- Thanks Ryan.
As important as each of those pieces is,
one of the things we recognize
is that reaching 25 million people
is not something that any company can do by itself.
That's why we're also including another big piece
of today's initiative.
It involves expanded partnerships with non-profits
around the world, non-profits that will do critical work
to work personally with individuals,
oftentimes individuals that may need the help the most.
They'll provide mentoring and counseling
and other teaching and assistance.
We're putting $20 million of cash grants
to reach non-profits in countries all around the world.
- Our work with nonprofits
isn't just about numbers and countries.
Fundamentally, it's about people.
And I think the best way to understand this
is to join the conversation we're having with two people.
First, I want to invite Trevor Noah
to join the conversation.
Trevor, we've been so fortunate to work with you
these past couple of years on a lot of nonprofit work.
And one of the great things has been your own nonprofit.
The Trevor Noah Foundation,
I was with you two years ago in Johannesburg,
when you launched that at the New Nation School.
Share just for a moment, some of the work that you're doing
to provide skills to the next generation of people.
Well, I will say Brad,
it's, it's been an amazing journey for me because,
we met organically in a conversation around technology
and what it meant in my life.
We met talking about my life, my book and Microsoft
in the journey that I had lived.
On the campus with you. And a few years later,
we were in South Africa,
not just giving kids the tools that they need physically
to connect to a digital world.
But we also gave them the tools that they need
to actually understand the digital world.
And I think that's always been my biggest passion
is connecting people with the information that they need
and the skills that they need to actually use the tools
that then keep them in the jobs that they then acquire.
And I think that's oftentimes been the issue.
I've always been a fan of metaphors and analogies,
as you know. And I always say to people that-
people would be like teach man to fish and I go,
yes, but you've also got to give him the fishing rod.
And so I think combining those two elements together
has really been important to me.
And that's why I've loved the journey with Microsoft
is you guys helped us bring the fishing rods
and then you taught the people how to fish.
And we've been able to use that to make fishers of men
every single day.
And that's been beautiful to see in kids in South Africa,
seeing young children start off their life
with all the tools that they need
to have the best opportunity to succeed.
- [Brad] Well, What a great segue to the next person.
I want to introduce you to.
Linda Eddleman, meet Linda.
She's the CEO of Trust For the Americas.
We've been working with her group for years
across Latin America, across the Caribbean.
Wanted to give the two of you an opportunity
to talk a little bit about how the nonprofits
are gonna play such an essential role in all of this.
- Well, thank you so much, Brad.
And thanks for the opportunity to participate
in this filming today.
And thanks to Microsoft,
we're celebrating our 15-year anniversary
of working together with you to impact people
in the hemisphere.
- Wow. That's really amazing.
Linda, I've had the opportunity just in knowing Brad
to learn a little bit about your organization,
but I'm always fascinated to understand
the whys and the hows that bring people together.
And I wanted to know from your perspective,
why do you think it's so important for people
to have the digital skills in this world today?
It seems like an easy answer, but some would say why,
why do you think this is one of the most important courses
out there?
- I think it's because jobs are changing
and the jobs are consolidating and jobs are disappearing
because of technological innovation.
And we've seen with Corona virus
and the economic crisis that has ensued,
that the trend is only accelerating.
And many of the jobs that have disappeared,
at least in my country, in the United States,
they've disappeared.
And many of them may not come back.
But I do think that there's a silver lining
in this situation for the worker,
which is that there are lots of jobs still unfilled
in the hemisphere.
Which is the part of the world
that I have experience working in.
And there is a mismatch between jobs that are available,
these jobs that are going unfilled
and the skills that workers have
and what would be found at the Trust For the Americas.
If you can work with people and give them the skills
they need for the jobs that exist.
We get to a very happy place where jobs are filled
and people are working and generating income for themselves
and their families.
