Everyone recognizes the huge challenges of delivering aid to vulnerable populations. Whether it’s for hurricane survivors in the Bahamas, displaced Venezuelans migrating in Latin America, or those displaced by war or famine and seeking a new life outside their homeland, NetHope’s 57 nonprofit members are helping people around the world daily cope with challenges, from gaining access to resources to personal safety.
But the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced unprecedented urgency and levels of complexity for our members. It’s having a cascading impact on those who receive aid, those who deliver it, and modes of aid delivery, as nonprofits are forced to quickly adapt to new ways of working and operating to protect their staff and beneficiaries. Rapid access to unrestricted funds and technology has never been more critical. This is why generous funders like The Patterson Foundation, which aim to catalyze funding from other sources, are so important. Its $100,000 gift—and those from others who follow its lead—will help our members with shared challenges they have identified, including:
Read about NetHope’s new Global Aid Technology Response and Recovery Fund
These actions will most effectively work for the short-term to help staunch the spread of the virus and protect both those who benefit from our members’ services--vulnerable and underserved communities--as well as those who are on the frontlines delivering aid.
But on an even larger scale, beginning to make inroads on these challenges will lead to the creation of infrastructure, skills, and relationships that can strengthen fragile health care systems, communication networks, supply chain networks, and other services, giving humanitarian workers the tools they need to do their jobs during times of crisis--even if they can’t be in person. It will also provide beneficiaries more personal empowerment as they begin to get resources and skills that are more equitable, reliable, and sustainable.
NetHope is fortunate that we have funding sources that recognize the axiom of an “ounce of prevention” helps to create solutions for long-term impact. The Patterson Foundation (TPF), a fully endowed charitable entity based in Florida, has long been a steady partner, offering catalytic funding in the initial stages of previous emergency situations. And it has recognized that our careful methodology of assessing our members’ needs and then deploying solutions is the most responsible and effective way to ensure our members’ success in helping people. With the COVID-19 crisis, TPF has again reaffirmed NetHope’s role with a significant financial investment of $100,000. This was followed up by a gift by our tech partner, Facebook, which gave toward connectivity work in relation to COVID-19 issues experienced by nonprofits and beneficiaries.
With TPF’s gift, we began the first phase of our plan and will now start deploying direct help to our members around the world based on what we have learned through the assessments. Even with TPF’s generosity, the need does not end—we need additional resources to reach members and to help those most at risk from this deadly virus. It is not just institutional funders that can help: our tech partners continue to be critical, connecting the needs of our members to the technological solutions to address them. And individuals can donate funds directly: by giving to NetHope, your gift expands, reaching nearly 60 of the world’s most active nonprofits. That’s impact!
In response to our members’ needs, on April 28 we launched the Global Aid Technology Response and Recovery Fund. Its goal: to raise $60 million to meet the technology needs of our member organizations, and the tools and funding they will need to recover from funding and tech gaps created by the COVID-19 crisis.
Help NetHope and our members achieve their work and respond to the crisis in front of us, as well as set the framework for future crises.
