It has also equipped non-profit organisations with the right tools to empower them to achieve more for their beneficiaries, it added.

This is a part of Microsoft’s $1-billion donation for use of Microsoft cloud services by non-profit organisations and university researchers around the world over the next three years.

The $1-billion donation aims to provide support to more than 75,000 non-profit agencies worldwide and was launched under the umbrella of Microsoft Philanthropies, a new organisation within Microsoft dedicated to social contributions through technology.

Thailand will be one of the countries to benefit under this $1-billion initiative.

Microsoft chief executive officer Satya Nadella said yesterday at the “Technology for Good” event in Bangkok that throughout its 22-year presence in Thailand, Microsoft has continuously worked hard to be a long-term partner with the country.

The company has collaborated with non-profit entities and businesses from around the world to help identify how cloud technology can break down barriers to digital inclusion.

“At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more. Delivering on this mission starts with great technology, but great technology alone is not enough. Too many of its benefits have yet to reach the people who need them most. To fulfil our company’s mission, we ourselves need to do more – empowerment begins with inclusion,” said Nadella.

One Thai non-profit entity working with Microsoft to improve society is the Population and Community Development Association (PDA), founded in 1974 by development activist Mechai Viravaidya.

PDA also operates the Mechai Pattana School in Buri Ram province. Known affectionately as the Bamboo School since its foundation in 2009, the school serves as a lifelong learning centre for the entire community and a hub for economic and social advancement beyond the normal academic curriculum.

Mechai said that for more than 10 years, PDA and Microsoft have been engaged in a formal partnership to support Thai education and promote lifelong learning in rural areas.

“Our collaboration with Microsoft has given us access to cloud-based technologies such as Office 365, Skype, and Sway that help us get more done for our organisation and deepen our training and education for our students,” said Meechai.

“At the Bamboo School, we do not train youth to merely search the Internet, but we also want to teach them how to use technology to enhance community empowerment in agriculture, health and, of course, education.

“Through Microsoft technology, we empower our students to be leaders of their communities and drive social change,” he added.

For example, Microsoft employee volunteers provide training for farmers to develop online advertising materials for their dried banana products, including creating their own email and social media accounts to market their products to a broader customer base. Sales increased by 10 per cent as a result of these marketing efforts.

“While there is no question about the impact of technology on people’s lives, there is a lot that remains to be done to bridge challenges in bridging technological gaps and skills development for teachers, especially for the network of 1,000 schools in remote areas that PDA is trying to reach out to,” said Meechai. “I believe that the commitment shown by Satya Nadella and Microsoft today represents another step towards closing this gap in Thailand.”

Microsoft CEO Nadella yesterday also reaffirmed support to empower the developer community in Thailand with Microsoft tools and services in order to enable developers to maximise reach, create innovations that drive the country’s digital economic progress and transform lives.

“Microsoft remains committed to supporting and empowering the developer community in Thailand,” said Nadella.

At the Developer Day, an event that is part of Nadella’s first official visit to the Kingdom since becoming CEO, attendees saw how cloud and integrated technologies can help businesses evolve and grow for the future.

Nadella reinforced that given today’s increasingly mobile-first, cloud-first world, developers will play a key role in enabling organisations to embrace digital transformation.

During his time in Bangkok, Nadella also had the opportunity to engage with a number of top start-ups in Thailand and share with them his vision for the future of technology and its role in driving social and economic progress.

This developer event builds on the momentum from Build 2016 held in San Francisco in March, where Microsoft outlined new developments that would open up even more opportunities for developers.