History has been made from the people who tried, failed, kept trying and finally cleared the biggest hurdles that they came across. Or, as the saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way.
It all began with the Movement Tech4Covid19. What started as an informal conversation between founders of Portuguese startups (Nuno Brito Jorge, our CEO, was one of them) became a team of more than 3.600 people from 250 different companies and various fields of work united towards a common goal: “to unite Portuguese talent in the development of technological solutions that could help the population to overcome the challenge of COVID-19”.
We, the Portuguese, when called upon to fight for ourselves, our siblings, our beloved ones, have never given up. And this time is no different. With this new common enemy, the threat of our lifetime, we have united efforts to bring urgent solutions to what matters most: people’s safety and life. There was a will. There is a way.
(Tech4COVID19 Manifest)
The launch
Tech4Covid19 movement was born during the weekend of 14–15 March. We were part of it from the very beginning because we believed we could help to slowdown the spread of the virus.
2 days later, we presented to the public our fundraising campaign — StopCovid19, with the goal to acquire and donate individual protective equipment to Portuguese healthcare centres, hospitals and professionals on the frontline (already in shortage in several institutions). It was also the very first project of the Tech4Covid19 movement.
100% raised
It took us only one week to successfully raise 100.000€. With the first 30.000€ we bought over 8000 masks and 2000 protective glasses that were already donated to São João, Santa Maria and Garcia de Horta Hospitals in partnership with SOS.Covid19.Portugal. With the remaining money we bought 50.000 masks which are already on the way and will be donated, in coordination with the public health bodies, to where it’s most urgently needed.
It’s the President on the phone
During this week, with the movement Tech4Covid19, we even reached the Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo da Sousa. He sent us this encouraging message and made us all really proud.
“It is essential in these weeks and months when there is a great need to meet needs in which the State alone, the bureaucracy alone and the Public Administration alone cannot respond”.
New objective
Like the fight against Covid-19, we decided to keep our campaign active. We were able to reserve a new order for 50,000 FFP2 masks (€ 68,000). At a time when the worldwide demand for personal protective equipment is far in excess of the supply, it is crucial to purchase quickly. For that reason, we have extended our target to 185.000€ and we have to reach it by the end of this week! Can we count on you?
Thank you: Critical Software, Fundação Ageas, UPTEC, Maze, Coopérnico and Fundação Francisco Pulido Valente for the generous donations that helped us raise the money even quicker! We are trying to be faster than the virus and thanks to your help it is possible.
Without our partners: SIBS, Morais Leitão, Anje, StartUp Portugal, StartUp Lisboa, Casa do Impacto, Founders Founders, CineMax, ProjectAr, FSO Consultores, SOS Vizinho and Made of Lisboa, none of that would have been possible! Thank you.
Lastly, without the donations from all of you we wouldn’t have managed to raise 100.000 €. Thank you for your support and all the love you sent us digitally. Thank you for all the shares and spreading the word of our campaign.
Other initiatives under the Tech4Covid19 movement
Maybe you struggle with daily shopping or wonder if you have symptoms of the virus but don’t know where to look for the answers or state’s answer to the current problems isn’t enough? Check out other great initiatives under the Tech4Covid19 movement that aim to address many of the problems that occurred because of the spread of the virus: https://www.roomsagainstcovid.com/, https://www.knokcare.com/, https://wemoveit.pt/, https://www.tonicapp.com/pt/, https://covidografia.pt/, https://www.stayathome.world/, https://betternow.pt/, https://gyant.com/covid/, https://www.animalar.pt/, https://www.quietinhoemcasa.pt/, https://www.zaask.pt/coronavirus and https://www.tools4edu.com/#/. They are all great!
Some of the articles mentioning us and StopCovid19 campaign or Tech4Covid19 movement during this week worth reading (for Portuguese speakers):
Thank you all❤️ —
Team GoParity: Nuno, Luis, Manuel, Carolina, Rita, Julia, Mariana, Bernardo, Beatriz, Bernardo, Pippa, Iara.
