Guest Lecture Series: How Technology is Helping Refugees

Nearly 60 million people have been forcibly displaced and driven from their homes – the biggest refugee crisis since World War II. New technology is proving to be an essential tool for displaced people. New apps, digital platforms, and mobile initiatives have emerged as a response to the the global refugee crisis. The current crisis in Syria, which has forced over 4 million people to flee, has led to new, innovative humanitarian initiatives, oftentimes with technology, mobile and digital media at the heart of these operations.

This month, REFUNITE’s Director of Global Communications and Strategy, Ida Jeng, delivered guest lectures at the IT University of Copenhagen as well as Copenhagen Business School in Denmark. Some questions considered were: What does the future hold for humanitarian innovation? How are different organizations, such as REFUNITE, leveraging technology to help the displaced?

As part of the guest lectures, Ms. Jeng highlighted mobile and innovative projects from Africa and the Middle East. Ms. Jeng, who has worked on digital projects for the private sector and the United Nations prior to joining REFUNITE, also highlighted new mobile projects aimed at helping Syrian refugees in Europe.

At Copenhagen Business School, Ms. Jeng delivered a guest lecture at the Digital Humanities Workshop, which brings together students from different academic disciplines. At the IT University of Copenhagen, Ms. Jeng addressed MA-students enrolled in the programme IT and Globalization.

During the Q&A session, students raised questions on the ethics of innovation, human centered design, data privacy, the role of Governments as well as cultural challenges.