Microsoft Sri Lanka has hosted the “Connecting Communities” forum for not-for-profit, social service organizations and charities across the country. Microsoft’s Connecting Communities is a one-day event designed to share the latest information about Microsoft technology and the way in which it can help organizations achieve their mission. This gave an opportunity for local social service organizations to learn and share ideas on how to make use of ICT tools and technologies as a platform to deliver better value to the community groups they operate in. and how ICT can help them be more productive as a whole, the company said.
The forum was attended by social service organization leaders and other stakeholders, both local and international, who were privy to topics relating to latest technological tools and software solutions such as cloud computing, networking, resource planning, and document storage solutions, that help these not for profit organizations collaborate and communication more efficiently and effectively across boundaries. The objective of this knowledge sharing session was to showcase the unlimited possibilities available to these organizations to make a greater impact among their community groups with increased accessibility to ICT tools and technologies available. Participants were able to share ideas whilst gaining insights in to their peer’s experiences about the technology they use within their respective organizations and the outcomes they have seen as a result.
The keynote speech was delivered by Lakshman Hulugalle, Director General, National NGO Secretariat, who in his address reiterated the growing importance of the role played by these not-for- profit organizations in creating real value for the nation and making a lasting impact on the communities they operate in, enabling all Sri Lankans to become positive contributors towards economic growth.
Other speakers at the forum comprised expert technical resource personnel from both Microsoft and nonprofit partner organizations who demonstrated the capabilities of some of the latest Microsoft technological solutions. Ms. Clair Deevy, Manager of Microsoft's Community Affairs and Citizenship programs in Asia, and Ms. Janakie Karunaratne, Manager Community Affairs, Microsoft Sri Lanka outlined the key objectives of the forum and the benefits it offered to participants by offering a platform to learn from each other.
Prominent speakers from leading local and regional social service organizations such as Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, General Secretary of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement of Sri Lanka, Ms. Shai Coggins, Manager of Communications and Web Content at Connecting Up Australia, Ms. Hilda T. Cleofe Executive Director of Corporate Network for Disaster Response (CNDR), Mr. Koh Juay Meng President of the Supply-Chain Council, South East Asia Chapter and Board member (voting) of Supply-Chain Council Global, shared their views and experiences on how technology can be employed successfully to create greater good for the society we live in and more specifically to uplift the living standards of underserved communities and create unlimited possibilities for youth and children in those communities. |
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