Analysis - Technology can help deliver aid and services more effectively - but can be harmful if users don't know its risks.
Technology can help deliver aid and services more effectively - but can be harmful if users don't know its risks.
Many humanitarian organisations, including in Africa, are revolutionising their service delivery through new technology. This has become important in the context of rising migrant numbers, food insecurity and the impact of COVID-19. In 2020, the United Nations Organisations worldwide have adopted innovative and efficient digital tools such as biometrics, spatial mapping and social media platforms in humanitarian programming.
Digital humanitarianism, which refers to interventions conducted online, usually without in-person presence, is a product of information and technological advancement. Early evidence of the practice was the use of cell phones to send violence reports and map events during Kenya's 2007-8 post-election violence through the
platform. Volunteers adopted a similar model to capture images and share information during Haiti's 2010 earthquake.After that, organisations such as the World Food Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross incorporated technology into their work with migrants and displaced people. The use of this approach by reliable organisations added to the tools' legitimacy.
Digital humanitarianism continues to change humanitarian practices significantly, and Africa is part of this trend. The tools are used in many countries including Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Uganda. Biometric data - such as fingerprints and face recognition - is widely used in voucher assistance programmes. One example is the WFP's Bamba Chakula initiative in Kenya which provides food and essential services to refugees and migrants.
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