The Patterson Foundation Contributes 100,000 Dollars to NetHope's Hurricane Eta and Iota Response Efforts

Countries across Central and South America were hit by two violent hurricanes in a matter of days last month. Hurricane Eta arrived first, weakening critical telecommunication infrastructure. Shortly after, Category 5 Hurricane Iota arrived, heavily damaging weakened communications systems with powerful winds and torrential rain. As a result, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia, and other countries were without the ability to communicate with loved ones and emergency officials.

To help communities affected by the two major hurricanes regain their communication abilities and encourage additional funding, The Patterson Foundation has gifted $100,000 to NetHope. Following COVID-19 protocols, NetHope will meet with government officials and member organizations in several impacted countries to assess their communication and connectivity needs.

“NetHope has a record of successfully leveraging their partnerships and resources to quickly restore vital communications infrastructure following a wide variety of large-scale challenges and disasters in vulnerable communities across the globe,” said Debra Jacobs, president and CEO of The Patterson Foundation. “We have seen how NetHope is able to respond while strengthening communities with proper telecommunications capacities for future disasters. The Patterson Foundation is proud to contribute to NetHope’s effort in Central and South America following Hurricanes Eta and Iota.”

A consortium of about 60 international nonprofits, NetHope partners with global technology leaders, including Facebook and Microsoft, to fund and implement innovative solutions to humanitarian challenges in the developing world. NetHope’s services make a lasting difference in communities by restoring damaged telecommunications systems and installing technology that can be used to help people connect following future natural disasters.

“Connectivity has become a vital resource during times of crisis and upheaval, and our nonprofit member organizations rely on us to get them online so they can efficiently deliver aid and services to those who need it most. In addition, NetHope provides connectivity projects so that the people that are affected by disasters such as these hurricanes can find their loved ones, source food and water, and of course access health care in chaotic circumstances,” said Lance Pierce, CEO of NetHope. “When funders like The Patterson Foundation respond quickly to join forces with us, we can move faster, and we can empower our member organizations to reach more people with life-saving aid. The needs in the affected areas are great, and NetHope has the experience and is poised and ready to deploy even more help. We urgently invite other funders to match The Patterson Foundation’s gift so we can help more people during this time.”

Over the past decade, The Patterson Foundation has contributed more than $2.2 million to strengthen NetHope’s operations worldwide. The funds have helped restore communities’ communication abilities following the Syrian refugee crisis, the Ebola epidemic, Hurricane Dorian, and other disasters.

Visit www.nethope.org to learn more about NetHope. For more information on The Patterson Foundation, visit www.thepattersonfoundation.org.