Reach Ramadan Challenge: how you can raise money for river blindness on TikTok

The campaign aims to protect one million people from river blindness

River blindness is caused by repeated bites from black flies that live near flowing water. Courtesy Ed Kashi

You can now do your bit for charity this Ramadan by creating a video on social networking platform TikTok.

The video-sharing service has joined the Reach Campaign, an Emirates Red Crescent-organised drive that targets neglected tropical diseases, as its latest media partner. TikTok has pledged to donate $2 (Dh7) for every video created on the app, up to a maximum of $100,000.

The Reach Campaign launched in January and uses the theme Give 2, Save 2 – meaning that a Dh2 donation is enough to provide medicine and treatment to protect one person against both diseases for an entire year.

During Ramadan, however, the campaign set a goal of protecting one million people from river blindness over the course of the holy month.

TikTok users can contribute by creating videos using three special interactive "Reach Campaign stickers", or donating directly to the cause through links on the campaign’s in-app landing page.

TikTok will also run in-app advertisements shedding light on river blindness, and has encouraged several high-profile public figures to take part in the challenge.

Social media influencers Max of Arabia, Khalid and Salama Al Ameri, Abas, and Mona Sheikh have so far created #ReachTheEnd videos.

What is river blindness?

More than 200 million people worldwide require treatment for river blindness, one of the leading causes of preventable blindness. It is caused by repeated bites by black flies that live near flowing water.

Like many neglected tropical diseases, river blindness disproportionately affects the world’s most vulnerable people, trapping their families in cycles of poverty. Most of the cases are found in 31 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

"We are excited to launch a new element to the campaign in collaboration with an innovative partner such as TikTok. Allowing the community to participate creatively while helping reach the end of river blindness has truly inspired users to join our campaign.

"We are honoured to see the inventive ways people continue to show their support from the comfort of their own homes," Nassar Abdul Raouf Al Mubarak, managing director of the Reach Campaign said.

In addition to TikTok videos, the month-long Reach Ramadan campaign follows a simple three-step challenge: the community is encouraged to donate by either texting GIVE to 2424, visiting the Reach the End website, or posting a selfie on social media making a "V for victory over river blindness" sign with their hands, and challenging friends and family to do the same by by tagging them.