(Six lessons on how corporate philanthropies can strengthen community connection and communications.)
Those who work in philanthropy are likely familiar with crisis response and management. But when we in the sector are also directly affected by that crisis while working to respond to it, the fullness of the impact comes into even greater focus. When COVID-19 first emerged in China in the final months of 2019, the Medtronic Foundation rapidly responded to immediate needs on the ground. But as COVID-19 crossed borders, the pandemic raised the stakes for communities, first responders, and philanthropists worldwide.
Unfortunately, just as we started to adjust to life in a COVID-19 world, we were faced with more shattering news. George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Communities were left reeling, not only from Floyd’s death, but also from the police killing of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, and of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. These tragedies forced a nationwide reckoning, and the affected cities had to face an important reality: We allowed racism to go unchecked, while many of our own neighbours suffered. As protesters marched in the streets, we realized we had a responsibility as leaders in our community and as those driving global change to do more.
The community members and health workers most affected by these events have been on the front lines, entrenched in fighting global and national emergencies on two fronts. In this article, we share an inside look at what it is like to experience a crisis while attempting to deliver critical communications and on-the-ground support to communities locally and globally.
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Using technology to fight SA’s pandemic of gender-based violence
South Africa’s annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children is well underway, once again highlighting how the grave threat faced by the country’s women has reached crisis levels.
While statistics paint a grim picture, technology has a significant role to play in preventing and combating gender-based violence (GBV), says Warren Myers, Founder and CEO of AURA, South Africa’s leading security and medical response platform. This follows a live webinar, hosted by AURA in collaboration with Vumacam, featuring a carefully-selected panel to discuss a new roadmap for technology and its role in addressing GBV. Joining Myers on the panel in discussing the importance of safety and technology was Vumacam CEO Ricky Croock, Mara Glennie of the TEARS Foundation and Unam Mahlati, Senior Operations and Logistics Manager for Uber SSA.
Myers says the social and economic impact of GBV is almost unquantifiable a sentiment shared by the webinar panel. “Safety is a key pillar of a thriving society, a necessity for human flourishing, and a non-negotiable human right. The fact that women live in fear every day suppresses innovation and progress and jeopardises the very future of our nation.”
Technology can be a useful tool in crime prevention by empowering women with the means to get assistance in the event they feel threatened or unsafe. “The AURA platform ensures anyone can access the technology that enables security companies to quickly reach victims of domestic abuse. It offers a safety net and peace of mind via on-demand emergency services where potential victims of crime can get help from the closest response vehicle in five minutes or less,” he says.
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