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October 15, 2015
PC

Chosen by you: Fifty nonprofit organizations receive support to #UpgradeYourWorld



In July, we kicked off our 12-month initiative to #UpgradeYourWorld as part of the launch of Windows 10 by celebrating people and organizations who do great things. We are thrilled about the engagement we have seen from millions of people sharing their stories and supporting nonprofit organizations around the world.

As part of our $10 million investment to amplify amazing work being done around the globe, 10 partners in 10 countries received $50,000 each. During the month of September, people in 10 countries voted for thousands of nonprofits to receive this monetary donation to continue their efforts to #UpgradeYourWorld. After calculating the final number of votes, we are thrilled to announce the five winners from each of the countries who will join the five preselected partners in each market:

Chart for UYW
We admire the dedication nonprofit organizations have to their respective causes. Last week, for example, an out-of-control fire in Australia led Edgar’s Mission founder Pam Ahern and her staff to quickly find a way to take the 200+ homeless, abused animals they provide shelter for out of harm’s way, as the fire trajectory threatened their farm. The diligence of firefighters and the persistence of those who work in this small organization ultimately managed to bring all animals to safety before the risk receded. This is just a glimpse of the hurdles that nonprofits face daily in order to fulfill their mission.

Edgar’s Mission is one of the fifty organizations chosen, in addition to the fifty nonprofits that were pre-selected in each of these countries to participate in #UpgradeYourWorld. The work that these organizations are doing is inspiring. For example:

  • Empowering young women in Japan
  • Innovating the way people donate money through a mobile app to fight hunger in China
  • Setting up services and support for thousands of refugees in Germany
  • Fighting discrimination and homophobia in France
  • Securing prenatal care and early childhood health services in India
  • Providing digital literacy for children living in rural and underserved communities in Kenya
  • Delivering integral support for children with cancer and their families in Mexico
  • Protecting the environment by promoting the reuse and recycle of goods in the United Kingdom
  • Working towards suicide prevention and mental health awareness in the United States

Upgrade Your World Photo by Tanya Malott
Photo Credit: Tanya Malott

It is great to celebrate the amazing work being done by all of these organizations, but we aren’t done yet. October also marks our Upgrade Your World global partnership with the Malala Fund. Throughout the month we have been supporting their global efforts to empower girls through quality secondary education, so they can continue to have a positive impact on the communities they live in. And during the rest of the year we will continue to highlight the amazing work done by all of these organizations that are helping #UpgradeYourWorld.

Malin FezehaiHUMAN for Malala Fund
Photo Credit: Malin Fezehai/HUMAN for Malala Fund

Remember to follow along here for more information on the Upgrade Your World initiative and all of our big plans to come.

Please continue to share your stories about how you are working to #UpgradeYourWorld by using the hashtag.