Facing the historic global challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Skoll Awardees and our larger portfolio of grantees have met this moment with empathy, determination, and innovation. “This is the moment that social innovators are made for,” our Board member, Cheryl Dorsey, said recently.
Over these many months, we’ve seen the incredible resilience of this remarkable community of innovators. Their vital role in reimagining inequitable systems that fail to meet the needs of all communities has never been clearer. While COVID-19 has laid bare the deepest fissures in our society and threatened those with the least resources, Skoll Awardees have seized this moment with the uncommon urgency it demands.
The short film above shares a glimpse of the overwhelming response of Skoll Awardees across geographies and sector to this pandemic—a vision for a better future within the challenges of the present. We’ve been consistently reminded of the power of proximity during this time of social distancing and virtual collaboration—those closest to the communities they serve are best placed to respond with urgency.
We have celebrated the impact of COVID-19 response work across the Skoll Awardee community. Here are just handful of additional highlights:
The pandemic has shown the incredible potential of social innovators to leverage collective action, collaboration, and cross-sector partnership in crafting solutions for urgent challenges and spurring lasting systemic change.
During this extraordinary year, the Skoll Awardee community rose to the challenge, and we are so grateful for your work.
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Banner image: Medina Youth Council in Medina Yoro Foulah, Senegal, by Kevin Vigouroux