By Alex Zhu, President, TikTok

In this time of global distress and concern about the impact of COVID-19, we've been inspired by people in towns and cities everywhere whose fundamental humanity is shining through when we need it most – people serenading across quarantined buildings; neighbors delivering food and medicine to those who cannot leave their homes; global outpourings of empathy and support for grieving families. This humanity transcends borders and backgrounds, and we're moved by how people are sharing their strength when we need it most. 

Most importantly, it's been gratifying to see the global community rally behind the true heroes of this crisis: the health care professionals around the world who are battling on behalf of us all. There are no words to express the debt we all owe those who are putting their personal safety at risk, who are voluntarily separating themselves from their own families, who are working around the clock and under incredibly challenging circumstances to save lives. 

We believe it's essential to do everything we can to help the global health community in this fight, and today TikTok is donating $10 million to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Solidarity Response Fund. This fund helps the WHO carry out vitally important work, including sending essential supplies to front line health care workers, ensuring communities have access to the latest science-based information, and accelerating efforts to discover life-saving treatments or vaccines. Alongside many great companies and individuals, we're passionate about doing our small part to contribute to this important cause and the critical work the fund enables.

This is another step in our drive to support the global health field and the pandemic's impact on local communities. We continue to donate critical supplies to countries and communities in need, including helping procure masks for health care workers and enabling the distribution of food support for students, teachers, and families affected by school closures. We're matching employee donations to a range of local and global initiatives, including WHO, Red Cross, and a number of direct relief programs. As a company we continue to seek out ways to get involved and lend a hand.

“We can only stop this virus with a coordinated, global response, where everyone – from every sector – is doing their part. TikTok’s extraordinarily generous contribution to the World Health Organization’s global effort is a perfect example of that. Now is the time for all individuals and companies to come together and fight this virus – because the case for cooperation simply couldn’t be clearer.”

– Elizabeth Cousens, President & CEO of the UN Foundation

Cognizant of the power of TikTok's global reach, we're also focused on using our platform to support the World Health Organization's efforts to keep the global community informed and healthy:

  • We've hosted a number of livestreams with WHO experts, with users in over 70 countries tuning in for trusted information and live Q&A 
  • We've partnered with WHO to create an informational page on TikTok that offers tips on staying safe and preventing the spread of the virus, and dispels myths around COVID-19 
  • We have labels on coronavirus-related videos which point users to trusted information, with resources directly in the app as well as in the dedicated COVID-19 section of our Safety Center

As this fight continues, we will continue to identify ways to help health care workers and our local communities. We encourage anyone financially able to join us in donating to the Solidarity Response Fund in this crucial time.

In the meantime, one thing every single person can do to help our health care heroes is to reduce our own risk of infection. Please, listen to and abide by the guidance being offered by your local government. If you’ve been advised to shelter in place, or to avoid crowds, do so. Maintain hygiene as rigorously as you possibly can. And take care of one another so that our health care workers can focus on taking care of those who need help the most.