Microsoft gives $41m to emergency relief tech

Microsoft is donating $41m in software and cash to two organisations working to enable better use of communications technology by disaster relief agencies.

The recipients are NetHope, an organisation comprised of the CIOs and CTOs from global NGOs, and the Interagency Working Group on Emergency Capacity Building Project (ECB), a consortium of aid agencies such as CARE, Mercy Corps and Save the Children.

In the UK, charities that will benefit from the donation include Oxfam, Plan International and Save the Children UK.

NetHope will put the contribution toward an IT infrastructure upgrade which will include the use of Microsoft's Windows and Office software, while ECB will look to improve online collaboration between its members including the creation of an online learning centre.

Greg Brady, project director for ECB, said in a statement: "The numerous disasters in the past year highlighted the need for increased collaboration among NGOs responding to humanitarian crises.

"With Microsoft's support of the ECB Project, we are strengthening ties between NGOs to improve co-ordination through better use of communication and technology."