Global non-profit organisation Internews has this week launched a rapid response fund to help small, local news organisations worldwide survive in the face of Covid-19.

Announced yesterday, the fund will launch with $100,000 to be made available immediately and is targeting $1 million in donations to provide immediate support for journalists globally.

The new rapid response fund will give Internews’ local media partners – such as community radio stations and online news outlets in more than 80 countries — access to emergency funding so they can continue to operate in increasingly dire economic conditions.

Internews will immediately provide $100,000 to this fund and is calling on donors globally to contribute to significantly increasing this amount. This will help to ensure information is provided where it is most needed: in some of the world’s hardest to reach communities, where healthcare and sanitation services are already under huge strain.

The fund will be the cornerstone of the campaign: Information Saves Lives, which aims to raise funds to help additional local and community media organisations, especially in countries where such organisations struggle to exist.

Internews will additionally invest to provide advisory services to journalists, offering free advice and expertise on covering the virus in languages including English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian.

Anyone wishing to donate to the fund can do so here.