PeaceGeeks: Geeks Empowering Change

December 17, 2013
4 min read

Charitable Impact

Charitable Impact StoriesCharitable Impact Stories is a series of tales, sharing how donations from the Chimp community help charities who receive them. To date, Chimp has sent more than $9.1 million to over 2000 Canadian charities. 

 

In our last Charitable Impact story for 2013, PeaceGeeks volunteer, Chantal Moore, shares about the projects they’re working on around the world, and how your support is empowering change.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got involved with PeaceGeeks.

My name is Chantal, and I’ve been working in Marketing Communications for the past few years. For the first time in a while, I found myself with some time to give back. PeaceGeeks has a great mandate so the choice was easy!

If you had to describe PeaceGeeks to a stranger, what would you tell them?

There are countless peacebuilding and human rights NGOs in developing and conflict-ridden regions that are doing fantastic work but lack the basic tools required to spread their message. That’s where PeaceGeeks comes in. We work with organizations to build web platforms that allow them to manage their own content. They can grow followers, create impact, and counter the silence around important issues in their communities.

What story would you like everyone to know about PeaceGeeks?

We may be locally based, but our reach is global. We’re involved with large, inspiring organizations such as Saathi, a Nepali NGO that works with sports leagues like the national soccer team to raise awareness of violence against women.

You promote peace and human rights in developing nations. Tell us about your programs.

Well, you’ve heard about HarassMap. There’s also Cewigo – a Ugandan peace-building group working to give women a voice and encourage them to run in local elections. When their website was hijacked, we helped turn the lights back on, cleaned house, and made it sustainable. It’s got a strong new brand and communications strategy. Since the revamp, Cewigo has seen a clear increase in their community engagement and effectiveness.

How are donations used by PeaceGeeks?

Like all good organizations, we need funds to do our job. Funding is a source-multiplier – if we raise funds to hire one project manager, that person can in turn manage a dozen volunteers. A little goes a long way!

Tell us more about what PeaceGeeks is currently fundraising for.

One of our current projects is ISIS Women’s International Cross-Cultural Exchange, a Ugandan-based organization uniting women against violence. They’re spreading the word about human rights issues such as gender-based violence and child marriage, and are in fast need of a mapping tool so that these incidents can be tracked.

If someone wants to get involved with PeaceGeeks, what can they do?

The sky’s the limit! Well, OK, it’s as simple as contacting us. Try us on Facebook or Twitter. To view a listing of volunteer roles, please check out our current opportunities page, and even if there isn’t an opening you are specifically interested in, you can register to our volunteer pool by filling out the Volunteer Request Form.

Feeling inspired to support PeaceGeeks? Join their Giving Group