Save a child's life from your living room

Charity organisation Save the Children today launched its biggest global campaign yet. It’s also the most high-tech Save the Children campaign ever, using web and text messaging technology to connect you to children in Sierra Leone.

The new Save the Children interactive website lists various options of how you can help disadvantaged children in developing countries. It connects you directly with children living in the Kroo Bay slum in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

You can ask the residents of Kroo Bay questions, or view 360-degree photos and video clips to experience what life is like for the 4,000 children living in the slum. The latest news from the slum is presented in regular 'webisodes'.

Save by SMS

You can also choose to provide a child with a simple life-saving solution – including the supply of food, or mosquito nets to protect against malaria – just by sending a text message.

One in four children growing up in Kroo Bay dies before their fifth birthday. It's one of the toughest places in the world for a child to survive, a Save the Children representative said.

The charity wants to highlight how simple it is for families in the UK to make a difference. As the months go by, people will be able to watch the changes their donations have made for the residents of Kroo Bay on their computer screens.

"Technology allows families to engage with Save the Children in a completely new way and make a difference easily, directly, as part of their everyday lives. We know millions want to make a difference. From today, they can do something about it – they can help save a child's life," said Jasmine Whitbread, chief executive of Save the Children.