Did Covid-19 impact NGO's?
What was: how has your job changed because of the coronavirus crisis?
Neya had events planned on the ground to give back. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, we had to practice social distancing, which meant cancelling all our volunteering events and workshops, and totally replanning our Ramadan schedule. Instead of packing food boxes, we shifted to fundraising and sending out food boxes right away. We recognized the need and burden in the community around us and decided to start early. We also added hot meals for Iftar; this wasn't the initial plan, but providing clean food to someone in need is a true blessing at a time like this.
We also fundraised for several other initiatives, including providing protective equipment for doctors, rebuilding an orphanage that had suffered from bad weather, sending hygiene products to orphanages, as well as fundraising for animals abandoned in fear of the novel coronavirus and adopted by animal shelters.
In short we realized we needed to be present because our community needs us and this was our real goal. Everything else came second.
What is: what have you been doing during this time to help you grow?
We have been working almost nonstop and haven’t really had time to take a break. I've tried to spend some time practicing yoga after I break my fast and I also watch documentaries on sustainability. I realized that it fuels my creativity and it helps me focus on what's important, rather than getting sucked into social media or negative news.
What will be: how do you think the industry you’re in is going to change after COVID? What do you think the “new normal” will look like?
I hope more people will have the intrinsic value to give back. This is one of our very core values at Neya. Giving back for us is about working together and doing more than just donating. We see that the Coronavirus has made more people realize this. Neya is built on partnerships - we believe that the power of the collective is more important than the individual. We feel more communities will be in tune with their responsibility as collective citizens. We also think more people will look for and think of impactful investing, not just donations. So, for example, if I put my money here - what is the impact and return of this project compared to a regular donation? More people will pay less and subscribe to a cause instead (which we encourage on Neya), and think more about how they can give back sustainably.
WRITTEN BY
Hana El Sadat
Hana El Sadat is a passionate Humanitarian and philanthropist. She is the founder of Neya, an online platform that facilitates and promotes
sustainable development activities, community-building, and
collaboration.
Comments