In recent weeks, Global Voices has presented his readers more examples of how citizen media are used to amplify the voices of refugees and displaced persons . However, while blogs and social networking sites clearly have a role to play in the empowerment of marginalized groups, so do ICT in general.
MobileActive, for example, is encouraged by the potential of mobile phones [in] allowing the refugees not only keep in touch with loved ones but also make it easier to locate. Attention to this issue is particularly covered by a special issue of FMR [in] which provides deep insights into the use of ICT in this context.
Refugees in Uganda are using SMS and mobile to reconnect with family members and close friends. Photo via MobileActive
Refugees often suffer a double trauma: The situation that led them to flee in the first place, and the fact that many families are separated during migration. For refugee health, welfare and the possibility of relocating, it is vital to know the whereabouts of their relatives, their safety and their ability to stay in touch. Today, mobile phones are the most important technology for the refugees to find their relatives and stay in touch.
Forced Migration Review No. 38, edition of the topic of technology, covering the technologies for refugees in particular. Two chapters shed light on the use of mobile phones among the refugees and some of the problems brought by the use of this technology to find and contact with family members, such as safety and accessibility issues.
The Deputy Commissioner of the United Nations for Refugees, T Alexander Aleinikoff, provides an introduction to the special issue [in]:
At least superficially, the refugee camps of today do not seem significantly different from those that existed 30 or 40 years ago. The upgrade seems to have passed. But a closer look, and it becomes clear that things are changing
Currently, refugees and internally displaced persons in the poorest countries often have access to a mobile phone and are able to watch satellite TV. Internet cafes have sprung up in some settlements, refugees hardware business acquired by or donated by humanitarian organizations like UNHCR. And the same aid agencies are increasingly using advanced technology: geographic information systems, Skype, biometric databases and Google Earth, to give a few examples.
In an article, an example of a tracking project established by the Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK), in cooperation with the U.S. Refugee (UK) is highlighted [in]:
In 1991, Ahmed Hassan Osman * fled the conflict in Somalia, leaving his family in Kismayu, and headed to Kenya to seek asylum. Ahmed spent time in the Ifo refugee camp before being resettled in Colorado in the U.S. where he was granted full U.S. citizenship
In 1992, his cousin Sheikh Abdullahi came to Kenya in search of support. Recognized as a refugee, Abdulahi ended in Dagahaley camp in Dadaab. He believed that Ahmed was in Dadaab or had been there, but their efforts to find him were unsuccessful and soon gave up hope of finding it. In fact, I thought Abdullahi Ahmed had returned to Somalia.
In early 2011 RCK Abdulahi employment to attend the draft UK in Dagahaley refugee camp. Abdullahi was recorded with the tracking project and began searching for their loved ones. Having found a name that was familiar, Abdullahi made contact with this person through the UK mail system. When he received a reply that, after 20 years of separation and search, he found his beloved cousin. They exchanged phone numbers and called Ahmed, breaking 20 years of silence. Today, the two kept in touch regularly and both Abdullahi and Ahmed, continue to search for more friends and family.
Of course, as MobileActive also highlights some problems with local infrastructure remain an obstacle to widespread adoption of these systems [in]:
In parts of Africa there is no coverage of telecommunications. The workshop participants commented that, where available, telephone connections are cut regularly, and some of them had also experienced the intrusion in communications, such as crossed lines. The strength of network signal is weak abroad, and the lack of a reliable and stable electricity in the country of destination can be a major problem, although this varies by region. The population growth in some areas weakens the force of the network, due to leakage of energy. People also may have difficulty accessing electricity and thus charge their mobile phones.
[...]
Find the best technology for different family members can be difficult, particularly if they themselves are displaced due to factors such as variety of services available, if the member of the family can afford and if you have the skills and knowledge to use these technologies. One participant noted that most members of his family abroad needed access to communication technology by others. One participant described the difficulties he had to contact her husband in a camp. She sent money to her husband to buy this phone, but other people in the camp also used it, leaving her waiting for hours to get in touch.
Inexpensive options such as email, Voice over Internet or may not be instantly accessible or affordable, and Internet access in Africa is very expensive. In addition, family members moved abroad may not know how to use these facilities.
Since provide refugees with access to health information and educational opportunities to use Facebook, Skype and Gmail chat to maintain contacts with family and friends across geographical divides, the subject provides a comprehensive overview of how ICTs are being used.
Ushahidi also gets a mention in connection with the 2010 earthquake in Haiti [in] and in general with respect to conflicts, disasters and refugees [in]. In fact, PBS Idea Lab, looks at the collaboration between Al Jazeera and Ushahidi to connect and empower the Somali separated by conflict and hunger [en]:
Somalia talks is a collaboration between Souktel, an organization based in Palestine that provides messaging services SMS, Ushahidi, Al Jazeera, CrowdFlower, and the Institute of the African Diaspora. "We wanted to know the perspective of Somali citizens to tell us how the crisis has affected his life and the Somali diaspora," said Hyder Soud Al Jazeera in an interview.
[...]
The goal is to add speech Somalia unheard voices from within the region and the diaspora Somalia asking respond via text message: How has the conflict in Somalia in your life? The answers are translated into English and are plotted on a map. Since its launch, about 3,000 SMS messages have been received.
[...]
For Al Jazeera, speaking Somalia is also an opportunity to test innovative approaches to mobile media and citizen journalism.
In October 2010, MobileActive also showed a mobile project implemented by the United Refugees in Uganda [en], supported by Ericsson, UNHCR and the Omidyar Network, noting that a blog called it "the social network is more important than Facebook ".
The issue of Forced Migration Review technology can be read online here [in].
Posted by Onnik Krikorian · Translated by Viviana Pineda · View original post [en] · Comments (0)
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