Non governmental organisations or NGOs do great work the community and public at large, they mainly function with little or no resource at all, but they are mostly driven by passion and commitment. To assist their cause and give a lending hand, Microsoft Malaysia has just launched a program called “Tech4Good” which is an initiative aimed at providing NGOs with technology, knowledge, community and resources they need to fulfil their missions.
The program is developed to provide a platform for NGOs to have access to the latest solutions and technology that will assist their efforts in serving their communities, including youth, women, undocumented children and persons with disabilities.
During the event, initiatives showcased were best practices, tech tips and tricks, and case studies on leveraging Microsoft technologies with more than 100 NGOs who attended.
Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Yang Berhormat Senator Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun who launched the event said “Empowering NGOs is in tandem with the Government’s ambition to accelerate Malaysia towards being a high income nation through innovation and transformation. The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development recognizes the contribution of NGOs in driving developmental activities which has brought sustainable change for various communities. We believe that by leveraging technology, NGOs can scale up operations; be more efficient; increase reach; deliver effective results; and hence realize the goals they are meant to. Microsoft has put in place sustainable programs that invests in communities and I am encouraged that programs like Tech4Good take on a 360 degrees approach through its private-public-people collaborations.”
Also present were Yayasan Salam Malaysia which is Microsoft Malaysia’s Capacity Building Partner for the initiative, they will form a partnership with the tech giant to inculcate technology and initiatives, which include Office365 workshops and webinars, to benefit not only those within the organisation, but also the communities they serve.
Tech4Good is part of Microsoft Malaysia’s Philanthropy Week, the wider campaign that runs from 28 May to 12 June. The campaign includes collaborations with private and nonprofit entities, such as Kidzania, PS The Children, Gorgeous Geeks, Yayasan Generasi Gemilang, Taylor’s University, and Yayasan Salam Malaysia, with the aim of empowering and enabling NGOs as well as youth, and embracing diversity.
“At Microsoft, we invest our greatest assets in digital inclusion programs and partnerships to help deliver the benefits of technology to every person and every organization on the planet, and this includes non-profit entities. That is the idea behind Microsoft Philanthropies, a new organization within Microsoft that will bring to life our expanded ambition and commitment to corporate philanthropy,” said K Raman, Managing Director of Microsoft Malaysia. “We are bringing the same ideal to Malaysia through the Philanthropy Week campaign – connecting the benefits of technology to those who need them most.”
Other agency include Tzu Chi Foundation, to date Microsoft has donated more than US$922 million in software and services to more than 120,000 NGOs and nonprofits globally, including more than 1 million new Office 365 licenses for nonprofit workers and their strategic volunteers, and surpassing the US$1 billion in total company annual giving for the second year in a row.
