How Social Media and Technology Are Used for Social Good
NGOs Harnessing the Power of Social Media to Make an Impact
When it comes to the humanitarian, non-profit and advocacy sector, they continue to tap into the advantages of social media to create great impact. From sharing posts on awareness and calls to action on topics about poverty alleviation and gender-based violence on Facebook and Instagram to having trending hashtags on Twitter about the rights and education of children.
Then, there are the enlightening videos about overcoming health crises, climate change and women’s empowerment on YouTube. Also, there is the use of WhatsApp to create communities that share solutions and foster change.
Social media has provided a platform for those in the charity, non-profit and social advocacy industry to advocate and create awareness of their cause. To educate and enlighten people on issues and solutions that impact their society, communities and nation. Social media has also provided a platform that enables others to build communities to inspire change. To be part of global conversations and to find innovative solutions to society’s biggest problems.
Here is how organisations are using social media effectively.
1. Social Media Enables Others to Create Awareness of Issues and Share Solutions
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a non-profit organisation that focuses on significant areas such as global development, global health, global growth and gender equality and they are on a mission to create a world where every person has the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life.
The foundation has made use of social media as a way to create more awareness and ramp up support on significant issues that affect nations, especially when it comes to health as their Global Health Division aims to reduce inequities in health by developing new tools and strategies to reduce the burden of infectious diseases which often leads to the cause of child mortality in developing countries.
Also, when it comes to health, one of the many things that the foundation has done well is create awareness on GAVI, Vaccines and Immunisation and Gavi and its partners have helped immunize more than 1 billion children and protect families and communities.
On YouTube, the foundation shares videos that cover topics on women’s physical health, women’s economic power, maternal care and enlightening interviews with those in leadership.
One of their impactful videos is an animated video on Family Planning & Contraceptive Solutions for women which creates more awareness of women having access to contraceptives and why it matters. There’s also the video on the Clean Water Projects, Re-invent the Toilets which highlights the negative effects of not having access to adequate facilities and clean water. In their most recent video about Greater Things, Partners of Human Potential, they discuss plans to distribute sewerless toilets across Africa and a skin-to-skin technique inspired by kangaroos that decreases infant mortality by 25%.
The foundation is also active on LinkedIn with its monthly newsletter: The Optimist with over a million followers where they discuss the latest in global health, gender equality and education. Each month, they highlight significant areas of impact. In May, they emphasized on an article about how midwives are important in transforming maternal health and the need for more ultrasounds. Then, for Women’s History Month in March, their newsletter highlighted a conversation between Melinda Gates and Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. Claudia Goldin who shared insights on her research on releasing women’s economic power.
2. Social Media Helps to Educate and Inspire Conversations on Change
UNICEF works to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents and to protect the rights of children everywhere. They make sure that children survive, thrive and fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
On their social media platforms such as Instagram, UNICEF shares posts through carousels and videos about issues that affect children and what they are doing to solve such challenges on food poverty, malnutrition and getting access to vaccines. They post informative videos such as the short reel in which Dr Mona explains food poverty to understand food poverty, what it is, how many children are suffering from it and how individuals can take a stand to stop it.
On Twitter, UNICEF has a trending hashtag called #ForEveryChild and through that, they create conversations where they share information about children’s health, education and the actions taken by the organisation.
Their social media presence matters and is impactful because through social media, they create more awareness on what disadvantaged children are going through, how they are helping to solve the problem and what more needs to be done.
3. Social Media & Technology Helps to Solve Problems
Another organisation that uses social media to educate and enlighten is Education as a Vaccine (EVA), a non-profit organization registered in Nigeria and in the United States to improve the health and development of children, adolescents and young people.
At EVA, they work towards the cause of ending gender-based violence and educating others on sexual health and rights.
One of the ways they do that is through the implementation of technology. MyQuestion (My Q) is a free mobile phone service that allows adolescents and young people in Nigeria to access accurate non-judgmental and confidential information anonymously regardless of their location and at their convenience.
It is Nigeria’s longest-running sex education and reproductive health hotline and since the project started in 2005, there have been approximately 12,000–15,000 questions received on the platform each month through text messages.
In a case study, the program manager of the service, Mr Davidson Onuh discussed some of the lessons learned and challenges and he said “One of the biggest lessons learned by the team is that programmes tend to think that youths are informed or educated, however, based on the kinds of questions the service has received, it goes to show that there is a very big gap in information and that providing this information goes a long way in preventing HIV/AIDS. People need information and technology provides an avenue to provide this information in a cost-effective manner. We must embrace technology as there is a big market and a big opportunity to reach target audiences even further”.
