2021-December-06
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When Every Second Counts
BY ANNIE HARDY · SENIOR VISIONEER, DIGITAL EXPERIENCE · UNITED STATES
WITH HELEN GALL
3 minute read • 5 minute listen
As the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan quickly approached in August 2021, like so many people, I was moved by the pleas for help from Afghan allies and their families.
When a dear friend called me with an idea for assisting the rescue efforts, I was all in. And so were more than 300 of my Cisco colleagues.
Our goal: Saving lives
With the full support of my Digital Experience leaders, I cleared my schedule for a week and used my Time2Give. I found myself immediately leading a grassroots operation with one goal: Saving lives.
Faced with the magnitude of the problem, I quickly realized we needed a massive team. I reached out to groups within Cisco, including Women of Cisco and the Veterans ERO, and colleagues within DX and the broader Customer & Partner Experience Engineering organization.
So many people stepped up without hesitation, applying their creative, UX, research, and data science skills.
Speed was critical. With very little information, we began urgently responding to emails from hundreds of Afghans who needed help. We launched full force into a multi-touch digital campaign. We formed work groups to coordinate email outreach and developed processes to onboard new volunteers.
One group developed a framework to standardize email communications. Another responded to emails from scared Afghans, tagging their information to build a highly accurate database of people who needed help.
This database became a foundational document for the operation’s “custodians” — people who helped direct individual Afghans to exit points using GPS, maps, and on-ground intelligence.
Another group created infographics to provide those preparing to flee with life-saving instructions, such as what items to bring when leaving on foot and how to safely store data in the Cloud, destroy paper documents, and cleanse devices of any English content.
We worked around the clock for seven days with employees from other companies outside Cisco.
We grew our email list of 300 to a database of more than 10,000 Afghans, all of whom received potentially life-saving communications from a Cisco employee. This is the same list that was later used by the U.S. government to bring even more U.S. allies to safe passage after the evacuation deadline had passed.
I’m aware of at least one family of a former Cisco colleague who we directly helped escape. Other than that, we will never know the full impact of our efforts — the people we helped save or those that we could not.
But we all take collective solace in the fact that we answered the call to be of service — doing it together, with full hearts, and in community.
Lessons I’ll take with me
Since the operation concluded, I’ve been asked to participate in a workshop for the U.S. Air Force on harnessing the power of civilians for scale in moments of crisis.
In parallel, Cisco’s Disaster Incident Response Team (D.I.R.T.)/Tactical Operations (TacOps) has evolved into Cisco’s Crisis Response community to reflect a broader vision for our capabilities, connections, and global community.
You can also donate to organizations providing important services to Afghans and their families with Bright Funds matching, such as Women for Afghan Women and Team Rubicon. Cisco has set up an Afghan U.S. Resettlement Fund to support migrants.
As one of the biggest software companies in the world, we have a massive opportunity to leverage our power in new and different ways. And my Cisco colleagues and I are ready for the next mission, whatever it is.
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