Get one and give one to help bridge vaccination gap between richer and poorer countries - Joanna Allen

What if, after you got your Covid vaccine, you could then have helped to promote global vaccination by donating another vaccine to someone in need? That’s what Got1Give1 is all about. However, it could not have been possible without the help of the Scottish Tech Army.

Joanna Allen, Head of Projects & Programmes, Scottish Tech Army

How the Got1Give1 project works is that when a person in the UK is given a Covid vaccine, they can then donate a jab to one of the nine out of ten people living in a low-income country who otherwise would never have had access to one. This helps to bridge the vaccination gap between richer and poorer countries struggling with less well-developed healthcare due to poverty.

Before the Scottish Tech Army helped them, the volunteers at Got1Give1 were looking for an organisation that would provide the technology required for them to deliver their services for free. The STA was the first point of call for Got1Give1, and founder Emma-Jane Cross could not have been more pleased with the support they received: “It was such a great concept. I think we fitted the criteria perfectly. We had some early conversations, and everything just fitted in beautifully. The professionalism from all involved through marketing, communications, through to the actual tech build side has been first class.”

Thanks to the Scottish Tech Army staff and volunteers, Got1Give1 now has a professional standard, functional and aesthetically eye-catching website, which is easy to manage and simple to navigate.

One of the eye-catching features of the site is that the on-screen cursor is not the standard arrow but is in the shape of a viral spike protein which, when a visitor to the site moves it around, is chased by a syringe-shaped icon which covers the cursor when the user stops moving it around or when they select a site page.

Emma-Jane was enthusiastic about the design of the site: “It is a beautiful site. It has bells and whistles that are all stitched together beautifully but overall, it shows simplicity on many levels. It’s hard to build a simple yet functional site and I think that was one of the biggest contributions- helping us build something simple and beautiful.”

Emma-Jane also praised volunteer Michael Scott, who was working at Scottish Power at the time and is now employed at Dundee-based Waracle, for his contribution: “To put it as bluntly as possible, we would not have been able to function properly without Michael, who was professional, invested and his help was extraordinary. He came onto the project with such gusto and commitment. At all stages, he delivered on time and as he said he would - more than he said he would in fact.”

Michael, a keen STA volunteer, encourages anyone, regardless of technical ability level to consider volunteering with STA: “I would highly recommend that anyone sign up to STA, whether your skillset is in business or software, or even something completely different. It has been a great experience for me, and it has helped me develop and refine my skills. It has been really rewarding getting the chance to work with charities like Got1Give1, who do amazing things.”

Joanna Allen, Head of Projects & Programmes, Scottish Tech Army