In an attempt to raise money for Haiti as the country is severely hit by an earthquake, popular NFT artists join hands and auction off VR artworks.
Disastrous earthquake
In August 2021, the southern region of Haiti was hit by a massive earthquake of 7.2 magnitude. The tremors left the region between the mountains between Sud Department and Nippes Department devastated, resulting in severe damage as well as loss of lives. The aftermath saw many schools in the area end up in rubbles, leaving innumerable students without access to education.
Unique initiative
Support from different parts of the world has started pouring in to help Haiti to cope with the aftermath and restore its normal course of life. As part of the process, Hope for Haiti, a charitable organisation, has joined forces with FXG VR Company in a unique initiative. Together, they will launch a live VR fundraiser to collect funds for the affected people. The event, titled “Inspiring Hope: An Immersive Virtual Reality Experience in Haiti” is scheduled to take place on October 6th, 2021. The organisations hope to raise an ambitious amount of $50k and pledge to contribute the amount to the earthquake relief fund for Haiti.
In this event, the collaborating partners aim to bid NFT artworks by some of the most popular NFT artists of today’s time, such as Mark Saab, Sutu, Nygilia, RiniiFish, and many more. The event will be hosted on OpenSea and hit en nunc.
VR platforms
The guests, who will be attending the event online via VR platforms, will be able to bid on their favourite pieces of VR artwork. There is also an opportunity to mingle and interact with other attendees in custom VR avatars. One can even chat with the artists directly, as well as the members of FXG and Hope for Haiti.
Support
All the proceedings of the event will go to a fund designated for supporting Southern Haiti as earthquake relief. The initiative includes the School Reconstruction Fund operated by Hope for Haiti, which aims to rebuild the damaged schools to bring back students and ensure seamless educational facilities.
HaitiVR
The organisers at Hope for Haiti also stated that the initiative also involves a plan to launch an app called HaitiVR. Through this app, the attendees can preview the event, along with engaging in various other interactive programs focusing on the cause. Besides, it can also be used to get a taste of Haitian life, experiencing the natural beauty and the culture of the land as it was before the earthquake. HaitiVR will be available on the Oculus App Lab right after the event.
Event highlights
The unique VR event will also feature a variety of presentations, including a keynote address from Hope for Haiti’s CEO Skyler Badenoch elaborating the impressive works done by the organisation. The major highlight of the event, however, will be the presentations by the NFT artists themselves demonstrating their artworks.
How to apply
The live event will accommodate only a limited number of guests. Those interested will have to fill out an application available on Hope for Haiti’s website. Acceptance will be based on their intent to donate to the cause.
