Since January, when the COVID-19 pandemic became prevalent, many people have contributed to relief efforts in one way or another. From billionaires donating sizeable chunks of their money, to regular people donating their time to helping the immunocompromised with daily tasks such as grocery shopping; people have come together for the greater good of society. Rishab Bhatt, an entrepreneur and software engineer, is one of the people who have supported the COVID-19 relief efforts with a substantial donation.
Bhatt, a software engineering student at Western University in Canada, is the founder of an encrypted text and file-sharing website known Simple.Savr.
Bhatt, a software engineering student at Western University in Canada, is the founder of an encrypted text and file-sharing website known as Simple.Savr. He developed an interest in computers and tech at a young age, learning how to type fast by the time he was eight. Soon after, he started watching programming videos on YouTube, and when he was in high school, he was already a prolific programmer.
He built the Simple.Savr website when he wanted to share a link and files with his brother, but could not find any sharing method that did not involve installing a third-party application. He later made it public so that other people could benefit from it for free.
In addition to programming, Bhatt has one mission in life: to help those in need. He has been donating 40% of Simple. Savr’s ad revenue to UNICEF to help provide clean drinking water to millions of people in the world who cannot afford it.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic started, I decided to get involved by donating most of my ad revenue to relief efforts,” says Bhatt. “With communities and economies all over the world affected by the pandemic, donating to charities and organizations was the least I could do.”
Part of his donation will support health workers on the frontline fighting the pandemic, including buying them the necessary PPE kits required in the line of duty. The remainder will help vulnerable families and the elderly who have no means of providing for themselves due to the pandemic.
“It did not sit right with me for some people to go to bed hungry because they were either laid off their jobs or had to close their businesses due to the pandemic. While I cannot reach everyone in the world, I hope to make a difference to those who receive my donation.”
The pandemic has negatively affected people’s lives, and Rishab Bhatt’s efforts to make a difference in their lives through donations are to be lauded.