- You've worked with Microsoft now for,
I think, 15 years,
- [Linda] Yeah
- Which is a really long relationship,
more than most people's relationships, really.
(Linda laughing)
The question is why do you think that that relationship
has lasted so long? What do you think it is about the trust
and about Microsoft that has put the two together
that has just turned into a perfect synergy?
What is it about that combination that works so well?
- I think that Microsoft is willing to take a chance on us.
In 2004, the trust was still sort of in startup mode.
And our big project that was given to us
by the department of labor was coming to an end.
It was a program to use hardware and software
to provide skills to people who'd been disabled
in the war in El Salvador.
And when that project ended,
we wanted to take this expertise and grow it
and make it available to people throughout the hemisphere.
And Microsoft took a chance on us and gave us funding
to start two information and technology centers
in Guatemala.
And that program has now just expanded more than
we could've ever hoped.
We now have 225 labs and centers
across the hemisphere. - [Trevor] Wow!
- I think we're in 14 countries
and we've impacted lots and lots of people together,
I think close to 2 million people
with our Microsoft support.
But if I had to say the most important thing
about our relationship with Microsoft,
beyond the financial support
which of course we need to do our work,
really is the capacity building they've given us.
We've grown up together with Microsoft.
They've given us skills to learn how to be a business.
And we've been able to pass along those skills
to the local partners with which we work.
And I think we all do a better job because of that training.
- It's a relationship that you always have to work on,
it's a relationship that you always renew.
It's clear why you work together
and it's easy to see why Microsoft is in for this journey.
What I'd love to know is what the future holds,
because you you've just reaffirmed your commitment,
both Microsoft and the trust have said,
Hey, we're working together
and we want to do more in the future.
The question is, what do you hope the future holds?
What are you now trying to do beyond those 2 million
that you've impacted? Or what are you trying to improve?
- Well, what we're trying to do together really is
to focus at least at the trust, all of our efforts
in promoting the future of work and innovation,
because what we see in the hemisphere
is that there are very high unemployment rates.
The situation is getting worse with Corona virus
and unless people are prepared for the jobs of the future
and have the skills to start small businesses,
then the vulnerable populations,
which is the group of people with which we work,
are going to be left out of the equation.
We see in my country here, the social unrest,
that results from a crisis of equity.
People really need to be included.
And that's our mission,
social and economic inclusion for the vulnerable.
- Wow. - And if I could just add,
we've found that technology
has really been a great equalizer.
It levels the playing field and people are able to get jobs
and to improve their lives and start small businesses.
And that really has a profound impact.
We found at the trust that the most important way
that we could help promote social and economic inclusion
was to give people the skills so they could generate income
and by generating income, they could help themselves,
help their families.
And that brings about profound change.
- It definitely has.
And, I look to organizations like yours.
Brad has been kind enough to point me in that direction
to places and spaces where
I've met some of the most amazing people doing fantastic
things. And once again, Brad has knocked out the park by
introducing you to me.
So thank you very much for that,
I'm honestly honored to meet you Linda.
And I can't wait to see what additional work
the organization is gonna be doing.
Well, I hope that you can come and visit one of our centers.
- Definitely, - I'd love to show you around.
- I would love to. - And I'd love to
have lots of stories that I could tell you
about the people who I've met and some of the lives
we've impacted, really. We talk about the statistics
and the statistics are important
because it gives you a context for the impact,
but really it's all about
the impact you can have on one person
and how that person will go on to impact others.
And, that's what it's all about.
- Definitely. Hopefully the airports will be open, if not,
Brad will loan me his HoloLens
(Brad laughing) and I'll use that
to virtually come visit you.
- That would be terrific. - Absolutely.
- We'd love to see you
- And I'll look forward to visiting as well.
So thank you. Thanks to both of you.
Thanks for your time today, Linda. Thanks as always Trevor.
- Thank you very much.
- Okay. Bye bye.
- Bye.
As you can see, the work we're doing with nonprofits