Scaling social change from grassroots to global
AtmaGo is technology that amplifies the stories that matter
“I have been using AtmaGo since the pandemic started, because it contains a lot of information related not only to COVID-19, but also job openings that might be useful to share with my neighbors. What I found interesting was the ability of AtmaGo to create an anti-hoax system so the information available is valid. Users can also publish their initiatives, as well as reporting broken infrastructure around them. With its simplicity, AtmaGo was easy to use, and above all, it’s really a platform specially designated for neighbors helping neighbors.”
Yos Rizal Ismail, AtmaGo user in Brebes District, Central Java
From Indonesia to Puerto Rico: Women creating food security
Ibu Nur Khosi’ah has been focusing her work on creating women’s resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her movement involves encouraging local women to plant crops that can feed themselves and their families. By converting a piece of landfill into farming land, these women are growing peanuts to restore soil nutrition and other crops such as bananas as a food source. The planting activities (called andur in the local dialect) also serve as recreational activities that are connecting communities during the pandemic. Ibu Nur Khosi’ah believes that this connection will boost the human body’s immune system, as “a happy heart will lead to a healthy body.”
“This group of women started with the Garrochales Produce initiative which was born out of this pandemic. We as a community have seen how certain issues do not get the attention they deserve. We want to bring attention to our community garden initiatives so that other community members can feel inspired and replicate it in their communities.”
Marta Santos, a community leader for an initiative addressing food insecurity in communities on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico.
Atma Creates Community Impact at Scale
Our achievements over the past year reflect real people in Indonesia and Puerto Rico who are supporting their neighbors and enacting change in their communities despite the challenges they face.
- In 2020, we reached 759,306 people in Indonesia on AtmaGo, and 148,301 people in Puerto Rico with neighbors helping neighbors AtmaGo content.
- Following the COVID-19 global pandemic, in a matter of a few weeks, Atma rapidly launched a community-centered, all in one resource on COVID-19. Covid19.atmago.com, which we amplified through other social media. COVID-19 information reached over 1.3M hard to reach people in Indonesia and Puerto Rico.
- The virus has disproportionately affected low-income people and women. To combat this, Atma Connect shifted strategies to reach these vulnerable groups, and we increased the number of women users from 45% (2019) to 54% (2020).
- During a post event survey administered by Atma Connect, 100% of respondents said that they trust the information on AtmaGo and 85% of respondents said that they will change their behavior towards COVID-19 as a result of information on AtmaGo.
- 78 free telecounseling services were provided through AtmaGo for people facing mental health challenges due to the pandemic. Clients reported an average 4.5 reduction in the subjective unit of disturbance score from pre to post-counseling sessions (10 point scale).
- Radio streaming on Salam Radio featured interviews with small businesses on the topic of surviving as a business during the pandemic received 12,856 total listening hours.
- In response to COVID-19, Atma pledged with 30 other local organizations in Puerto Rico to support
- Atma trained 166 Puerto Rican residents, 130 of them women, on citizen journalism and information as a tool for community empowerment.
- In Puerto Rico, we facilitated 11 citizen journalism and community empowerment workshops in 2020: 2 in-person workshops (pre-pandemic), and 9 virtual training workshops.
This is just a small glimpse of the incredible impact Atma Connect had last year!! We know there are more stories to be told, and solutions to be spread, and we will continue to support and amplify the leaders writing them.