Feb 21 15
Christopher Mikkelsen on Social Entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship is gaining popularity and uses business techniques to solve social problems.
Feb 2 15
Why I Volunteer For REFUNITE
In this blogpost, Zigashane Pascal shares his experience as an Outreach Volunteer for Refugees United (REFUNITE) in Kakuma.
Jan 27 15
REFUNITE Featured at World Economic Forum 2015
Each year, world leaders convene in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. At this year’s event, there was much focus on the refugee crisis. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres stated that UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has never had to address so much human misery in its 64-year history as it does today. The current refugee crisis has left more than 51.2 million displaced – the highest number since World War II. At the ‘Technology for Humanity’ dinner in Davos, which was attended by 100 leaders from civil society, the private sector and government,…
Jan 15 15
A Critical Look at REFUNITE’s User Experience in Kampala
In this blogpost, Purity Kahoru, our new IT Support Coordinator, reflects on a recent visit to Kampala, Uganda. I recently travelled to Kampala to improve the user experience on the family reconnection platform, www.refunite.org. Another goal was to test our SMS notification system. My overall question was: how can we improve the user experience on the REFUNITE platform?
Jan 13 15
Finding Hope: Somali Cousins Reconnect After 17 Years Apart
This story was recalled by a Somali refugee named Zahra*. The details described are accurate to the best of her recollection. Zahra Ahmed, a Somali refugee, was reconnected with her cousin through the REFUNITE platform after 17 years apart. Before the civil war broke out in Somalia in 1991, Zahra and Abdi were your typical lively children. They went to madrasa (Islamic school), played and spent a lot of time together.
Nov 19 14
Lost Cousins Reconnected After 10 Years of Separation
This story was recalled by Congolese refugee Cedric*. The details described are accurate to the best of his recollection. After more than 10 years of separation, Congolese refugee Musoni is now reconnected with his cousin through the REFUNITE (www.refunite.org) platform. Cedric Tugiramahoro and his younger brother were born to Burundian parents and raised in North Kivu district of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). During their early years, his cousin sister Yolanda Nduwayezu would occasionally visit them in DRC. Sadly, Cedric’s parents passed away when they were very young; he doesn’t even remember the year it happened. Despite the 14-year age difference between the cousins, Cedric…
Nov 18 14
New Accountant Joins The REFUNITE Family
We are pleased to welcome Helle Kiel Hauglund to REFUNITE’s office in Copenhagen. Prior to joining REFUNITE, Helle worked for Fredericia Municipality in Denmark and as an accountant for Deloitte in Copenhagen, Denmark. Helle has also worked for a school, at a restaurant and most recently for Berlitz Language Services, where she was in charge of payrolls and accounts for schools in Norway, Finland and Denmark. As an accountant for REFUNITE (www.refunite.org), she will be working on various tasks, and collaborating with international teams. “The more I read about REFUNITE, the more I knew that this was the job I wanted! Working…
Nov 14 14
REFUNITE Welcomes New IT Support Coordinator
We are pleased to welcome Purity Kahoru, the new IT Support Coordinator for REFUNITE’s office in Nairobi Purity joins the REFUNITE family after having worked as a Consultant for eBonyx Kenya Limited. Her previous job entailed software implementation, testing, systems and support. She has also worked as an intern for Ericsson Kenya Limited, Liquid Telecomms and Afrisec Telecomms. As an IT Support Coordinator for REFUNITE (www.refunite.org), Purity will be a liaison between the Tech and Operations teams, supporting agents in the field and those at the call center. Connect with Purity: pk@refunite.org She will also answer technical inquiries, investigate potential…
Nov 13 14
Getting Goma Right: Setting up REFUNITE for success in the DRC
In this blog-post, Nishant Shah, REFUNITE‘s Africa Director, reflects on his recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo. I recently embarked on a trip to Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to evaluate whether a rapid expansion of REFUNITE’s family reconnection work is warranted – and if so, how to proceed. At the back of my mind was a book I read a few years ago; “King Leopold’s Ghost” by Adam Hochschild. The book described King Leopold of Belgium’s 19th century conversion of the DRC from a beautiful, lush, and resource-rich country into a personal fiefdom…
Nov 12 14
REFUNITE’s Newest Member Has a Soft Spot for Software Solutions
We are pleased to welcome Angelina N. Ndung’u, the new Research & Prototyping Associate for REFUNITE’s office in Nairobi. Prior to joining REFUNITE, Angelina worked in various capacities including Solutions Consulting at Vortex Solutions and Project Manager at Dotsavvy, both tech firms in Kenya. Her role at Dotsavvy entailed coordinating project teams and stakeholders to develop user-centric web systems. As a Research and Prototyping Associate at REFUNITE (www.refunite.org), Angelina will be seeking to understand the platform users better and develop ideas to come up with more comprehensive prototypes. Connect with Angelina: ann@refunite.org She has a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering…
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