Mar 4 15
Hormuud and REFUNITE Commit to Reconnect Separated Families in Somalia
Hormuud and REFUNITE commit to reconnecting separated families in Somalia Large-scale SMS campaigns, an SMS-based mobile app and a free help line will be made accessible The new mobile initiative will make it possible for anyone within Somalia to search for their missing loved ones through a mobile phone Today, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Hormuud and tech-nonprofit Refugees United (REFUNITE) announced their commitment to reconnect separated families in Somalia with their missing loved ones. The Mobile World Congress is the world’s largest annual gathering of mobile industry executives held in Barcelona, Spain on March 2-5, 2015. Two…
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 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…
Nov 6 14
Healthcare: A Dire Need for Technology-Based Solutions in Refugee Camps
Research and prototyping is deeply embedded in REFUNITE’s work. Kennedy Steven, REFUNITE’s prototyping assistant, reflects on his recent visit to Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. Two weeks ago, I travelled to Kakuma Refugee Camp to conduct research around health and documentation. Before the trip, I had developed a research question: might there be smarter ways for refugees to store their most important documents? I am thinking about documents that matter: from birth certificates to health records and passports. Kakuma is home to 125,000 refugees. They come from different countries, such as South Sudan, Somalia and Democratic Republic of the Congo.…
Hundreds of families are reconnected
through our work every month, often after years of searching for their missing loved ones.
Any donation will help separated families reconnect.
DONATE
