The organizers
of the 24-hour ‘In This Together’ hotline, which supports and coordinates
assistance for people over 60 and citizens with limited mobility who belong to
the high-risk category and are self-isolating, have announced their initial
results after operating the hotline for two months. As of 19 May 2020, the
number of calls made to the hotline has exceeded 2.6 million, with over 710,000
requests for assistance submitted.
To date,
over 200 Roscongress Foundation specialists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and Sochi where the organization holds international events each year, have
been involved in the project. The Foundation, which has many years’ experience
working with volunteers, invited them to join the team and received over 150
responses. There are now over 50 volunteers operating the hotline. The Roscongress
Foundation has also managed to boost hotline operator numbers with the help of
volunteers working at some of the companies that have built up partner
relations with the Foundation over the years.
In just two
months, the hotline has grown to become a fully-fledged information centre
connected to networks of doctors and psychologists. A
spiritual support line was launched with support from the Russian Orthodox
Church, Chief Rabbinate of Russia, and the International Islamic Business Association.
Regional call centres
working to scripts developed jointly with the All-Russia People's Front have
also joined the project. After a month, the hotline operation was carefully
studied. This analysis revealed the need for employees who would make outgoing
calls based on missed or dropped ones.
“The
Roscongress Foundation was one of the first organizations to support the ‘In
This Together’ project. We recognize that supporting socially significant
initiatives is particularly important during any crisis. It took just two days
from the hotline’s conception to its full technical implementation. We are
already seeing its effects now, as well as the impact of this ‘single window’
which covers all issues affecting citizens during the pandemic. We have
succeeded in creating a platform that allows us to develop specific
applications and facilitate targeted assistance, while building a fully-fledged
information centre connecting hotlines all over the country,” said Chairman of
the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Roscongress Foundation Alexander
Stuglev.
The extension of the regime of self-isolation for people aged over 65 was
announced at the Meeting of the Presidium of
the Government Coordination Council to control the incidence of the novel
coronavirus infection in the Russian Federation, which took place on 18 May
2020. This population
group is considered to be in the high-risk category. The hotline continues to
coordinate assistance for citizens who find themselves in these difficult
circumstances and is accepting requests for help in delivering medicines and
paying for utilities, while operators are providing psychological support and
advice on other issues.
After each
conversation, the hotline operators file reports evaluating the main problems
citizens are currently facing and record the types of issues being raised.
Particular attention is paid to feedback from the key authorities responsible
for the issues in question.
The
Roscongress Foundation continues to develop as a socially oriented development
institution. In addition to the hotline project, it is working to introduce new
online formats and community initiatives, while a number of projects to support
doctors and healthcare workers have been launched, as well as online music
marathons. The special ‘Conferences of Victory’
project was launched to commemorate the Second World War.
The
Foundation continues to work alongside its international partners in 69
countries, while providing assistance to business representatives in promoting
business projects on the international market and supporting development
domestically. As of 19 May 2020, the Foundation has 122 partners
internationally and agreements with 54 Russian regions.
The project is
supported by the All-Russia People’s Front, the Association of Volunteer
Centres, Medical Volunteers (the all-Russian social movement of volunteers in
the healthcare sector), Volunteers of the Constitution, and Rostelecom.
The hotline number is +7 (800) 200 3411.
