Since I am in the web development business, I am always bombarded with ads for free website, “custom” websites for only $450, etc.  The “custom” one I love the most.  A “custom” website isn’t really custom – just like a “friend” isn’t really a friend.

But I digress.  Speaking of free websites, a few months ago, a friend approached me about creating a website for the Better Health Project (www.betterhealthproject.org) , an organization that has been making large strides in improving HIV treatment in Cape Verde.  Excuse my ignorance, but I first had to put Cape Verde into Google Maps, and now I know that it’s a country off the coast of Africa, comprised of small islands with a population in need of better HIV and medical treatment.   The organization has its start with Tim Comeaux from the Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, but the organization stands on its own and is not part of the health center itself.

So, why build a free website? When I first started my web consulting and website building business,  I decided to do one free project per year.  Last year, I built a site for IBEX Tours, a bioexploration (biodiversity exploration) non-profit which sends tours all over the world as an education and awareness effort for supporting and sustaining some of the most precious ecosystems.

As 2010 draws to a close, I will start on the lookout for the next pro-bono project.