Caritas Malta was one of the first local NGOs to invest in information systems as a capacity-building tool when 12 years ago the organisation implemented a comprehensive information systems strategic plan. With changing technologies and needs, the software developed then had reached the end of its life and needed replacement.
“This is where Microsoft came in,” said Mgr Carmel Farrugia, assistant director at Caritas Malta.
Microsoft recently hosted its NGO Connection Day at its Microsoft Innovation Centre (MIC) which was attended by around 60 NGOs from across Malta and Gozo. The aim of this event was to explain how Microsoft and its partners can help NGOs to perform more efficiently and at lower costs.
“We want to see Malta’s NGOs fully harness the power of innovation to meet the needs of our country and the various communities,” explained Adrianna Zammit, Microsoft’s country manager for Malta and Cyprus.
“We believe in NGOs and the work they are doing in Malta. This means supporting the non-profit and volunteer community, enabling its members to reach out to those in need. This is why to date we have donated over €1 million worth of software to NGOs in Malta,” added Zammit.
Caritas is one of Malta’s largest and most active NGOs, and as such it is also one of Microsoft’s main beneficiaries.
“Our systems were very outdated, and after analysing the software available on the market it was decided to migrate to Microsoft products, namely Exchange/Sharepoint/CRM. Due to limited financial resources an application was submitted to Microsoft and they provided us with free software licences. In fact, we hope to start the development and migration process in the coming weeks,” said Mgr Farrugia.
With 30 MICs and 20 research and development centres around the world, Microsoft is the second-largest research and development investor worldwide. On a European level Microsoft is very active within the business, health, education and community sectors and has helped 16,000 start-ups and supported over 50,000 SMEs. In the field of innovation, Microsoft has 18,000 employees, 3,000 of whom are researchers and engineers.
The event was also addressed by Social Dialogue and Consumer Affairs Minister Helena Dalli, who commended Microsoft’s initiative to support Malta’s NGOs.
“It is commendable to note how many people dedicate their time and their efforts to help those in need in our society. But it is also thanks to the unwavering support of companies like Microsoft that these NGOs can keep improving their operations,” she said.