TikTok Announces To Donate $10 Million To WHO To Fight The Coronavirus

• TikTok donates $10 million to WHO’s Solidarity Response Fund.
• United Nations Foundation president and CEO Elizabeth Cousens’ response to the efforts showed by TikTok.

ByteDance-owned video sharing platform TikTok recently announced to donate $10 million to the WHO’s Solidarity Response Fund. The coronavirus has infected people globally and to help victims, the United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation have started the Solidarity funds to support the World Health Organization. The fund will help the WHO, to send essential supplies to health workers on the frontline, to ensure the health officials have access to the latest science-based information to prevent infection, to develop the lifesaving vaccine, and discover a treatment for the coronavirus. It is estimated that at least $675 million are required for critical response efforts in countries where the most help is needed through April 2020. More donations will be required if the outbreak evolves. In a blog post, TikTok president Alex Zhu appreciated the people who are helping others by sending food and medicine to those in need. He said that we are moved by how people are joining hands to fight against the COVID-19. We all owe to health officials who are putting their safety at risk for us and are working under challenging circumstances to save lives.

TikTok is also sending its employee donations to WHO and other organizations including the Red Cross. The company has also joined other tech companies in donating to the cause. Facebook has helped several initiatives related to the coronavirus by donating more than $100 million. Google has also donated several million dollars. FIFA contributed $10 million funds to WHO’s response fund. A group of companies has also donated a sum of $22 million to the organizations fighting against the coronavirus. TikTok is also promoting official information provided by the World Health Organization. The company has hosted live streams with health officials and has also created an informational page on the app. This will help spread awareness among the users and dispel coronavirus misinformation. It was reported that the company donated $3 million last week to After-School All-Stars, an organization founded by Arnold Schwarzenneger, a famous Hollywood actor and former California Gov. The organization is aimed to help children who are missing out on mid-day meals after the schools have been closed due to the coronavirus.

According to Elizabeth Cousens, president, and CEO at United Nations Foundation, we can only control the situation with a harmonious, global response. We can only stop the virus from spreading if everyone from every sector joins hands in doing their part. Cousens also stated that TikTok’s contribution to the World Health Organization’s Solidarity fund is a perfect example of that. All individuals and companies must come together to fight the virus in these crises.

Zhu concluded his blog post by advising the people to listen to leading health officials and abide by the guidance provided by your local government to avoid getting infected. He also stated that we should maintain hygiene and help each other so that health care workers can take care of people most in need.


Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Read next: Facebook taking pro-active measures: Making amends while lending a helping hand in times of crisis