The Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIPF) is a nonprofit that’s dedicated towards reducing preventable road traffic injuries in the Southeast Asian region and beyond. Though mainly based in Vietnam, the AIP Foundation also has several other offices in countries including Thailand, Cambodia, China, Uganda and even Tanzania.
To achieve the purpose of their advocacy, the AIP Foundation applies a five pillar approach to each of their target countries. This five pillar approach consists of school-based programs, public awareness education, global and legislative advocacy, helmet production and research, monitoring and evaluation – all to help the target communities to better understand and act towards preventing traffic-related injuries.
A member of the organization for over 8 years, AIP Foundation’s IT and Office Coordinator Phan Thu Ha shares that with only limited resources, their organization, before, had to make use of outdated software for their everyday work.
Ha shares “we were operating with outdated software —Windows XP and Office 2007— [and] without the resources to invest in upgrades. Our office was often frustrated by not having the newest computer tools to work on our projects, which often meant valuable time and energy lost.”
After learning about TechSoup Asia’s services through the NGO Connection Day in Hanoi this past May, the AIP Foundation quickly grabbed the opportunity and made software donation requests for its offices. Ha shares “Following the workshop, we created an account on the website to request Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2013 for fifty computers [for] our offices … I submitted the order on a Thursday and by Monday the CD-ROMs had already arrived. Not only did TechSoup provide what we requested, they also gave us Windows 8 and Office 2010, each for 100 computers. The staff is very excited about these upgrades and is eager to get them all installed.”
In light of their recent upgrade, Ha emphasizes how important it is for the AIP Foundation to have gained access to up-to-date software. “AIP Foundation is a small NGO with limited resources to develop our offices’ technological capacity. Nonetheless, we recognize the importance of technology, not only in terms of strengthening internal staff communication and efficiency but also in terms of reaching our target audience and partners externally.”
In looking back on the entire experience, Ha shares “TechSoup provided us quick and easy access to the latest Microsoft software and programs. The application was convenient and straight-forward. Although the process was mostly automated, the team members we did communicate with were very friendly and willing to help. We would highly recommend TechSoup for all NGOs.”