…The Uganda, Kenya accounts

By Prince Osuagwu

It is bad enough that many countries of Africa are today ravaged by hunger and starvation occasioned by incessant communal, ethnic and inter tribal wars. But the worst case is always the problem of reconnecting displaced relatives who in search of safety, scamper and eventually become refugees in different camps at different places.

The trauma left by this problem, outlasts the wars and leaves scars that take years to disappear. This problem has also provided very serious migraine to international relief teams and donors like the Red Cross, United Nations relief agencies among others who have been improvising on several methods to conquer the challenge.

But recently, the solution seemed to have been discovered in technology as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and mobile operator MTN in Uganda, teemed up with renowned telecommunications equipment vendors, Ericsson and Refugees United to put smile back to hundreds of thousands of refugees who have fled from conflict and disaster areas.

The partners  launched the first pilot project to locate and reconnect refugee and internally displaced persons to their families through the innovative use of mobile communications and internet, with a promise to expand it across other countries of the world.

The program enables refugees to use mobile phones to register themselves, search for loved ones, and subsequently reconnect via an anonymous database, using SMS or mobile internet.

The information in the database is maintained by Refugees United, but the information registered can be used to search by refugees, NGOs and international organizations caring for displaced people. Without the program, locating displaced family members can often take years on traditional paper based systems.

Refugees United also provides the service via computers and internet, but with more than 5 billion mobile subscriptions today the service via mobile phones is highly relevant. In Africa less than 2 percent of people have access to computers, compared to more than 45 percent that have a mobile phone.

The majority of the refugees and Internally Displaced Peoples are in the camps as a result of civil wars over the last 40 years and, more recently, a series of natural disasters in the east Africa.

It is not uncommon for a refugee or IDP to spend more than a decade in the settlements but the partners have now discovered that through the use of modern technology, particularly mobile communications, this interval can be dramatically reduced.

Already the partners are celebrating the feat, describing it as the right step towards progressive global partnership.
According to UNHCR Representative in Uganda,  Kai Nielsen, “UNHCR welcomes this new method of reuniting refugees with their friends and family. The pilot project is an important step toward a global partnership in which even the least fortunate people in the world can stay connected through innovative and accessible technology”.

Also, Christopher  Mikkelsen, Director, Refugees United, added that “ losing touch with loved ones during a crisis, even for just one day, can be detrimental to a person’s emotional and psychological wellbeing.

Through the pilot of this mobile refugee family locating program, we aim to empower refugees themselves to become active in the search for missing family. We hope in the future that this service proves sustainable and can be available to all mobile subscribers everywhere.”

Meanwhile General Manager Corporate and Legal Affairs, MTN Uganda, Anthony Katamba, noted that his company placed serious focus on the use of mobile phone technology for the betterment of society as a whole. “Our network is used to stay in touch with  loved ones, to transact business, to learn and develop people using data and the internet, and for many other uses that improve livelihoods”

But for Country Manager, Ericsson Uganda,  Adem Sumertas,  “natural and man made disasters will always be part of our lives and cause unimaginable suffering to human beings, such as separation of families from their loved ones, in Ericsson we strongly believe that access to communications is a basic human right and has the power to alleviate part of that suffering. This pilot project will significantly impact the lives of thousands, by directly helping people to reconnect with loved ones.”

Refugees United will create, maintain and update the database while Ericsson will provide the mobile application, technology and systems integration to enable the application in mobile networks. MTN will host and offer the service on their networks, and UNHCR will help to implement the project in refugee settlements in Uganda and Kenya.