From Tom Williams OBE, founder of STAND
In July I went to ISPO’s conference in Sweden, and my mind is still buzzing. It was a mix of innovation, technical jargon, business cards, and big ideas. I was representing STAND, an NGO focused on providing mobility to eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
But amidst all this, one question kept coming back to me: how can business and charities work together to help all amputees across the world and not just in high income countries?
For too long, we’ve operated in silos, assuming governments will patch the gaps. But those gaps are growing in lower income countries, and it feels like no one’s coming to fix them.
Business and non-profits are already intertwined
We’re beginning to see businesses are more linked with social and environmental impact and solutions, whether they like to admit it or not. However, this isn’t about blame. It’s about collaboration.
Take the mental health crisis linked to social media. Tech platforms thrive on attention, often at the cost of their users’ wellbeing. Meanwhile, mental health organisations, often underfunded and overstretched, are left to clean up the mess. What would it look like if tech companies co-created healthier platforms with mental health experts from the ground up?
The cost of a prosthetic limb varies wildly depending on where you live. STAND’s model facilitates limb donations from high income countries to low income countries, but this is a temporary fix. The long-term solutions are systems designed by governments, companies, and NGOs together – where sustainability, equity and access are the starting point.
Looking Ahead: how could we start bridging the gaps – together?
Let’s stop waiting for someone else to fix everything. And let’s stop expecting the not-for-profit world to carry the moral weight alone. The future depends on genuine partnerships, ones where every sector brings its strengths, owns its responsibilities, and shares the load.
So, what would it take for all of us to step out of our silos?