This non-profit is protecting vulnerable communities from the effects of climate change with AI
In May 2021, Kalpreddy Satyavati, owner of a food stall in the coastal town of Puri, India, and thousands of other families were saved from Cyclone Yaas, thanks to a personalized evacuation advisory printed a day before the cyclone made landfall. The advisory was the result of an artificial intelligence model by SEEDS, a non-profit that recently received a Microsoft AI for Humanitarian Action grant. Read more »
Meet the man on a mission to end hunger in India
During the lockdown back in March 2020, Ankit Kawatra and his team went out to to support people who needed food, and needed it urgently. Over a period of 130 days, Zomato Feeding India ran the Feed the Daily Wager campaign. and distributed a total of 750,000 meal kits, the equivalent of 78.5 million meals, across 181 cities in India. Read more »
Empowering youth with disabilities to launch careers in the global finance sector
Prachi Pandey joined the IT department of Allstate India last year, despite being diagnosed with spina bifida, a condition that causes weakness or paralysis in the legs. She is now a beneficiary of SAMEIP, which aims to create meaningful job opportunities for persons with disabilities in the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sector in India. Read more »
RSPCA collars cloud to optimise animal wellbeing capability
The NSW RSPCA Society in Australia has been deploying Office 365 and Teams, leveraging SharePoint online and rolling out Dynamics 365 Business Central for Finance which has helped them improve their operations in taking care of animal welfare. Read more »
Honoring Global Accessibility Awareness Day with a call to action
COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on people with disabilities, widening what the World Bank termed the “Disability Divide,” the gap in societal inclusion for people with disabilities. GAAD is a time to push to level the playing field for people with disabilities, including ensuring accessibility initiatives are durable and sustainable. This starts with leadership. Read more »
Hearing Australia dials up user-led innovation to support the HAPEE program in regional and outback communities
To tackle the ear and hearing issues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, Hearing Australia runs a special program, HAPEE (Hearing Assessment Program – Early Ears), which provides free hearing assessments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children not yet attending full time school. Read more »
This Microsoft employee is compiling a comprehensive list of COVID-19 resources across India
Help is pouring in from governments and organizations from across the world to support India who has been hit by a second wave of COVID-19. Among them is Prarthana Sannamani, who launched a website that carries a comprehensive list of COVID-19 resources across India. Read more »
Gaming just like everyone else
For those living with disabilities, gaming offers the chance to forge connections beyond their daily lives and the Xbox Adaptive Controller has made gaming more accessible for them. Read more »
Schools in the pandemic: Seeking education equity for India’s marginalized kids
Since the launch of the Microsoft APAC Enabler program seven months ago, sixteen PwDs have secured full time roles, internships, mentorships, and training opportunities through the program. Read more »
Doubling down on accessibility: Microsoft’s next steps to expand accessibility in technology, the workforce and workplace
People with disabilities represent one of the world’s largest untapped talent pools, but we all need to act with bolder ambition to empower disabled talent to achieve more. Read more »
Don’t underestimate yourself sometimes. You can do it
People with disabilities are gaining marketable work skills and succeeding in the digital economy. Read more »
Schools in the pandemic: Seeking education equity for India’s marginalized kids
The experience of the pandemic has shone a stark spotlight on educational disparity–while most well-resourced private schools have been able to cope with COVID-19, most government and low-resource schools have struggled. Read more »
Fast and reliable internet connectivity brings new hope to rural villages
Just a few years ago the people of Churni probably would have had a better chance of spotting an endangered tiger than enjoying a steady internet signal. Doing simple everyday tasks online in this out-of-the-way community in the western India state of Maharashtra was hit-or-miss at best. Read more »
StandbyU Foundation is transforming the lives of families at risk of domestic abuse through innovation built on Azure
One of the biggest challenges facing Australia is that of family, domestic and sexual violence. Despite a rising rate of incidents, the sector response remains reactive and reliant on formal services such as police, which have limited power to intervene in these personal and complex issues them to relevant services. Read more »
Lenovo’s New Realities project showcases women empowering their communities through technology