Technology is imperative and can be used as a platform to provide solutions but there remain numerous challenges.
Mr Solomon, the Program Manager at EVA, says that some of the difficulties they face in doing their work are that when they go on outreaches to sensitise the communities on sexual and reproductive health; most of the young people there do not have access to mobile phones or even data which hinders them from accessing their services.
For EVA to continue to carry on with their goals to educate women and men on sexual and reproductive health and rights, do support them with a donation. No amount is too little.
4. Social Media is Used As an Agent for Advocacy
The Stand to End Rape Initiative (STER) is a non-profit organisation which seeks to eradicate gender-based violence in Nigeria. Their pivotal advocacy for the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law is at the heart of their achievement through the dynamic #PASSVAPPACT project.
Their passionate campaign was a driving force behind the landmark signing of the law by Former President Jonathan, marking a significant victory with its adoption in Adamawa, Kebbi, and later, Plateau State.
The VAPP law stands as a crucial breakthrough, filling the void in legal protection against diverse forms of violence that previously left countless victims exposed and without recourse. Before this law, the landscape was grim, with insufficient legal frameworks to shield individuals from harm.
In addition to the great work they have done towards the passage of the VAPP Act, STER has used their social media accounts for impact.
Through social media campaigns, STER has emphasized on the need for change when it comes to gender-based violence in Nigeria. They held a protest and created conversations around #SayHerName to create more awareness on issues of rape and sex-worker’s rights.
STER has also had a #BehindtheSmileCampaign on Instagram that aims to bring the untold stories and hidden pain of survivors through the use of photography. Through this campaign, survivors share their stories, images and quotes.
Such campaigns were impactful because they encourage others to speak up about the plight of sexual violence in Africa.
Though STER has made many great strides in their work, the journey towards ending gender-based violence is a long one met with obstacles.
STER’s founder, Oluwaseun Osowobi, shared insights into the complex barriers hindering their progress.
She said that at the forefront of the obstacles is the deep-seated societal stigma, a byproduct of entrenched patriarchal norms.
Osowobi elaborates that “patriarchy is a catalyst for sexual and gender-based violence, perpetuating power disparities, dehumanisation of women and girls, and control over their bodies and choices. This not only discourages survivors from speaking out but also obstructs our quest for meaningful conversations about sexual violence.”
Funding too poses a substantial challenge as Nigeria is yet to take significant strides towards closing the gender gap.
You can help support STER towards donating towards their advocacy for change and ending gender-based violence in Nigeria. Also, do your part and take a stand towards reporting abuse.
5. Social Media is Used to Be Part of Global Conversations
Global Citizens are action-takers and impact-makers. Their mission is to end extreme poverty worldwide and they use their voices to inspire action to defend the planet, defeat poverty, and demand equity. They post, tweet, send messages and encourage others to vote, sign, and call to influence leaders and citizens to act.
On Instagram, Global Citizens uses their platform to educate and enlighten others on issues such as climate change, understanding what it is and how it affects our planet and encouraging others to get on the cause. They also enlighten others on issues that affect people globally when it comes to poverty, humanitarian crises and voting.
On their site, they have a dedicated page where they focus on different countries such as Nigeria. There are articles about stories on the latest issues that affect Nigerians. They also have a section on their site where they encourage others to take action when it comes to climate change and stopping the hunger crises.
Global Citizens incorporates social media and tweets by creating templates that people can share. One of such is a tweet urging Europe to increase support for Gavi and protect the future of millions of children.
In Conclusion
Social media and technology are powerful tools that are used to ignite change in nations and communities.
In the non-profit sector, organisations use short creative and informative videos to educate and enlighten others on issues of women’s maternal health and solutions. Then, there are trending hashtags that are used to fuel change in protests towards ending gender-based violence and campaigns that encourage survivors to speak out and end the cycle of silence and abuse. Also, through WhatsApp, people can have a safe space to ask questions and be better informed about their sexual health. Of course, we can’t forget that on the organisation’s main sites and newsletters, there are enlightening articles that enable others to understand important issues on climate change and poverty. To encourage support through donations and taking action through social shares.
Social media and technology are certainly changing the way those in the charity and non-profit sector communicate, how they share messages and how they take part in global conversations. It continues to be an essential element that organisations use to not only share but to spark hope and ignite change.
