Google Raised $11 Million For Refugees, Migrants In Just 3 Days

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Syrian refugee students welcome as German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel visits the classroom during his visit at the Zaatari refugee camp near Mafraq, north of Amman, Jordan, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015.
Syrian refugee students welcome as German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel visits the classroom during his visit at the Zaatari refugee camp near Mafraq, north of Amman, Jordan, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015.
Credit: Raad Adayleh/AP

Google launched a massive fundraising appeal last week for refugees and migrants, and the entire world stepped up to the challenge.

The search engine pledged to match donations until the collective effort raised $11 million. It reached the goal in just two-and-a-half days.

Rita Masoud, a refugee who left Afghanistan and later became a product marketing manager at Google, launched the initiative on September 15. She wrote an open letter on the company blog, in which she requested donations for migrants and refugees and explained the donation matching process.

Google directed the money to four nonprofits: Doctors Without Borders, the International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The company solicited donations through a banner on its homepage that read: "Help refugees and migrants in urgent need. Google will match your donation."

Google is in good company with others who have launched initiatives to help refugees. Apple CEO Tim Cook stated the corporation will donate $2 for every $1 an employee gives. And last week, TripAdvisor promised to match its community's donations up to $375,000.

Although Google has stopped matching donations, it encourages individuals to contribute directly to the nonprofit recipients, saying, "The crisis isn't over."

See HuffPost's list of how you can help here.

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