Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Topics / Emergency Response

Emergencies can leave entire communities in urgent need of assistance to survive and recover. They often threaten efforts to improve a community’s health and advance its social and economic well-being. Rapid assistance can save lives during an emergency. That’s why we help effective relief agencies and local organizations respond quickly to people’s most pressing needs in challenging conditions.

Learn more below and visit the program page for more details about our work in this area.

The Power of Social Media – New Case Studies and Best Practices From China

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to travel to Beijing for the launch of a “Social Media for Social Good in China: Cases and Best Practices”, a new book capturing the huge commitment of Chinese social media companies to using social media for good.

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Daily Scoop: Creepy Canvassers, Africa's Digital Revolution, and Is Halloween Cancelled?

Here are the stories that caught my eye today. What about yours?

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UNICEF Ambassador Mia Farrow in Kenya

“Something huge is happening, and it’s terrible,” said UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow after visiting the world’s largest refugee settlement in Dadaab, north-eastern Kenya.

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Responding to Drought and Famine in Africa

At the foundation, we focus on stimulating lasting change. But we also recognize the need to move with urgency in times of crisis. In the Horn of Africa, the worst drought conditions in decades—exacerbated by political instability—have put more than 11 million people in immediate need of food assistance.

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TEDxChange: Using Interactive Mapping for Social Change

Last week in Nairobi was TEDxChange@TEDxKibera, a program of talks and discussion in the Kibera slums with a group of action-oriented people who are focused on changing the status quo. Many interesting people were in the room—from some of the mappers I've come to know from the MapKibera initiative to people from Slum Dwellers International.

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