Human rights charity Amnesty International has announced a new service that will allow members to donate funds using a mobile phone.
The new payment system, which allows donations of up to £800, was carefully chosen by Amnesty, which has traditionally been a bit tech-shy.
This, they say, is due to the cost of transactions for donors. To get round the problem they've teamed up with mobile payments service LUUP, which gives Amnesty around 15% more of the proceeds than premium-rate text messaging; the preferred method of many other organisations. It's also cheaper for the likes of you and I.
The first phone payment campaign will go towards helping the people of Darfur - specifically its women, who endure shocking treatment at the hands of the state-backed militia, which sanctions rape and other abuses of their rights on a daily basis. Donations to the campaign will help Amnesty International to lobby the United Nations and the government of Sudan to deliver an effective peace-keeping force in the region as soon as possible.
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