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Gumzo partners with USAid in campaign to reduce Covid-19 spread

By Hilary Kimuyu December 22nd, 2020 1 min read

Usiku Games, developers of Africa’s first video conferencing platform ‘Gumzo’, have made the entire system free to the general public for the period of the Christmas holidays.

This, Usiku Games said,  is aimed at reducing the spread of Covid-19 across the country during this Christmas season as a result of many Kenyans travelling upcountry.

The developer has joined the USAID campaign dubbed ‘Zawadi ya Maisha’, which encourages families to connect via video conferencing instead of travelling upcountry.

The campaign asks Kenyans to “share moments without sharing the virus” and Gumzo provides capabilities to allow people to connect with their kin in the rural areas via video conferencing.

According to Usiku Games Founder and CEO Jay Shapiro, sharing moments on Gumzo’s virtual platform provides an opportunity to save more lives from contagious Covid-19.

“We know that most families in urban areas are anxious to travel upcountry to share Christmas festivities and see their folks. We believe that making our video conferencing accessible to all for free, we will enable most families to share moments virtually rather than risk unintentionally spreading the virus to grandparents and loved ones. In support of this cause, we shall offer free access through the Christmas holidays into New Year,” said Shapiro

The video conferencing platform by Usiku Games supports fun times for users, allows groups to watch shared movies and play party games together, especially during these pandemic times.

The company previously committed that 50 percent of all fees raised on the platform would be donated to Covid-19 response efforts in Kenya, by NGOs like Pwani Youth Network, Team Pankaj and Mombasa Red Cross.