Meet the organisations using what3words for good
NGOs and charities around the world are using what3words to communicate precise locations. Whether they’re building wells, setting up refugee camps or reforesting the countryside, having accurate location information is helping them operate more efficiently, and do more with the resources they have.
Read some of their stories:
Right to Dream
The purpose-driven football organisation scouts for and nurtures young talent in over 184 communities across West Africa, Egypt and Europe.
‘It can be a challenge to find specific locations in the regions we recruit in. what3words helps us to coordinate locations internally with our scouts and coaches, as well as with community coaches and trial organisers to ensure young trialists know where to go.’
– Andy Gowland, Group Head of Partnerships
BuffaloGrid
BuffaloGrid’s solar-powered hubs bring offline streaming and content to disconnected communities. The hubs’ what3words addresses are stored in a database, making them easy for agents to locate and maintain.
‘We deploy our StreamSpot units in places where streets have no names and houses don’t have numbers. Using what3words is the best way for our operations team to get to a StreamSpot.’
– Daniel Becerra, Chief Executive Officer
CDC
The Community Development Centre is a refugee-led organisation based in Uganda that used what3words to address the Rhino Refugee camp in South Sudan.
‘We introduced what3words so people can direct health workers in emergencies, share locations with family and health workers, and find clinics, help desks and places of worship.’
– Barnabas Samuel, Development Programs Manager
Infinitum Humanitarian Systems
The disaster response team has used what3words to share location information during relief efforts after hurricanes, to install water purification systems in the Yucatan rainforest and to put disenfranchised communities on the map in the Marshall Islands.
‘After Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, cell service was very thin, so sending a what3words address by SMS was the best we had and it worked beautifully.’
– Eric Rasmussen, CEO
Herby Hedgehog Rescue
This organisation uses what3words to locate and help injured hedgehogs .
‘When people call to report an injured hedgehog, it’s usually in the middle of nowhere, in places with no addresses. We ask them for a what3words address to know exactly where the hedgehog is, and to direct our team to that exact spot.’
– Stephanie Knowles, Hedgehog Emergency Rescue
Ecologi
The environmental organisation maps the trees it plants using what3words.
‘Combining the what3words location with a photo of the trees and the name of the species brings projects to life for our contributors, so they can see the positive climate impact they’re making.’
– Linda Adams, Head of Partnerships
Barrie Fire
Fire safety outreach workers are pioneering the use of what3words signage in homeless encampments , where more often than not, there are no addresses.
‘We recently ran a safety campaign for homeless encampments where we stressed what3words locations should be posted on signs, and citizens of those communities should be familiar with their what3words location. We have successfully been able to locate callers on waterways and forest trails.’
– Justin Gilbert, ENP, Assistant Deputy Chief, Communications and Technology
The Felix Project
The organisation rescues surplus food from the food industry and redistributes it to local communities in London. Its drivers use what3words to know exactly where to collect the food and distribute it.
‘Our vision is a London where no food is wasted and no one goes hungry. We have realised that to achieve this we need to embrace the technology around us. What3words is a fantastic example how technology can improve efficiency – we have no need to write paragraphs worth of instructions, drivers can trust the navigation and less time is wasted trying to locate the delivery or collection point.’
– Mantas Keblis, Head of Distribution
Fountain of Life
The UK-based charity manually drills low-cost wells, providing safe water to people in Senegal. It uses what3words to accurately record drilling spots and share the location of finished wells.
