City councils, citizens and civil society organisations are creating measures in neighbourhoods and communities to sustain social cohesion and to keep our spirits up.
Bags as sign of solidarity
People hang cloth bags with the German word for “good neighbours” out of their windows to show they are willing to help.
Offering holiday apartments to medical personnel
To show medical workers their gratitude, a platform offers a way to provide them with a free holiday at a holiday residence.
Virtual story time
Storytelling via videos on social media provides meaningful distraction in quarantine.
Local platform for neighbourhood support
A local platform for neighbourhood support matches people who need help with those who offer it.
Special trolleys in supermarkets to support families in need
In Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily, Carrefour supermarkets collect basic necessities for families in need in designated trolleys placed at the checkout counter.
App organises help regionally
To match people who seek help with those who offer it, an app using the regional dialect connects those who are close to each other.
Animal solidarity initiative
An online platform makes sure that animals are cared for during the coronavirus pandemic.
A platform to collect information and to provide digital tools which support solidarity and mutual assistance
Neighborhood networks help citizens to resist those members of society who use this crisis to discipline, exclude, and make profit.
Providing a safe place for medical and Red Cross teams
A social initiative provides places to stay for medical and Red Cross teams so they don’t have to worry about transportation, commuting, or exposing their families to the virus.
Providing adequate assistance for homeless people
To care for homeless people during the pandemic whilst protecting public health, health professionals and social workers offer assistance in Bratislava.
Providing information for voluntary services
To allow for smooth and un-bureacratic administrative support for voluntary services, the regional government of Rhineland-Palatine has set up an information initiative.
A government’s hackathon to tackle challenges in developing countries
With the #SmartDevelopmentHack, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development aims to support the development of digital solutions to overcome Covid-19-related challenges in developing countries. The best solutions receive funding to increase their impact in the long term.