DevGlobal team, partners, and fellow change makers,
I am nervous, but excited. . . DevGlobal has signed up for and committed to changing the world. Together, we will take this organization and partnership into the next phase within global development and the professional services industry. This will come with some risk. We will make mistakes. We will learn, get better, and continue to build teams and get work done.
Throughout 2021, we continued to respond and adjust to a global pandemic. While the COVID-19 disease moves into its fourth calendar year of existence, I acknowledge that DevGlobal is in a position of both privilege and obligation. We are privileged to be able to work remotely and to adjust our approach to grow our business. With this privilege comes a responsibility and obligation to serve the world and serve the people that have been impacted by the disease and the pandemic. This must be done while also representing and honoring the communities and people that have helped us exist, learn, and develop into who we are.
DevGlobal will continue our mission to give back by donating service hours and discounting its services to serve the world. In 2021, DevGlobal sponsored half-day volunteerism, employee matching to identified community organizations of interest teamwide and provided more than 100,000 USD in support through discounts, donations, and services.
Most importantly, DevGlobal will continue to serve our clients at the intersections of data, technology, innovation and inclusive, sustainable development. Now more than ever, sustainable development stakeholders need to come together and serve the people in the most vulnerable communities. This may be in our own backyard, a neighboring country, or a distant land.
In 2021, and now into 2022 and beyond, we will continue to democratize technology, bridge divides, and disrupt with intention. Our impact is varied but important and continues to:
- Accelerate climate smart tech by smallholder farmers
- Contribute data public goods for energy and climate equity
- Innovate business models for emerging markets
- Raise up women’s voices in development decisions
- Bridge the humanitarian and satellite industry divide
- Respond to the ongoing pandemic
- Guide agribusiness priorities and amplify farmers’ voices
- Equitably distribute vaccines
- Democratize use of Earth Observation for the SDGs
- Build technology partnerships for conservation science
- Build communities of practice and a sustainable future
- And SO MUCH MORE!
To best support these outcomes and impacts, we need to be willing to take risks and do things differently. We must listen to in-country experts and support their agendas and approaches. Building the best teams is sometimes about which roles you don’t take on and where you champion others. We are building a different kind of global partnership with DevAfrique and DevIndia because we know this inclusive approach will lead to a greater impact.
Come along and commit to this journey with DevGlobal. I look forward to sharing more in the months ahead about our company impact goals and how we hope to achieve them.
Yours in service,
Matthew M. Manning
Executive Director, DevGlobal
