Android app reconnects refugees
The Android application enables refugees to access Refugees United's mobile site - http://m.refunite.org register themselves (in English, Kiswahili, Somali or Arabic), search for and subsequently reconnect with loved ones.
Once registered, the information is stored in an anonymous database that is maintained by Refugees United.
It can then be accessed by individuals as well as NGOs and international organisations caring for displaced people to rapidly search for matches. Without the program, locating displaced family members can take years when relying on traditional paper-based systems.
The Daily Nation reveals Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore says: “This is a great and innovative partnership for us. It not only expands the utility one can derive from being connected to the Safaricom network, but also provides a live example of the inclusiveness we seek in all our operations.”
Christopher Mikkelsen, MD of Refugees United, says: “In our mission to help refugees searching for loved ones, the mobile phone is the link to the people we're working to help.
“Coupled with the right information, a simple handheld device becomes a powerful connector in even the remotest of places. This partnership will enable us to reach, and reconnect, countless separated families across Africa.”
Reuters says with more than 42 million refugees in the world, many affected by political conflict and natural disasters, the added desperation of being separated from their family and friends without feasible means of tracing them can only compound their suffering.
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