at the tender age of 19 came up with this amazing idea of creating a website that features a game that allows the users to donate cups of clean water in exchange for testing the geographical knowledge of the website visitors. He collaborated with one Rubina Singhsachathet, the writer and spokesperson for the project, in order to get this project going, gaining other sponsors & collaberators on their way. Kim & collaborators openly accept that the inspiration for this project was derived from the very popular (and formerly mentioned on this blog) site: www.freerice.com.

In this sense, there seems to be a sound and reliable team of people behind this website, but the problem lies in who the site donates to. Apparently, formerly, the revenues generated from the website were donated to organizations such as UNICEF or WaterAid, who wouldl then donate the water on FreePoverty.com’s behalf. However, now the site (in it's FAQ section) states that due to "unforeseen issues" with previous organizations, they are now searching for other reliable organizations to affiliate with.

To me, this is not so much a cause for concern, because at the end of the day, the project (like its predecessor) is a good one, with a noble cause. We all can agree that clean water is a staple, a must that every human being should (but doesn't) have access to.

FreePoverty tests the user's savvy on the world map (world map/geography enthusiasts rejoice!), it displays a place at the top (for example: Islamabad, Pakistan) and you have to locate that geographical location on the map. The more accurate your answer, the more cups of water you donate per question. A perfectly accurate answer will result in a donation of 10 cups of water; a less accurate yields 9 cups of water, so forth and so on; the further away you are from the actual location you are, the less cups of water donated on your behalf, and if you're entirely wrong - then no cups of water will be donated. However, you can be wrong in your answers six times before the game is over (which you can play again with new locations, new questions) etc. Also, the game features three levels of difficulty (Easy, Medium & Hard), and the hard level usually asks you to find locations that are not commonly known.




It's a relatively fun game, and it challenges you, which is a point I really like. Once I began playing (and realized how rusty my skills were) I just kept playing and playing. I thoroughly enjoy this site, and it really has helped improve my knowledge of the World Map! Plus, I love the fact that it donates water, which is a MUST along with foodstuff, to eradicate malnourishment and hunger! :)

Spotlight On: Free Flour

Free Flour http://www.freeflour.com/ is very similar to FreeRice in its workings, however, it is not affiliated with any legitimate organizations, and it does not specify to whom, or how, this donation occurs. According to the website, they do not donate actual flour, but donate an amount of money equivalent to one spoon of flour to multiple charities.

The website states that currently it is displaying Google Ads in order to generate the money needed to make the donations, and that it helps for you to visit these ads/sites that are sponsoring the program. However, when I click on these banners, most of them (but not all) appear to be expired.

I know that the lack of connection to a legitimate organization, along with not having any corporate sponsors is cause for concern to many of you contributors, but I featured the site because like FreeRice, the project is a noble one.

As for it's content, the questions are mostly based on general knowledge trivia, pertaining mostly to different countries, their capitals, landmarks and customs. The questions are relatively simple & easy, therefore it is easier to amass many "spoonfuls" of flour for donation in a very short period of time. I was able to donate 5 loaves & 1 bun (1 loaf = 500 spoons of flour; 1 bun = 10 spoons) within merely 15 minutes!


This site is not impressive in any way, other than the thought behind it. Like I said, I know it would make me feel better (as well as, I am sure, many others) if I knew exactly how, or through what organisations, these donations were being made, but overall it's a good attempt. Rather than to ensconce myself in doubt, I just think a few minutes spent on it couldn't hurt! Plus, maybe if they see a significant increase in people visiting the site, they'll be more inclined/motivated to get more sponsors and commit to an organization *shrugs* who knows? :)

Spotlight On: FreeRice

FreeRice http://www.freerice.com/ is a non-profit organization/website run by the United Nations World Food Program which was setup by the United Nations Organization to provide emergency relief for the hungriest people on the planet.

The website runs with the help and generous contributions of sponsors, who are featured at the bottom of the website if you care to find out further about them, and also with the generous help of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

The website features a great way to gain knowledge, while at the same time contributing to end world hunger. Initially you could only answer questions in the subject of "English Vocabulary" but now they have added various subjects, which you can change during the quiz/game as you please, such as Languages, Math, Geography, Art & Chemistry.

