People & Business
The Patterson Foundation Contributes $75,000 to NetHope’s Connectivity Efforts for Displaced Venezuelans
The Patterson Foundation is providing $75,000
to support NetHope’s work to provide connectivity to displaced Venezuelans. The
contribution will power an additional 100 Wi-Fi hotspots along the primary
travel routes for people leaving the country. NetHope began deploying
connectivity teams to the region in December 2018 and has since installed 85
Wi-Fi hotspots in places such as clinics, hospitals and registration
centers.
Connectivity is a lifeline for the
millions of people seeking refuge, allowing them to stay connected to family
and friends while providing access to information regarding organized relief
efforts, healthcare and safety. Additionally, the hotspots are essential to
organizations working in the region that need reliable communications to
provide relief.
“Those fleeing violence and threatening
circumstances need to be able to communicate via Wi-Fi as much as they need
food and shelter,” said Debra Jacobs, president and CEO of The Patterson
Foundation. “For many years, NetHope has applied on-the-ground efforts, along
with its expertise and collaborative approach, to turn connectivity voids into
solutions for people in turmoil.”
By partnering with technology companies
and funders such as Amazon Web Services, Facebook and Google, NetHope and its
alliance of 56 leading global nonprofit members design and implement innovative
approaches to solve development, humanitarian and conservation challenges
worldwide. Through its work responding to the Syrian Refugee Crisis, NetHope
gained insight on the value of staying connected with friends and family for
people along their journey.
Since 2010, The Patterson Foundation has
provided nearly $1.99 million to strengthen NetHope’s global response efforts
for disasters such as the Syrian Refugee Crisis, the Ebola crisis, the Nepalese
earthquake and NetHope’s Caribbean Preparedness Initiative.
“The Venezuela migration crisis
represents one of the single largest movements of a population group displaced
from their country in history,” said Brent Carbno, NetHope managing director of
global programs. “Keeping these people connected is important for their
wellbeing. We are fortunate to have the financial support of organizations such
as The Patterson Foundation to help us further our mission of using technology
to keep these displaced Venezuelans connected and informed.”
Since 2015, more than four million people
— 13 percent of the country’s total population — have left Venezuela in
response to the country’s current economic and humanitarian crisis. On average,
more than 5,000 people a day are leaving Venezuela, making it the largest
recorded migration crisis in the Americas. The majority are traveling to
neighboring countries such as Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina. Many of
these individuals must travel more than 1,000 miles by foot with limited access
to resources such as food, shelter and medicine. The number of people leaving
Venezuela is expected to rise, resulting in a greater need for connectivity
networks.
To learn more about NetHope and its
efforts for displaced Venezuelans, visit www.nethope.org. For more information
on The Patterson Foundation, visit www.thepattersonfoundation.org.
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