2014 was a big year for the ONE Blog. We had record-breaking numbers of readers, showing us that you care about sharing compelling infographics, stories and features just as much as taking campaign actions.
Our top stories this year include a Google Earth tour of the world’s most corrupt homes, Ebola explained in infographics, and GIFs every activist will relate to. Enjoy catching up on anything you missed, and we look forward to bringing you more great blogs next year.
1. 8 maps that will change the way you look at Africa
Earlier this year, we selected 8 awesome maps that help put the continent’s population, income, growth and potential into context.
2. Honesty Oscars 2014: Best Activist Anthem
In February, you helped ONE and Accountability Lab hijack the Oscars to celebrate the creativity that is going on all over the world to fight global corruption. We had five categories: Visual Effects, Activist in a Leading Role, Best Activist Anthem, Best Director and Best Picture and we let your votes decide the winner! You loved the Activist Anthems category the most.
3. 5 Questions about Ebola, answered in infographics
The 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest outbreak of the virus in history. We found 5 infographics that helped answer the biggest questions about Ebola: Where is the outbreak? What is the background of the virus? How did humans get it? How does it spread? What else do I need to know about Ebola?
4. The problem with little white girls and boys
This blog by guest writer Pippa Biddle hit home with a lot of readers on ONE.org. Pippa, a young activist and traveller, explains why short volunteer trips to poor countries hurt – not help – people in need, and can perpetuate the “white saviour” complex. “Before you sign up for a volunteer trip anywhere in the world this summer, consider whether you possess the skill set necessary for that trip to be successful. If yes, awesome. If not, it might be a good idea to reconsider your trip,” she advises.
5. 9 acts of individual defiance that changed the world
From Rosa Parks to Gandhi, the Tiananmen Square ‘tank man’ and Emily Davidson, individual acts of defiance throughout history have proved to be incredibly powerful. These brave individuals galvanised movements of people who come together and change the world.
6. A Google Earth tour of the world’s most corrupt homes
We spent a lot of time working on transparency issues this year with the Trillion Dollar Scandal campaign, urging world leaders to stop the siphoning of over a trillion dollars from developing countries each year. To show where some of this money goes every year, we mapped 24 luxury homes bought with ill-gotten gains.
7. One thing that most people missed after watching ’12 Years A Slave’
Written by one of our UK Youth Ambassadors, Benjamin Palmer, this blog about the Oscar-winning film points out something that resonated with lots of you. What was it? Read on to find out!
8. The clothes store where everything is free
Back in January we heard about a store in South Africa set up on the street exclusively for the homeless population. People donated shoes and clothes, which were sorted, sized and hung up, for people who needed them to browse. Thousands of you shared this innovative idea about the importance of dignity when helping others.
9. VIDEO: Idris Elba’s Ebola message to world leaders
Each September, Mashable hosts a Social Good Summit in the US, highlighting the impact of media and technology on global social good initiatives. This year we asked people “What kind of world do you want to live in by the year 2030?” in a short crowdsourced film . Actor Idris Elba participated too, telling world leaders to take urgent action on Ebola.
10. 12 Data visualisations that illustrate poverty’s biggest challenges
Fighting global poverty is no small task. The good news: Extreme poverty is declining, and life expectancy and incomes on the whole are on the up and up. The bad news: We still have a lot of work to do. We put together a collection of some of the best data visualisations on global literacy, mortality, birth rates and more that help put some of the biggest issues surrounding poverty today into perspective.
11. Where your sparkly eye makeup REALLY comes from
Many of you were shocked to find out that 60% of the world’s mica – the sparkly mineral in eye makeup – comes from India, where children are forced to work in dangerous and illegal mines. This photo story offered an eye-opening glimpse into the harsh reality of daily life for these children.
12. 21 Things only activists will understand
We know it takes a certain kind of person to be an activist. And this year we’re excited to have 6 million supporters around the world who have joined us in the fight against extreme poverty. We had some fun sharing some of the nerdy, geeky things that unite us activists together.
13. The 5 best 2014 World Cup goals so far
In a shameless attempt to satisfy your World Cup 2014 hunger, we rounded up what we thought were the five best goals of the tournament – and then asked you to help with our big goal – making sure every child around the world gets basic, life-saving vaccines.
14. How to show your support for the 234 girls kidnapped in Nigeria
On April 14, 234 school girls, aged 12 to 17, were kidnapped from their school in northeastern Nigeria by militant group Boko Haram. It’s unclear where the girls were taken. People around the world mobilised to demand the rescue of the schoolgirls. Protests from Los Angeles to London to Lagos were organised, and a social media campaign, #BringBackOurGirls, was created to raise awareness. We created a list of three ways you could get involved.
What kind of blogs would you like to see more of on ONE.org? Tell us in a comment below.
Jordan Elton contributed to this story.