Growing up in a rural village in India, Ashwini Doddalingappanavar was expected to follow the example of the women before her: stay close, get married and have children. She defied her community’s expectations to forge her own path. them to relevant services. Read more »
Indigenous knowledge and AI help protect baby turtles from predators on Australia’s remote Cape York
This prolonged isolation spells big trouble for the survival chances of some tiny residents on the western shores of Cape York Peninsula – endangered baby turtles. Unless teams of Indigenous rangers find and protect them first, they can be easy prey for predators, particularly feral pigs. Thousands have been lost this way every year. them to relevant services. Read more »
Diversity delivers an app for the people, by the people
Every day across NSW, thousands of people experience homelessness; the most at risk are people sleeping on the streets. In partnership with the Act to End Street Sleeping Collaboration, Microsoft has developed an online platform using PowerApps to support homelessness services to survey people sleeping rough and quickly connect them to relevant services. Read more »
Micro-credentials: Opening the door to an inclusive future of work in the digital age
Here’s an alternative method of understanding the value of skills as we move toward an inclusive future of work. This goes beyond the formal qualifications that someone may, or may not, hold – especially people in the underserved communities where educational opportunities are few. Read more »
Creating a firm foundation for Indigenous success
For many, Year 12 feels far less significant than what comes after – a degree, a first job, and the career path that follows. However, it’s still a pivotal moment in the lives of many young people and that no everyone has the opportunity to complete it. Read how Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) is working to ensure more Indigenous students get an opportunity to complete Year 12 with the help of Microsoft Dynamics partner, Barhead Solutions. Read more »
Microsoft + Grab = digital skills for driver-partners and families in APAC
By 2030, the region will become the world’s 4th largest economy, and digital skills will be in huge demand. However, a large percentage of workers are lacking the digital skills that the new jobs will require. Learn more about how Microsoft and Grab are partnering up to provide people in Southeast Asia with an edge to succeed in an increasingly digital world of work. Read more »
Grabbing opportunities for growth through reskilling in Asia Pacific
In the AI era, everyone – at all levels, in all roles, and especially from all cultures and walks of like – needs to be equipped with tools and skills to be future-ready. Microsoft and Grab are partnering up to upskill drivers, merchant-partners, as well as their families, with a goal to equip more people in Southeast Asia with digital skills by 2020. Read more »
Planting trees, saving a river, protecting livelihoods
Danone-AQUA and Microsoft partner, Jejak.in created a solution that uses IoT and AI technologies to collect and analyze ecological data, helping locals and environmentalists to access digital solutions to measure, monitor, and support the Citarum River clean up. Read more »
Cute but vulnerable: Scientist to use drones, cloud, and AI to protect Australia’s Quokkas
Quokkas are famously adorable, but also face an uncertain future as a threatened species. Microsoft recently awarded an AI for Earth Compute Grant to the University of Western Australia (UWA) to monitor quokkas to accelerate research into endangered species around the world. The UWA team is planning to trial “scat drones” along with high-powered cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Read more »
First Nations and computer science education: Striving to bridge the Digital Divide
Sometimes it’s hard not to marvel at the global impact of digital transformation and emerging technologies – like artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and the cloud. But let’s also keep a close eye on the digital divide – the gap between those with easy access to technologies, education, and skills, and those who don’t. Will this gap widen or close in the years ahead? Read more »
Special Olympics Asia Pacific partners with Microsoft to launch fitness app for people with intellectual disabilities
Special Olympics Asia Pacific has officially launched SPROUT, an inclusive fitness application that aims to empower individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) to live a healthy lifestyle through the gamification of simple exercises. Developed in partnership with Microsoft, PALO IT Singapore, Empire Code and Hari Shankar Design & Consulting… Read more »
STEM’s female factor: Changing lives, boosting economies, building the future
It was an exciting and inspirational day for Tharfa Deen, and perhaps even a turning point in her life.The 18-year-old high school student had long dreamt of a career in medicine. But after learning about how new digital technologies – like artificial intelligence and machine learning – are starting to reshape our world, she now has a new ambition: to use data and science to… Read more »
Rotten Romans Inspire Minecraft Triumph!
