6 ways social innovators are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic

Social innovators, disruptors in the service of others in situations where traditional actors or the market have failed, are needed more than ever in the current COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially true as the health and economic impacts hit the excluded, vulnerable and those in the informal economy the hardest.

From creating biometric identification systems to developing innovative ways to deliver microfinance loans, here are six innovative ways Schwab Foundation social innovators are addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

1. Making facts easily accessible

Fundación Capital in Colombia is a social enterprise that works to improve the financial lives of people living in poverty around the world. It designs and delivers solutions that make families more economically resilient, working with governments and financial institutions to co-create economic and productive opportunities. Leveraging digital technologies, research, and a growing network of stakeholders, it works to improve systems and change lives.

Fundación Capital has realigned its chatbots and virtual assistants to provide assistance and information to the most vulnerable population on official government information; crisis management; practical advice and preventive measures in physical and psychological health: and financial resilience - managing finances in times of crisis.

2. Developing telehealth services

AlTibbi is a digital-health platform in the Middle East and North Africa region, that aims to present reliable, up-to-date and simplified medical information to users in the region in Arabic. The website features thousands of medical articles, a medical glossary, a section that is dedicated to questions and answers, the latest news in medicine, telehealth services and consultations with certified doctors.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and sponsored by Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Altibi has launched a Corona dedicated hotline that is accessible to all Jordanians. By dialing 111, users can get connected to certified doctors. If a person is experiencing flu-like symptoms or has general concerns, they can obtain a medical assessment from the comfort of their own home without putting themselves or others at risk.

3. Scaling community-based screening

As frontline workers play an important role in the COVID-19 response, there is a growing demand for digital platforms to support community-based efforts. To help meet this need, Dimagi, based in the US, is giving pro bono subscriptions to its an open-source mobile data platform, CommCare, to all COVID-19 response applications through May 2021. Dimagi has also provided a comprehensive description of how CommCare can help with COVID-19 response, including helping with surveillance, case management, contact tracking and laboratory data management.

A key challenge in the pandemic response in low-resource areas is the inability to identify patients, track cases, or maintain disease surveillance. In such areas, biometric digital identities can be a game-changer for pandemic control. Simprints has successfully deployed its biometric patient ID system with health workers in 12 countries and is adding a contactless mode that has demonstrated high levels of accuracy in field tests across sub-Saharan Africa. Accelerated development could see it ready for partners to use in the response to COVID-19 in the coming months.

4. Focusing on the most vulnerable

Senior Citizen Home Safety Association (SCHSA) is a self-financing social enterprise and charitable organization in Hong Kong that offers 24-hour personal care and emergency assistance services to the elderly, a high-risk group during this pandemic, and others in need. During the COVID-19 pandemic, SCHSA is donating and delivering masks and related cleansing material to underprivileged aged people.

Research is also showing that adults living alone are more likely to suffer from mental disorders, including anxiety and depression due to loneliness. In response, SCHSA is also offering assurance calls to those elders who live alone.

5. Prioritising mental health and well-being

Crisis Text Line is a global not-for-profit organization that provides free confidential crisis intervention via SMS message. In moments, one could be connected and receive support from a trained counsellor online. The organization's services are available 24 hours a day, every day, throughout the US, UK and Canada.

Being quarantined at home with an abuser is a terrible reality some people will face. In response, Crisis Text Line is particularly bracing itself for an increased volume of support for those in situations of child abuse and domestic violence conversation. (Find resources to seek help here.)

6. Protecting livelihoods

Fundación Paraguaya (FP), the first microfinance institution in Paraguay, started in 1995, pioneering financial literacy and entrepreneurial education in Paraguay and adapting junior achievement methodologies to underprivileged youths. During the COVID-19 pandemic, FP is developing new ways to deliver microfinance loans to those who are extremely poor and vulnerable and has been able to reach more than 3,500 village banks and 70,000 microenterprises.

FP has modified its loan conditions and simplified the conditions for its village banks to borrow money and its savings requirements, allowing borrowers to defer their payments without any penalties, implementing phone banking options, and offering borrowers refinancing options. It has also replaced its financial literacy training programs for distance-learning Dengue Fever with COVID-19 awareness classes, as well as classes on understanding fake news.

In times like these, we need social innovators even more - as they are already embedded and empower communities and are responsive with solutions - and they are adapting to the immediate needs of the people they serve.