Jon is proving how the internet can be used for betterment of planet earth and it’s people.

A few weeks ago I had an enlightening conversation with one of my relatives who had recently traveled to South America on a missionary journey. She made some points that have stuck with me about the value of the internet for third world countries (or the lack thereof).

I recently ran into this blog called the Nata Village Blog that is written by Jon Rawlinson who is doing the following:

1) Raising awareness about Nata and their issues with poverty and Aids using ‘cheap’ social media tools.

2) Getting featured around the internet, including Rocketboom

3) Raising money from donations and distributing directly to the village (previously some monies went to larger villages)

4) Telling the world about the story of the Nata

Here’s what the Nata Village Blog has to say about itself:

“The Nata Blog was born as a result of a world traveler, Jon Rawlinson, passing through Nata on the way to the Okavango Delta. The tour books referred to Nata as nothing more than a dust hole and he had no intention of spending any time there. But, as coincidence would have it, he met a Peace Corps Volunteer named Melody Jenkins who is working as an HIV/AIDS educator and community capacity builder. Jon was interested in seeing more than the tourist destinations of Africa and wanted to learn more about the impact of HIV/AIDS on Botswana. After just one night of meeting the locals and hearing first hand accounts of the struggle to control the spread of the disease, Jon was hooked and wanted to help. He has since been back to Nata twice and has been introduced to the Kgosi (chief) and most of the professionals working to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Nata will benefit from the fact that our world traveler is also a professional producer and editor as well as a website designer. Jon and Melody worked on a documentary about HIV/AIDS in Nata in hopes of bringing the story of Nata to the world. Jon discovered an incredible village filled with the beautiful Mokolane Palm trees lining the Nata River. Unlike most tourists, Jon wanted to do more than just snap a few photos of elephants and giraffes and return home. He wanted to make a difference and offered to design and administer this website.” (meet the team)

A great example of how the internet can be used to raise awareness and then funds to make real world differences. The barriers for The Nata people to get their message out have dropped significantly due to social media.

Additional Resources

• Nata Village Flickr Account
• More about Nata
• Videos on Current TV’s website
• Video: Nata Village Blog featured on Rocketboom (Amanda)
• Apparently they raised over $4,000 from Rocketboom exposure.