In collaboration with Ford Foundation China and our China partner Pro Bono Link, TechSoup Asia-Pacific will be launching a new pilot project in China to help non-profits connect with service providers and consultants.
The project comprises two components: first, the development of an online directory of service providers ranging from legal, finance, human resources, information technology, and marketing communications; and subsequently, a training series to help Ford Foundation grantees better engage with service providers.
The 10-month long project, the first of its kind in China, leverages the new TechSoup Consultant Connection program to soon launch in the US that connects technology service providers to the non-profit communities, is the first of its kind in China.
The China pilot will focus on helping Ford Foundation China’s grantees access and a starting group of service providers for a variety of capacity-building. Eventually, we aim to expand the program and serve a wider non profit community in China.
The project will be launched in Q2 this year, kicking off with the online directory, followed by the training series.
In the last decade, Malaysia has accelerated to become among the top three fastest moving digital economies in the world, a combination of easily accessible Internet, improved physical infrastructure, and a growing smartphone population.
The Malaysian government has also developed new initiatives under the digital economy plan which will focus on four key areas
i) Empowering digital businesses to compete globally;
ii) Offering local accreditation to foreign companies;
iii) Building local talent including e-commerce, cloud, creative technology, Internet of Things and Big Data; and iv) Helping citizens launch their businesses online.
One of the key components in the economic development of a nation are civil society organizations and nonprofits, who strive to create and stimulate positive social impact. Despite the extensive support for SMEs and startups, Malaysia lacks a similar framework to build capacity of civil society organizations. Many of these nonprofits not only lack resources, manpower, human capital but also basic technology know-hows.
In partnership with TechSoup Asia-Pacific’s Malaysia partner Yayasan Salam, the team organized a training and awareness outreach to smaller cities in Malaysia over the last quarter of 2016.
The three awareness programs in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Kuching (East Malaysia) received more than 100 attendees from over 35 different organizations. Through these outreach awareness and training programs, it enabled us to clearly identify technology skills that nonprofit organizations require:
Social media training
Free communication tools
Crowd funding
Cloud computing
Maximiing benefits for nonprofits e.g. GoogleAdWords
Leveraging on technology to solve social problems
Enhancing I.T skills are critical not only in helping nonprofits advance their development, but also helping Malaysia achieve its goal of becoming a digitally inclusive community.
Participants from the community of People with Disabilities (PWDs) share their challenges in a digitally inclusive society
Participants from the community with special needs share their challenges in an ever-growing digitally inclusive community
Hands-on training on free communication tools
Snapshot of some of the attendees from the recent training session for nonprofits in Klang Valley
A brief summary of TechSoup partners products and ways which nonprofits can maximise free and paid technology products
Group photo of participants in the Kuching roadshow
There is much to learn in Myanmar, a country that has just embraced globalization for the first time in its history.
The TechSoup Asia-Pacific team recently embarked on a short familiarization trip to Myanmar, to meet with stakeholders and understand the social development challenges that the country is facing, having just opened its doors to the world.
With a current estimated Internet penetration rate of 19% (11mil of 58mil pop.) and research indicating that 96% of these users are Facebook users*, technology related issues such as digital literacy, cyber security and the viral spread of fake news on social media, have become a growing concern for civil societies and international organizations in Myanmar.
Matt Jung, TechSoup Asia-Pacific’s Director of Development was invited to speak at fhi360‘s workshop “Strengthening of Civil Society Organizations” for nonprofits in Myanmar. The project was initiated to build the capacity of various nonprofits and community-based organizations in the country.
A key outcome from this session for TechSoup Asia-Pacific was a chance to collaborate with fhi360 in identifying nonprofits’ skills gap and drawing up a customised tech training for these organizations.
The team was also invited to present an overview of TechSoup Asia-Pacific’s development projects at Phandeeyar, a social innovation lab spearheading the development of Myanmar’s tech ecosystem.
