14 DAY TRIAL // Clinic Craft is an initiative meant to raise funds for real-world hospitals in Liberia, using the popular building game Minecraft to drive the campaign that supports Save the Children's effort.
The Western African nation of Liberia has been experiencing a dire shortage of medical facilities for quite a while, and that compounded by the lack of a proper transportation infrastructure leads to many unwanted results, such as roadside births due to the fact that pregnant women have to walk for hours on end to reach a clinic.
Save the Children is currently raising money to build six new clinics in the country, and Clinic Craft is a Minecraft-based campaign meant to raise the necessary funds.
"We're building a virtual clinic so that Save the Children can build a real one – and save children's lives," the creators of the campaign state their goal.
Builders Dan Maher and Chris Doney built a model of a medical clinic in Minecraft last week, and then challenged the over 54 million users of the popular game to help them do the same in real life. The blueprint that Maher and Doney used to create their clinic is available to anyone seeking inspiration, but they encourage players to also experiment on their own.
"We know you're not fans of having your creative vision limited, so we want you to let your imaginations run riot to embellish your virtual clinics with whatever extras you want. You might even be rewarded for it," Doney says in the promo video.
For now, the prizes are various plush toys, Minecraft Lego, t-shirts, lanyards and stickers, and virtual clinic designs are accepted until September 26, and players interested in supporting the effort can donate to either Clinic Craft or directly to Save the Children, or even set up their own fundraising pages.
The Minecraft clinics contest is meant to raise awareness of the situation in Liberia and to make Save the Children's initiative known, but ultimately, the donations raised through the campaign will be what will bring real-life results.
Minecraft has been one of the best things to happen to the video game industry, acting as a funnel for many creative individuals to channel their imagination and create awe-inspiring projects, and the latest one is just another testament to the way its community has changed the way games are being made and played.
If you want to learn more about the entire thing or to get involved, head to the Clinic Craft website.
