Paper details

Paper authors	Jesus Melendez Vicente
In panel on	Connected Refugees: Opportunities and Challenges of Communication Technologies for Refugees
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

Access to accurate and reliable information is of paramount importance for vulnerable populations. Increasingly, many crisis-affected people use smartphones to connect with online sources of information to help inform their most important decisions. Yet, too often, the information they need is difficult to obtain due to access issues and unregulated, untrustworthy and inaccurate sources, placing them at higher risk of violence or exploitation. Mercy Corps and the International Rescue Committee partnered in 2015 to launch ​Refugee.Info to address the pressing need for reliable information amongst migrants, refugees and asylum seekers arriving in Greece and the Balkans. Refugee.Info is now one of three instances that is part of the ​Signpost program. Signpost has now expanded to ​7 countries and served over ​890,000 ​individuals​, providing free connectivity and information on digital platforms such as a Facebook page, website, mobile app and blog in ​over 7 languages​. ​Signpost has given Mercy Corps and our partners plenty of lessons learned, resulting in partnerships with academic research institutions like Yale Law School Lowenstein Clinic and The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. ​Signpost aims to connect crisis-affected populations with these services where they are, on the tools they use, in an approachable and understandable way.

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