Jonathan Squirrell from Kingsway School in Auckland, New Zealand, has triumphed in the Next Top Coder competition with his exceptional entry featuring a Roman triumph ceremony created in Minecraft. Read more »
Discovering Singapore’s history through the world of Minecraft
Ever imagined walking up a concrete flight of steps to a majestic museum on top of a tower, and stepping into an immersive showcase to watch Singapore’s history-defining moments come alive right before your eyes? 18-year-old ITE Information Technology graduate, Lee Jun Hui, has created a virtual history museum with Minecraft: Education Edition which allows you to do just that… Read more »
Women and girls in STEM: Having a critical role in shaping Asia Pacific’s future
Asia Pacific countries can reach new heights of innovation, inclusiveness, and prosperity when more girls and women pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Microsoft APAC President Andrea Della Mattea says… Read more »
Here’s why Asia Pacific’s educators need a future-ready toolbox
There is no doubt that a digital future lies ahead. As the education landscape undergoes a digital transformation, computer science education proves to be increasingly invaluable in helping teachers – from all disciplines – to equip their students… Read more »
Seizing the challenge and making that future real
Computer scientist and entrepreneur, Sebastian Thrun, once said that mathematics, computer science and the arts are intimately related as they are all creative expressions. And if you had the opportunity to peer into the world that… Read more »
Natural disasters and artificial intelligence: A better chance to save lives
In March 2011, one of the most powerful earthquakes recorded in Japan shook the country’s northeastern coast. It flattened thousands of homes and buildings, destroyed infrastructure, and triggered a tsunami that wiped out whole communities… Read more »
Saqib Shaikh on technology and inclusion: Creating an AI future with possibilities for all
Saqib Shaikh lost his sight at the age of seven, fell in love with computers as a schoolboy in Britain and grew up to become a top software engineer with an inspirational mission. Standing at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI)… Read more »
Partnering for growth: Empowering South Korea’s digital future
As Microsoft celebrates 30 years of doing business in South Korea, we are seeing rising investment in digital transformation for our customers and partners. South Korea can rightly take pride in being the world’s 11th largest economy… Read more »
Microsoft celebrates computer science education week by reinforcing its commitment to building a future-ready Asia Pacific
As part of its ongoing efforts to close the digital skills gap, Microsoft has kicked off Future Ready, an annual initiative run in partnership with nonprofits and schools to generate interest amongst students to learn computer science and empower teachers with skills to teach computer science… Read more »
With skill and care, thousands of employees give and volunteer across Asia Pacific
“Give someone a fish, and they’ll eat for a day. Teach them how to fish, and they’ll eat every day.” This saying has been around for centuries, and it still rings true in our fast-moving digital world. Helping everyone become more digitally literate is a passion for a growing number of Microsoft employees who are taking up skills-based volunteerism to help train the underserved… Read more »
Making high-quality and inclusive computer science education a reality for everyone
All young people deserve to learn computer science to unlock future economic opportunities. By embracing computational thinking, students acquire fundamental skills for the 21st century such as creativity and problem-solving. Yet computer science remains absent from too many schools. To close this skills gap, we first need teachers who understand the value of computer science… Read more »
When dreams become (augmented) reality: preserving Australia’s Indigenous cultures
Mikaela Jade, an Indigenous entrepreneur, and Tianji Dickens, the lead of Microsoft Philanthropies in Australia, combined resources to use Microsoft HoloLens as a culture-preserving technology. Chapter 1: A girl in love with the land. Mikaela Jade, former park ranger, will be the first to tell you that she’s not your typical CEO. Growing up in Australia… Read more »
Paving the future with technology: Employee volunteers build a “societal ecosystem” in Japan
