MICROSOFT Corp., through its Philippine office, will donate more software to local nonprofit groups this year to help them get empowered with technologies as the challenges they face grow.
Microsoft will provide recipients with Windows and Office suites through TechSoup Global’s Asia Pacific network, Raul R. Cortez, Microsoft Philippines legal and corporate affairs director, said at the sideline of the American multinational technology company’s forum on March 31.
TechSoup Global is an international network of 62 partner-nonprofit groups and non-governmental organizations in Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. Since 1987, it has leveraged technology to build the capacity of these groups toward solving problems in local communities and fostering global social change. Cloud services in cloud computing is also offered, Cortez added.
According to him, the Microsoft technology provides local nonprofit groups with “productivity and collaboration tools.” It will facilitate them in “streamlining their process,” reaching out to a greater number of people as a result.
“Nonprofits in the Philippines are truly unsung heroes with their desire to instigate social change throughout the country by offering services they would not come in contact with otherwise,” Microsoft Philippines Managing Director Karrie Ilagan was quoted as saying in a March 31 statement.
Local nonprofits have the “potential for great impact on communities they operate,” she added. They, however, face “great challenges” and are “stretched to their limits and challenged to do more with less to serve their communities and advance their mission.”
Through its country office in the Philippines, the 41-year-old company will host sessions in April and trainings in May this year to provide nonprofits with information, resources required to empower their organizations with Microsoft technologies, Ilagan said. Microsoft has donated software to over 240 nonprofit organizations amounting to $10.9 million, the statement said. That amount is nearly 12 percent of the company’s revenue last year of $93.58 billion.
The company does not set any limit to the number or amount of software donation for a particular year, as well as to the number of local recipients, according to Cortez. “It’s a matter of the organizations qualifying under the TechSoup [requirements],” he added. Once the organizations are accredited “they can get hold of the software [package].”
The maximum number of software donations for every non-profit is “51 licenses for each software,” according to Cortez. He added the company has over 240 beneficiaries in the Philippines.
The recipients focus on education for peace, battered women, abused children and agriculture, among other social concerns.
“They can avail [themselves] the latest technologies from Microsoft,” Cortez said. “It’s our goal to make them as productive as they can, make them realize their full potential. Technology is the tool to achieve their purpose.”
Image credits: Oliver Samson