#SocialMediaForGood: WaterAid’s Big Dig uses Instagram to Show its field work in Malawi
Wateraid, an international organization with a commitment to improving accessibility of safe water and sanitation to marginalized people, used Instagram to raise funds and create worldwide awareness of the work being carried out in Malawi by using it as a daily picture diary for the world to see.
There has been increase in funds and donations of more than £2 million. This has gone a long way to give clean water and sanitation to over 134,000 people; benefiting both homes and schools across the country.
Launched in June, The Big Dig aimed to raise £1.2 million to transform lives in some of the poorest communities in rural Malawi, with every pound donated by the public matched by the UK Government from the aid budget.
The Big Dig also offered a unique opportunity for the public to follow WaterAid’s progress in Malawi, and to see exactly where their money went.
The Big Dig blog brought supporters closer to WaterAid’s work, giving them the chance to hear directly from community members and project staff in two villages – Bokola and Kaniche – finding out what life is like without clean water or sanitation, and seeing change happening in real time.
The photo-sharing social network Instagram played a key role in the ground-breaking digital project, with two WaterAid project staff, Michael Kalane and Nathan Chiwoko, using smartphones to document the challenges and changes in the communities, via the @thebigdig account. Teams across the charity – both in the UK and Malawi – worked together to gather the latest news from the communities.
Some Instagram photos by The Big Dig
