Dream big. That’s what we do at Spring ACT. Read our very first Annual Impact Report and find out how we’ve been hard at work this past year to help stop the global pandemic of domestic violence. Please share it with your network to help spread the word!
Here's a sneak peek of our first year's milestones!
APRIL: We officially registered as a non-profit organisation in Bern, Switzerland. We welcomed our first volunteers Leonarda, Romina, and Irina, who were instrumental in the ideation and bringing this technology to life.
JUNE: the first prototype of Sophia became available online and could be chatted to. The team has since been holding regular Hackathons with its team of volunteers to improve and make Sophia ready for survivors of domestic violence.
SEPTEMBER: We were invited to sit on EPFL’s Tech4Impact NGO Council, serving as the 22nd member alongside esteemed organisations such as the United Nations, ICRC, Terre des Hommes, MSF, Human Rights Watch, and WWF.
OCTOBER: Silicon Valley software giant Zendesk agreed to partner with us and provide the needed software to run Sophia for free for perpetuity. Their individual team members advocated for Sophia even within the company itself and continue to provide important support.
NOVEMBER: We officially launched publicly on social media with an extensive campaign in line with the UN 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Designed together with our wonderful gen-Z interns, we raised awareness of domestic violence each day for 16 days straight.
FEBRUARY: together with EPFL’s Social Computing Group and Ethiopian organisation Yellow Movement, we made it to the final pitching round for an expansive EPFL grant to implement Sophia in the Global South and further the research on this technology.
MARCH: SRF approached us for a radio interview to introduce our project Sophia to the Swiss public. The corresponding article then made national front page news on SRF. The public’s response was very positive and helped expand our social media footprint.
Also in March, we partnered with Les Ateliers: a wonderful Bern-based, women- led design and tailoring business. They initiated the “Sewing Against Domestic Violence” action, in which they created innovative uterus-shaped pillows and donated the proceedings to our organisation.
APRIL: Dr. Alexandra Dufresne reached out to establish a partnership between ZHAW INLPP and Spring ACT: Her team will be assisting ACT with legal service as well as advisory services for nonprofit management, advocacy and communication.
