The RELAY SMS Tool, powered by REFUNITE, is a communication platform that enables community leaders as well as NGOs to send unlimited national and international SMS messages to constituents and beneficiaries to share vital information like food distribution, community meetings, security alert, teachings, etc.

Bondeko Refugee Livelihoods Centre is a Ugandan refugee-led NGO with several programs aimed at enhancing livelihoods for refugees. Their activities include the provision of educational, counseling, and vocational skill training services to empower refugees – especially the youth and women -, and support them to become highly productive people in the social and economic spheres of life. Currently, the Bondeko Refugee Livelihoods Centre has been able to give continuity to most of its programs by using the RELAY SMS Tool and provide uninterrupted assistance.

“Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the majority of humanitarian work around the world was based on in-person activities. This somehow became an obstacle to several organizations that were not prepared to work remotely. At the Bondeko Refugee Livelihoods Centre, we believe that this pandemic is a game-changing de facto as we can no longer hold activities involving groups of people face to face.”, said Paul Bahati Kithima, the executive director of Bondeko Refugee Livelihoods Centre.

 “The ability to use communication as a tool and the capacity of managing information will constitute the core of humanitarian work and leadership in the upcoming decade. However, bridging the digital divide in our community is our main challenge. That’s where the RELAY SMS Tool comes in as a tool that even superman would use in times like these. Since COVID-19, we’ve been able to send SMS’es around the world in a very short period and this keeps our programs running with beneficiaries even remotely just through SMS messages.”, Kithima added.