Giving back to the next generation through the love of computer programming: Yuka Matsubara feels energized by the creativity of children. Having worked at Microsoft Japan since 2015, Matsubara is one of the many employees at the company actively engaged in volunteer work. She gives coding lessons at elementary schools – along with other places… Read more »
E3 YouthSpark Hackathon Launch: Introduction to entrepreneurship for rural youth
In April 2017, Tag International Development launched a pilot project – E3: Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship – aimed at unlocking the employability prospects for underserved rural youth in Southern Shan State. The project proposed a combined Train of Training implementation model focused on selection and training of rural Youth Ambassador Tech Leaders… Read more »
Digital transformation for nonprofits: The business of doing good with data
The fast pace of technology is changing how we live, work, and play. But can it also change how we give, donate, and help others? Justin Spelhaug thinks so … it’s his mission. After years of working with commercial customers in the United States and Asia, he now leads Technology for Social Impact (TSI): a group within Microsoft that is resetting how nonprofit organizations… Read more »
Nonprofits on the cloud: Fast-tracking better care in Hong Kong
Chung is passionate about running. But that hasn’t always been the case. He used to be addicted to online gaming, developed antisocial behaviors and started dropping out of school. To get him back on the right track he was referred to RunOurCity, a local nonprofit that organizes running and fitness program for at risk youth, to rebuild self-esteem and confidence… Read more »
A fresh start: Bringing Indian youth closer to 21st century jobs
Six to eight million young people join the workforce every year in India. Let’s hear the stories of three young people who have eagerly taken up digital skills to access new economic opportunities. For Farha, Paige, and Devi, vocational training has helped them widen their work options and life dreams… Read more »
Building Digital Streams of Opportunities for Vietnam
By Pham The Truong, General Manager, Microsoft Vietnam. Tue Huy is a 15-year-old with digital skills and a passion. Earlier this year she showed me a game about road safety that she had developed for her younger brother. Vietnam’s traffic in its cities and countryside is fast and dangerous. Huy created the game with the help of a Scratch Coding module… Read more »
Working for a change: Breaking free from the traditional work culture in Japan
Michiyo Arai is like many young Japanese women today. She believes flexible working patterns can help her move along a viable career path. But she is also anxious about job hunting in a country where practices, like teleworking, are relatively new. Last year, the 28-year-old enrolled in a basic programming course that included a telework internship… Read more »
Digital transformation in emerging Asian economies: Escaping the middle-income trap
Employing cheap, low-skilled workers in relatively simple manufacturing or extractive industries has been a winning formula for many of Asia’s emerging economies. Over the decades it has created new wealth for their governments and peoples. And, it has positioned them within global trading networks and international supply chains… Read more »
Shin’s story: Using technology to break down the barriers of disability in Japan
Yunik Shin was born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), requiring assistance for his daily life. Hoping he’d be able to learn as much as possible on his own, his parents gave him a personal computer when he was just three years old.Shin, now 21, studies Western Philosophy at Tokyo University, one of Japan’s best universities, and lives on his own in an apartment near the campus… Read more »
“Sea Wander” app wins UNESCO & Microsoft Hackathon for Culture and Peace
Cartoon depictions of Malaysia’s Petronas Twin Towers, Singapore’s Merlion and Thailand’s golden temples were among some of Southeast Asia’s landmarks gliding behind the name ‘Sea Wander’ on the screen. The mobile app, with its brightly colored cartoon characters and educational games, was unveiled and crowned as the winner at the UNESCO & Microsoft Hackathon for Culture and Peace on May 21… Read more »
Tech’s not just for boys: Microsoft’s DigiGirlz expands career perceptions
Getting more girls to participate in technology is one of the challenges in an increasingly digital world. DigiGirlz, organized by Microsoft in partnership with Auckland University of Technology on May 19, has addressed the problem by expanding the definition of tech. “The whole premise behind the event is to highlight to the girls that there are so many different careers in technology… Read more »