The attendees, comprising a range of civil society organizations, grassroots and community-based organizations, were keen to learn how they could benefit from the range of technology software donations and consultancy support that TechSoup offers.
In a country that has endured almost six decades of military rule, where democracy, transparency, and peaceful transition processes are now reliant on technology to advance, TechSoup Asia-Pacific will play an important role in the development of a progressive Myanmar.
Matt Jung, Director of Project Development speaking at the fhi360 workshop “Strengthening Capacity of Civil Society” in Yangon, Myanmar
Participants at the TechSoup Asia-Pacific event in Yangon, Myanmar
An interactive news app developed for one of the media agencies in Myanmar that enables users to post comments and discuss news articles.
In many emerging economies, digital gaps exist because communities at large have no access to computers.
Accessibility to technology is crucial. However, of equally importance for these societies, is being digitally literate.
A core focus area of TechSoup Asia Pacific is understanding these gaps in the non-profit sector, and developing capacity building programs for them. By equipping these communities with knowledge on how to best utilise available products, it will empower them and allow them to address social issues.
Recently, Yayasan Salam and Kitabisa.com, our partner NGOs in Malaysia and Indonesia respectively, conducted free f2f trainings for non-profits.
In total, approximately 120 participants from 85 organisations attended the half-day workshops, which covered popular topics, such as external marketing tools, internal communication software, and ways that non-profits could maximise social media.
Concurrently, the Asia Pacific team continues to run webinars open for all. The recent 1-hour webinar on MailChimp received registration of more than 140 participants.
Technology can be daunting for many, especially for those who struggle to keep up with emerging technological trends. In view of the low digital literacy in the region, the TechSoup Asia Pacific team has made it a priority to simplify these ‘daunting’ concepts.
Jed Adao, TechSoup Asia-Pacific Project Coordinator, developed a mini series of “Tech Made Easy” videos on YouTube. These 1-minute videos have been used in various webinars and f2f trainings across our SE Asia partner network as well as TechSoup UK:
The goal of these videos is to summarise new and existing technology concepts, as well as introduce new products to the non-profit community.
Although certain software such as MailChimp are free and available online, many NGOs lack the knowledge on how to use such products.
Understanding this digital gap, and the need for easy-to-understand content, TechSoup Asia-Pacific has simplified content and made it accessible for the non-profit community.
Our regular webinars and step-by-step guides on both free and paid products, help to reduce the digital divide and build the tech capacity of the non-profit community in the region.
The TechSoup Asia-Pacific catalogue carries a wide range of products including operating systems, project management, anti-spam, security and firewall, multimedia and graphics, mapping tools and programming softwares.
At the end of August, we co-organized #LetsGetSocial! with our Indonesia partner Kitabisa in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. 148 participants representing 87 organizations from across the Java province – Bandung, Tasikmalaya, Garut, and Semarang attended the session.
Kitabisa shared tips on how to raise money online, how to be a digital-friendly organization, and ways that nonprofits could utilize tech.
Read more about Kitabisa’s online fundraising work here.
Yayasan Salam recently embarked on a new project titled “Wira Wanita” (Heroines in Bahasa Malaysia), focusing on empowering stay-at-home mothers with life skills they need in their day-to-day lives.
The majority of the beneficiaries are single mothers from lower socioeconomic groups living in rural pockets of Malaysia: these women generally do not have access to resources and knowledge that urban mothers have.
The “Wira Wanita” programme is divided into 3 sections, each module with its own focus:
“Mother Motivator” imparts new parenting methods, and how they can become motivators for their children;
“Manic Mom”, trains women on First Aid application and how to handle various emergencies at home such as fires, electrical short circuits, and even natural disasters and basic self defence
“Raising Above”, provides an overview of domestic violence, the goal being to teach women their rights and who they can reach out to in domestic violence cases.
The training modules will include break-out discussions, sharing and reflection sessions, as well as hands-on training and ‘simulations’, and will be conducted in various locations around Malaysia over a two-year period.
