Technology Used for the Greater Good

For many, technology can be a daunting concept. We ourselves, have recently had to update the way we share data using the latest technological advances. However, it has become apparent that there is a movement, where companies are determined to use technological innovations to make a difference in the world.

Here are three apps that are trying to change the world:

1. Be My Eyes – sighted volunteers lend their eyes to solve tasks big and small to help blind and low vision people lead more independent lives. This app directs video calls from blind or low vision people to sighted volunteers around the world, it could be anything from helping with everyday tasks such as the expiry date on a carton of milk, to commentating a child’s first football match. www.bemyeyes.com

2. Charity Miles – earn money for charity every time you walk, run, bike, skip, dance or do any human-centred activity. You can choose one of 40 charity partners, like Stand Up To Cancer and the more you move, the more money you help to earn for your chosen charity, which comes from their corporate sponsorship pool. So far over $2,750,000 has been raised. https://charitymiles.org/

3. Forest – Stay Focussed – a self-improvement app with a twist! To help beat your phone addiction and improve productivity, the Forest app encourages you to earn credits and build your own virtual forest. You launch the app, choose your focus time and put your phone down. If you leave the app in order to use your phone for other purposes the tree will wither and die, if you stay focussed – it will live. For every 2,500 coins you earn, a real tree is planted in an impoverished area. Their partners, Trees for the Future have planted over 271,000 trees due to this app! https://www.forestapp.cc/en/

The best part of these apps is that you could end up helping a stranger across the other side of the world or someone on your own doorstep. The possibilities are endless!

At FPC, we have already started to use the Charity Miles app to track our activity and give to charity at the same time!