Joining the Global Engineering Community to Fight COVID-19
Written by: Duncan LaBarre
Published: April 14, 2020
As the worldwide battle against COVID-19 continues, it has been humbling to witness the individual courage of medical practitioners, first responders, and essential workers; the unprecedented efforts taken by world governments to protect their citizens; the public spirit of corporations shifting manufacturing resources to critical supplies, and the shared commitment of everyday people sheltering in place to flatten the curve.
Our thoughts go out to all who are currently fighting the virus and to the families who have lost loved ones. We are in this fight together, and we promise to continue doing our part as critical infrastructure connecting the technology relied on by hospitals, schools, and essential services.
Today we are grateful for the opportunity to take another step in this global struggle. Soracom, along with 11 other technology partners, has joined the United Nations Development Programme – Center for Technology (UNDP) to empower the global engineering community to invent and share technological solutions in the fight against COVID-19. Through the COVID-19 Detect & Protect Challenge, everyone is encouraged to propose and build preventive solutions to reduce the disease’s impact on the economies of these vulnerable areas.
It is humbling to consider how this disease makes our planet feel small. As some developed countries begin to see the curve flatten, the focus will be to prevent resurgence. Globally that means doing our part to support other countries lacking critical resources, tools, and infrastructure.
The crowdsourcing challenge issued by the UNDP is a step in the right direction. A step that could result in thousands of lives being saved. We encourage you all to take a moment to visit the COVID-19 Detect & Protect Challenge homepage and consider taking part in the event.
You can help directly by crafting a project submission, helping a colleague to bring their project to life, or even just sharing the Challenge through your social channels to help it find the right eyes. Your contribution can make a difference, and together we can and will #HackCOVID19.
Join the challenge today →
