In 2020, we continued to witness the important role micro-grants played to catalyze early stage development of non-profit and hybrid programs around the world. As we all ponder strategies to re-invigorate small business, we should not forget how indispensable emerging social changemakers are and support their immediate needs with micro-grants.

The coronavirus pandemic has affected every sector of society from small businesses, large corporations, and non-profit organizations. Times of hardship often lead to innovation and adaptation. In the midst of this crisis, entrepreneurs, who are used to sudden change, stress, and uncertainty, have had to find creative solutions to continue doing their necessary work and overcome the limitations created by the global pandemic.

Ashraf Mizo is an electrical and electronic engineer from Sudan. Around his third year in university, he started working on human-machine interface with a particular focus in prosthetics. Shortly after, he met Ali, a 40 year old man from West Sudan, a father, and unfortunately, a recent amputee. Ali had lost his hand in a horrific accident in the pipe factory he worked in…

In 1996, Omaima’s father pronounced the Hippocratic Oath. At an early age of 7, the power of helping people was engraved in her subconscious. Six years later, as she was traveling from the city of Fes in Morocco at 1 am in the morning, her father pulled over the car with a medical aid box to perform emergency field relief for a roadside accident. Her father was the only doctor on site, and with the use of a simple first aid box and moral courage, he worked tirelessly to save as many lives as possible.