In this week’s social good roundup, discover how organizations are making an impact locally through food heroes to globally with drone mapping for refugee relief to digitally by utilizing social media in a powerful way for pressing matters.
San Francisco Mom’s New Waste-Not-Want-Not App
What happens to uneaten food in a cafeteria at the end of the day? In most cases, the perfectly good but unwanted food is thrown away. That excessive waste of food is what Komal Ahmad is working to end—what she calls “the world’s dumbest problem.” Her new corporation COPIA and its app allow campus cafeterias and grocery stores with surplus food to connect with their “Food Heroes,” or drivers, who deliver the food to local non-profit organizations. While currently COPIA only services the Bay Area, they plan on expanding soon. Already they have helped feed more than 660,000 people, but Ahmad aims higher: “Our goal is to reach over a million people.” Source: New York Times
From Social Media to Social Good
Blogger and business consultant Jimmy Rohampton takes issue with the idea that millennials are too self-obsessed to make a difference. Instead, he thinks millennials (and others) can make a difference, especially through social media. In his article for Forbes, Rohampton lists five ways people can use their social media influence for good. “Social media alone may not be the answer to all the world’s problems,” Rohampton admits. “However, it’s a great way to raise awareness of pressing matters.”
Sephora Stands Up for Confidence
As a part of their social impact program Sephora Stands, beauty retailer Sephora has launched Classes for Confidence. Their first session will be October 1st, when 85 stores open their doors with free beauty classes for women trying to enter or reenter the workforce. Sephora hopes to boost confidence among women facing major life transitions as they teach business-appropriate makeup styles. They aim to host 200 classes in 2016 and teach 2,000 people before expanding the program to offer jobs and other assistance. Source: PR Newswire
Pratham USA Releases 2015 Annual Report
Since 1995, Pratham has been working to educate underprivileged children in India, starting in Mumbai and now reaching 20 of India’s 29 states.They divide their goals into four steps: develop innovative programs, build scalable models, advocate change, and inspire others. The USA division has 14 chapters that help raise donations and awareness for their cause. Last week they released the report of their work in 2015, which includes working with 165,000 villages to prioritize learning and increasing literacy in their camps. The digital report can be read here.
UNHCR Maps Refugees with Fly-by Technology
Amazon’s delivery drones may be all the rage in America, but Aziz Kountche is taking on completely different jobs with his homemade drone in Niger. The Diffa region of Niger holds roughly 300,000 displaced refugees from Nigeria and Niger and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been actively trying to help. But they ran into a problem: there was no easy way to track the growing groups of refugees within the Diffa region. And that’s where Kountche stepped in. The self-taught “drone-mapping” expert has been flying his drone and attached camera over the region, recording videos and stills to create a map. With his finished product, UNHCR can organize relief more efficiently. Read the full story at: UNHCR Innovation
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