Why tough times can mean better neighbors

People in Bend, Oregon have turned to social media in order to help at-risk community members during the coronavirus pandemic. Utilizing Facebook Groups to connect with one another, the moderators aim to conduct "acts of kindness that are most easily crowdsourced" such as picking up groceries or walking a neighbor's dog.

In India, citizen-led small-scale digital efforts are helping to connect Covid-19 patients with the resources, supplies, and medical equipment they need to survive. The citizen groups are largely using online platforms to crowdsource what they need, with some matching buyers and sellers and others "debunking inaccurate leads."

During the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, volunteers across Belarus worked together to collect and deliver personal protective equipment to frontline workers, despite the Belarusian government denying the spread of the coronavirus. Using social media to organize, the volunteers "served as a kind of SWAT team able to bypass the bureaucracy to obtain the necessary equipment."

Once regarded as the region in Sao Paulo with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths, Brasilandia residents mobilized their community to create a volunteer solidarity network that encouraged people to stay at home. The effort started with just a handful of participants but grew to over 200 volunteers with each new addition joining an action plan team that utilized a different form of campaigning, such as music or art. Since the implementation of the network Brasilandia "went from 1st to 2nd highest number of COVID-19 related deaths in the city."

Communities in Nigeria have been using WhatsApp to manage isolation and help provide support to their fellow residents during the coronavirus pandemic. In many instances organizations and individuals are helping to raise and provide funds to those who are experiencing financial hardship.

ER doctors and other hospital staff who need to isolate themselves from their families can use a camper or mobile home to create a safe distance. The Facebook match-making group, RVs for MDs To Fight the Coronavirus, has connected hundreds of camper and RV owners to healthcare workers in need of extra living space. The network has grown to include thousands of members willing to offer the use of their campers free of charge.

As social distancing and isolation become increasingly important in stopping the spread of the coronavirus, volunteers and neighborhood groups are helping seniors and Immunocompromised people access necessessities. In New York, volunteering to help neighbors in times of crisis is not new – many local community groups emerged after Hurricane Sandy – but recent health restrictions have created cause for new protocols such as contactless support.

As social distancing becomes increasingly important as cities and states work to control the coronavirus outbreak, people in New York are finding creative ways to communicate in order to help one another. In New York City, community members are utilizing a website where volunteers are matched with their vulnerable neighbors' requests for errands, while in Brooklyn, community organizers are using a spreadsheet to connect and find support.

As a grass-roots response to assist vulnerable populations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, communities around the world are using social media to distribute supplies, services, and advice. One such group on Facebook, the Bristol Community Care - Covid-19 Mutual Aid, has gone viral with thousands of members seeking to help or receive help.

Native individuals and members of groups like Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women have taken it into their own hands to find members of their communities who have gone missing. Recognizing that decades-old legislation often under-prioritizes tribal lands, indigenous populations have turned to grassroots efforts and social media to form their own search parties – and are seeing results.