In South Sudan, Red Cross uses mobile technology to respond to urgent humanitarian needs

14 Décembre 2017

Khartoum, Sudan, December 14 (Infosplusgabon) -  Hundreds of uprooted families in South Sudan are living without such basic household items as cooking implements, and the situation is expected to worsen in coming months, according to two charity organizations who use innovative technology to reach the vulnerable population.

The two charity organizations, the International committee of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Society, said more than half of families in Aweil East and Kapoeta East of South Sudan, “do not have essential household items such as blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets and cooking implements”.

However, two organizations said a mobile-based needs assessment, conducted by the South Sudan Red Cross, showed that the widespread conflict and consecutively poor rain fall seasons in parts of South Sudan have had a devastating impact on the economy, livelihood activities and agricultural production, undermining people’s ability to feed their families.

A press release received in Khartoum said with the situation expected to intensify in the coming months, the South Sudan Red Cross, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), launched a rapid, mobile-based needs assessment in three communities across South Sudan.

It said this assessment aimed to better understand the vulnerabilities and needs of families impacted by food insecurity in three communities: Aweil East, Yirol East and Kapoeta East. The innovative technology ensured that critical data would inform decisions by the Red Cross in minutes, rather than days or weeks.

“This is the first time the Red Cross has used mobile technology in this way in the country,” Alex Mbira, Emergency Operations Coordinator with South Sudan Red Cross was quoted as saying. “Mobile phones will be a critical tool for us to quickly gather information from the voices of those most vulnerable and respond to their needs.”

The release said a total of 60 Red Cross volunteers were equipped and trained with smart phones and deployed to the three areas, interviewing more than 1,315 families in just under one week.

Using mobile phones in this way has significantly improved the time and quality of data collected from the field. It not only helps volunteers in standardizing their questions during the interviews, but also streamlines the information entered by volunteers to a central server that is analyzed and visualized almost instantly.

“The mobile phones have become a much quicker and more accurate tool for rapid analysis of data and data cleaning,” says Jamie LeSueur , Programmes Manager with IFRC in South Sudan. “This can be a game changer in emergency settings where every minute counts.”

It said the needs assessment has helped identify the most vulnerable communities, including those internally displaced, host families, women, children and the elderly and allowed Red Cross to tailor its interventions according to these needs. However, the mobile phones go beyond assessing vulnerabilities to also capture the voices of the people who receive Red Cross’ help to improve future humanitarian assistance.

“The mobile phones are a crucial link with the community,” says Michael Charles, IFRC Head of Office in South Sudan. “It will help us remain accountable and responsive to the needs of the communities we serve.”

The release pinpointed that this week, the South Sudan Red Cross, with the support of IFRC, is providing the first distribution of emergency shelter and household items for 30,000 people in Aweil East—partly selected through mobile phone technology.

It added that by the end of 2018, the South Sudan Red Cross with the support of IFRC, will help 105,000 people with essential household items, livelihood and agricultural opportunities to enhance family’s food security and resilience to future emergencies. Household items and livelihood activities are complemented with other critical humanitarian interventions, including water and sanitation, health and psychosocial support.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/UIJ/ GABON 2017

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