Millions in the Horn of Africa, including people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, face acute hunger due to ongoing drought. In recent years, the region has experienced its worst drought in four decades. Years of instability and conflict, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and rising food prices — partially due to the war in Ukraine — have also worsened the situation.
Flexport.org, the impact arm of the digital freight forwarder Flexport, has delivered millions of dollars of aid to affected communities. Funding from Yuri Milner’s non-profit initiative Tech For Refugees has helped Flexport.org expand its efforts in the region.
Flexport.org: A Tech For Refugees Partner Since 2022
Flexport.org became a Tech For Refugees partner in spring 2022, when Yuri Milner first launched the non-profit. Spotify and Airbnb.org were also inaugural partners of the tech-focused initiative, which supports leading tech companies and organisations’ refugee relief efforts.
Initially, Tech For Refugees funded Flexport.org’s efforts to help those displaced by the war in Ukraine. Over six months, Flexport.org delivered 409 aid shipments to six countries that had taken in Ukrainian refugees.
In October 2022, Tech For Refugees announced additional funding to support Flexport.org’s work bringing food and supplies to Ukrainian refugees. The funding would also address emergencies in Pakistan and the Horn of Africa. $2 million went towards Flexport.org’s work in African countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Chad, Eritrea, and Somalia.
$2 Million for the Horn of Africa Programme
Thanks to this $2 million grant, Flexport.org delivered 16 shipments containing $10 million of aid to a million people in the Horn of Africa. Flexport.org also expanded its relief operations to Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo after the organisation’s partners highlighted these countries’ urgent needs.
The drought has caused mass displacement across the Horn of Africa, and floods have exacerbated the situation. The Flexport.org programme delivered food to both refugees and displaced people in the region in an attempt to prevent the latter from becoming refugees.
The aid Flexport.org delivered to these people included Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). Scientifically formulated and tested, RUTF combats severe malnutrition and primarily saves the lives of young children.
Additional Funding From Tech For Refugees
In February 2023, Tech For Refugees committed a further $6 million to Flexport.org’s work in the Horn of Africa and other crisis zones around the world.
Head of Flexport.org Kristen Dohnt described the organisation’s partnership with Tech For Refugees as “crucial.” She added that Flexport.org is optimistic that the $6 million donation will enable the organisation to intensify its efforts, delivering vital aid to many more people.
Flexport.org is one of several Tech For Refugees partners that uses its services, networks, and expertise to help refugees and displaced people. Other Tech For Refugees programmes include the Uber credit programme for the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Through a grant from Tech For Refugees, Uber is donating ride credits to the IRC’s staff and clients.
Discover more of Tech For Refugees’ humanitarian programmes.
About Yuri Milner
Yuri Milner is a technology investor and science philanthropist with a net worth of $5.9 billion. He and his wife signed the Giving Pledge more than 10 years ago to formalise their lifetime commitment to philanthropy. Soon after, the couple established the Breakthrough Foundation to fund their charitable projects, such as Tech For Refugees.
The Breakthrough Foundation also supports:
- The Breakthrough Prize, which recognises outstanding contributions in fundamental physics, life sciences, and mathematics by awarding $3 million cash prizes to laureates.
- The Breakthrough Junior Challenge, which invites teenagers to share their passion for science through creative video submissions. Each winner receives a $250,000 scholarship for post-secondary education and prizes for their teacher and school.
- The Breakthrough Initiatives, which seek to answer profound questions about life in the Universe through innovative research programmes.
In 2021, Yuri Milner wrote Eureka Manifesto: The Mission for Our Civilisation. The short book proposes a shared mission for humanity: to explore and understand our Universe. Eureka Manifesto explores how we can collectively advance and benefit from this mission.