For every correct answer (in any subject) to the questions on the site, they donate 10 grains of rice on your behalf. 10 correct answers = 100 grains of rice and so forth, which means the more you play, the more grains of rice you donate. Now, keep in mind that a 100 grains of rice is approximately half a teaspoon (approximation due to the fact that there are various kinds of rice and they vary in weight/length), and a tablespoon = 3 teaspoons which comes down to 600 grains of rice. You need anywhere between 7,000 to 9,000 grains, in order to donate a cup of rice. I suggest you read the FAQ section at the top of the page, it provides the answers to a lot of question that inquisitive minds have.

Do NOT be disheartened, I did not write this in order to make donating a cup of rice seem like a Herculean feat. I am just trying to make sure that you know the facts so that with every cup of rice you donate, you can feel that much more proud of yourself! :) Trust me, when you begin playing on this site, within 10 minutes you will have donated somewhere between 300-500 grains, so just do what you can and as much as you can. The efforts of people like you and me have already translated into WFP food rations for over 20,000 Myanmar refugees, currently living in Bangladesh. Pregnant women in Cambodia, school children in Uganda, and Bhutanese refugees in Nepal are also receiving rice thanks to the award-winning site. Plus, if I can do it, you definitely can too! :)



I find this site truly remarkable, for not only does it provide a way for you to gain knowledge on various subjects & exercise your cognitive abilities (for free), it also provides a great service by donating free rice to help alleviate world hunger!

you CAN help...but will you?

The world is a troubled,troubled place at this point in time. I know that the people of my country are having to face increasing joblessness, the fear of losing their mortgage (if they haven’t already), homelessness, and an extremely low morale - all the result of an extremely bleak economy. But this problem is not local, not limited to just this country, we’re at an all time low all over the world.

What we are facing now, some countries have faced such problems for years! Sure, we have less now but there are people out there, who in comparison to us, have a lot less! And I know that knowing this may not necessarily make you feel better - the misfortune of someone else is not reason for you to feel better about your own misfortune, but I do hope that it does make you ponder at exactly what kind of a world we are living in, and it makes you re-evaluate precisely how much we take for granted. The water coming out of our kitchen faucets may not be as clean as we’d like, but it’s drinkable and at least we don’t have to walk miles to some remote well to get it. We may have cut down on eating out, and began budgeting but at the end of the day, we have food on our tables!

I know for a fact that you have heard all this before, and thought it over too at some point in time. And I know it frustrates a lot of us that we are unable to help, especially when we want to, because we don’t have the means. I’m a medical student, and I try so hard to find volunteering projects in needy areas, but they all cost exorbitant amounts of money that I cannot afford. Maybe one day I will be able to work in the flesh for others, but for right now, I keep asking myself - what can I do with what I have right now?

This question led me to look for avenues through which I can perhaps help without having to go anywhere. I came across a lot of organizations that donate money (mostly in exchange for advertising, and or promotions) to different causes - and all we have to do, is to show up on these sites and either play games, or take a trivia test, or some merely require you to click on a certain part of the website. There are some that require you to recruit other members, and or donate your time by helping to spread the word.

The point of all this is, that if you really do want to help - you no longer have an excuse not to! It may not be on a grand scale, but I am sure it means a lot to someone somewhere. Five thousand grains of rice, five loaves of bread, a thousand cups of water - those are all reachable goals within a day, and YOU can make that happen, YOU can feed someone hungry out there! You decide the level of your involvement, you decide the level of your enthusiasm, you decide the level of your commitment - but do get involved, be glad that these avenues are around, and do commit yourself to helping others - it’s the gift that keep’s on giving!

I am making this blog as a promotion for all these sites, and I am going to try and feature a different site every day. Most of them are a great way to make yourself more aware about the problems of the world, and others test your knowledge and help you exercise your smarts. Hopefully with my schedule I am able to do as I have proposed, but one way or another I will try my best to spread the word. I urge you to do the same!

In my opinion, don’t just “live and let live”….I say “live, and help others live just as well as you’d like to live!”

Take care, and thank you for your time and consideration.