AWS Public Sector Blog

Tag: nonprofit

How one nonprofit uses AWS to amplify citizen advocacy across Africa

ONE is a global movement to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030. Advocacy is about taking action in real time, so we need to reach people wherever they are. In Africa, that means using mobile devices. To help us reach audiences across Africa, we launched a mobile chatbot built on AWS.

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AWS announces simpler access to sustainability data and launches hackathon to accelerate innovation for sustainability

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are critical tools being used in healthcare research, autonomous applications, predictive maintenance, and also a key tool used to advance sustainability solutions. However, to use AI and ML to solve sustainability problems, innovators need specific datasets that are prepared for analysis and training of the models. To help create and accelerate sustainability solutions, the Amazon Sustainability Data Initiative (ASDI) today announced easier identification of sustainability datasets with integration in AWS Data Exchange and the launch of a sustainability hackathon.

Wings for Life World Run uses AWS to scale when it matters most

The Wings for Life World Run is a global charity run that has raised funds to help find a cure for spinal cord injury since 2014. Every year, the event gives 100% of its entry fees and donations to research supported by Wings for Life, a not-for-profit foundation that supports spinal cord research. Participants can join the event worldwide at the same time, using the Wings for Life World Run App. To scale to meet the spike in demand to the Wings for Life World Run App and give real-time leaderboard updates for the global virtual race, Wings for Life World Run uses AWS.

Accelerating digital transformation in Latin America’s public sector

In the past two years, many of us in Latin America have seen civil society, governments, academia, and the private sector unite to accelerate our ability to respond to the economic and human challenges of COVID-19. Public sector organizations innovated with the cloud to address a variety of dynamic needs: expanding financial inclusion, supporting wider access to education and healthcare, providing transparency in electoral processes, and more. In this blog post, we spotlight four organizations in Latin America that are using AWS to transform the public sector.

Create a common operating picture for search and rescue at the edge with AWS

In a recent disaster response field testing exercise (FTX), the AWS Global Social Impact Solutions (GSI) team developed a prototype cloud architecture and tested it in a search and rescue (SAR) scenario simulating a missing responder crisis. This blog post walks through the SAR simulation and result, and provides an overview of the AWS services and technical architecture components the GSI team used to provide a hybrid edge/cloud COP solution that helped locate the missing team member in the simulated scenario within 20 minutes.

Using AWS to help students find an affordable college

Moneythink is an education technology nonprofit providing big solutions to help with college affordability, accessibility, and student loan debt. We built DecidED, a web app that runs on AWS and provides students across the country with guidance and support to understand financial aid options and budgeting for college costs. Our work gives students the cost transparency necessary to make clear decisions about their futures, and is especially beneficial for historically marginalized students, as they often lack resources due to institutionally imposed barriers.

Climate Next: How sustainability champions around the world use cloud-powered tech to fight climate change

The theme of this year’s Earth Day is “Invest in our planet.” In celebration of this year’s theme, we want to highlight the important sustainability work featured in the AWS documentary series, Climate Next, which explores the ways organizations and communities in four distinct regions are investing in cloud-powered solutions to fight climate change.

Transforming animal conservation with open data and more on AWS

Open data is helping researchers and nonprofit conservationists protect vulnerable species around the world. In celebration of Earth Day, we are shining a spotlight on two sustainability stories from the AWS Fix This podcast from AWS, a podcast exploring the ways people use technology to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Supporting those affected by sight loss with Alexa and AWS

At The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (Guide Dogs), we provide a variety of services and support to anyone affected by sight loss, their friends, and their family. Our mission is to give them access to information and support to make a positive impact on their well-being, self-confidence, self-esteem and ability to function with loss of sight. Voice assistants powered by AWS allow our organization to support our communities and enrich their quality of life.

AWS announces Local Zones in Latin America

AWS plans to launch new AWS Local Zones across Latin America to contribute to the region’s economic diversification. The new locations include Bogotá, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lima, Peru; Queretaro, Mexico; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Santiago, Chile. AWS is helping to develop more resilient economies that promote long-term economic growth. The low-latency offered by Local Zones can make new use cases possible for public sector organizations.