Giving Compass' Take:

• Nonprofit organizations and other founders are creating innovative solutions to address COVID-19 challenges for frontline workers and vulnerable populations.

• What is the greatest challenge facing your community and how can creative donors respond?

• Here are some recommendations and suggestions for donors to respond to COVID-19. 

The unprecedented uncertainty brought about by COVID-19 is one that has affected all of us globally. While navigating this new unknown, interventions and public services are set in place to ensure the needs of the communities are met. The unpredictable nature of this pandemic means that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to address localised challenges exposed by traditional support systems. This is when social purpose organisations with expert knowledge on the ground could come in to address these challenges and enhance conventional systems. These solutions are designed to help the communities in times of distress and provide support through their different innovations.

From collaborative efforts to produce preventative kits for frontline workers to designing telehealth consultations, below are different ways in which the Social Purpose Organisations are addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leveraging Technology to combat the outbreak

  • Save the Children, a non-profit organisation with operations worldwide, is leveraging on their existing technology and implementation system, Waliku, to control future local outbreaks of COVID-19.
  • Jaga-Me is a digital healthcare platform that enables access to quality healthcare from hospital to home, through a global community care network.

Enhanced support to vulnerable communities

  •  Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation (BDCF), a non-profit organisation in Vietnam, is working with local communities and authorities to ensure early detection of children at risk who need support, and providing support to children and youth whose situations have worsened because of the pandemic

Servicing through Telehealth

  • Sehat Kahani, a for profit organisation in Pakistan, through its IT driven solutions, such as an E-clinic has enabled a safer way for patients with suspected COVID-19 symptoms to receive timely professional medical help as well as counselling and preventative measures, while ensuring the safety of the medical professionals along the way.
  • A similar concept is developed by Praava Health, a for-profit organisation in Bangladesh that has developed telehealth services to cater to people that are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

Read the full article about innovative solutions to addressing COVID-19 challenges by Natasha Rynjah at avpn.