Islamabad: With Pakistan and other Southeast Asian countries currently grappling with a surge in COVID-19 cases, Google today announced a total commitment of USD$7.5 million in new grant funding and other support to help alleviate the current pandemic crisis.
As part of this new commitment, Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, is providing a USD$1.5 million grant to UNICEF to support urgent COVID-19 response needs across five countries including Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. With this grant, UNICEF will deploy female vaccinators in Covid Vaccination Centers to increase the number of women being vaccinated and boost vaccine communication in Pakistan. UNICEF will also continue to support governments and communities to control the spread of the virus and reduce the number of deaths including by, including by enhancing preparedness for possible future waves of COVID-19.
Announcing these new commitments, Farhan Qureshi, Country Director for Google Pakistan said, “The current surge in COVID-19 cases is causing immense pressure on our healthcare system, and this Google.org grant to UNICEF aims to deepen our support for Pakistan at this critical time. We’ll also continue to focus on ensuring timely access to information, as well as tools for all Pakistanis to stay informed, connected and safe during this crisis.
” “We are grateful for Google.org’s contribution to UNICEF as we continue to respond tirelessly to the global pandemic by providing fair access to COVID-19 vaccines and services to target populations with a focus on the most vulnerable,” said Karin Hulshof, Regional Director, UNICEF, East Asia and the Pacific. “Only a truly global response can protect and secure the future of every child and the communities in which they live, and we will continue working with our partners and lean on them for their expertise, innovative solutions and flexible funding to help minimize the impact in the region and beyond.” she added.