Holiday Giving From Your Computer

New York, NY - Holiday giving just got easier. While on-line retailers wonder what the holiday season will do for sales, there's one Internet site that's hoping that the giving season will be just that. Netaid.org was founded by Cisco Systems and the United Nations Development Programme to provide Internet users with an easy way to help people living in extreme poverty around the world.

"Netaid.org is a philanthropic website that allows holiday shoppers to give gifts that will make a difference in someone's life," said Netaid.org Foundation President David Morrison.

Netaid.org is not a typical charity. A few clicks on the computer, and Internet users can find themselves on the frontlines of projects anywhere from Armenia to Zimbabwe. The not-for-profit website aims to both educate Internet users about poverty and raise money for projects that make a difference in the lives of people who live in developing countries.

"Unlike most charities, where you send a check to a group or cause, with Netaid.org, you select exactly how and where you want to make a difference. And every penny of your donation goes directly to the project you choose," Mr. Morrison said. Netaid.org also allows users to monitor the results of their donation in near-real time.

Programs featured on Netaid.org run the gamut of poverty eradication initiatives and allow Internet users to:
· Send safe birthing supplies to pregnant women in Rwanda where the maternal and infant death rate is one of the highest in the world;
· Provide clean water to families in Honduras;
· Immunize children from disease in India;
· Help to educate young people in South Africa about the risk of HIV/AIDS; or
· Volunteer their skills online from their own computer.

To learn more, volunteer, or to make a donation, log onto www.netaid.org.