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Mobile-enabled early warning in Cambodia: Field visit with GSMA Innovation Fund grantees 

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In January 2024, we visited Cambodia where we were hosted by two organisations from the GSMA Innovation Fund for Anticipatory Humanitarian Action, People in Need and ActionAid. Both organisations have been instrumental in developing the EWS 1294 system for Cambodia, launched ...

Connectivity in Crisis: The humanitarian implications of connectivity for crisis-affected communities

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Connectivity has changed the nature of humanitarian crises and humanitarian response. More and more, affected people and humanitarian responders rely on connectivity for information, coordination and services. And, while this increasingly connected world has many benefits, ...

The GSMA Innovation Fund for Humanitarian Challenges is open for applications

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We are pleased to announce the launch of the GSMA Innovation Fund for Humanitarian Challenges. As global humanitarian needs continue to rise, the Fund will leverage our proven innovation fund model to provide grants as well as additional non-financial and technical support ...

Announcing the GSMA Innovation Fund for Anticipatory Humanitarian Action Cohort

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Following the successful GSMA Innovation Fund Bootcamp that took place prior to MWC Kigali in October, we are pleased to announce our new cohort of organisations in the GSMA Innovation Fund for Anticipatory Humanitarian Action.  On 24th November 2022, the GSMA and UK ...

Sesame Workshop Impact Story: Supporting children in response to humanitarian emergencies in MENA 

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Over the past three years multiple disasters have impacted populations in the Middle East and North Africa – including the Beirut port explosion, Türkiye-Syria earthquakes and the ongoing violence in Sudan. Sesame Workshop’s Ahlan Simsim initiative, which received a ...

World Food Programme renews partnership with the GSMA to bolster humanitarian assistance

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This blog was originally posted by the World Food Programme on 10 May 2023 on Relief Web. The renewal will help empower more women with mobile money and strengthen emergency preparedness as climate shocks and other crises increase. The World Food Programme (WFP) is ...

Saving lives through mobile-based early warning systems

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Recently the UK tested its new public alerts system that will be used to warn people if there is a danger to life nearby and share information on how to stay safe.  Early warning systems have long been used around the world to save lives by sending alerts regarding ...

An early look into application trends for the GSMA Innovation Fund for Anticipatory Humanitarian Action

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340 million people are projected to need humanitarian assistance in 2023 — a figure that has grown exponentially in the past decade. Humanitarian needs can be triggered by a range of factors, including natural hazards such as floods and cyclones and man-made disasters such ...

South Sudan – The challenges and opportunities of mobile for displacement-affected communities

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South Sudan became the world’s newest country on 9 July 2011 after decades of conflict. Sadly, since then the population has continued to suffer from inter-communal tensions and conflict as well as economic insecurity and flooding. Bor, the capital of Jonglei State, ...

Digital worlds of displacement-affected communities: Lessons from returning findings to participants

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Participants contribute a considerable amount of time, effort, personal experiences and stories to research. However, they are rarely updated on the results. Not only do research teams miss a vital opportunity to reflect on the value and accuracy of their findings, but it is ...

Papua New Guinea – Challenges and opportunities in the digital worlds of displacement-affected communities

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Reaching Iowara refugee settlement in Western Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a challenge. The nearest city, Kiunga, is accessible through a combination of boat and car although rainy season can easily take out the road, leaving access by foot as the only option. In many ...

Digital inclusion and exclusion amongst refugees in northern Lebanon

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For longer than a decade, Lebanon has hosted more refugees (mostly from Syria) proportional to its population than any other country in the world. The economic reality for these people is difficult, with nine in 10 families living in extreme poverty, compounded by broader ...

Top tips for GSMA Innovation Fund applicants

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Submitting your pitch proposal for the GSMA Innovation Fund for Anticipatory Humanitarian Action – Tips and thoughts from previous grantees  Applying for the GSMA Innovation Fund for Anticipatory Humanitarian Action requires submitting an application form, where several ...

Mobile innovation in anticipatory humanitarian action

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As disasters globally increase in frequency and severity, it is more important than ever for the humanitarian community, and partners across other industries, to strengthen systems of anticipation, preparedness, and resilience. Anticipatory Action refers to acting ahead of a ...

Increasing awareness and preventing sexual and gender-based violence through mobile-enabled gamification

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Violence against women and girls is one of the world’s most prevalent human rights violations. Worldwide an estimated one in three women will experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime. Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) undermines its survivors’ ...

The GSMA Innovation Fund for Anticipatory Humanitarian Action opens today

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I am pleased to announce the launch of The GSMA Innovation Fund for Anticipatory Humanitarian Action. The fund will provide grants and additional support to organisations that leverage digital technology, especially mobile, to deliver solutions which anticipate potential ...

Leveraging mobile technology to meet humanitarian needs through strategic partnerships

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Partnerships between the mobile industry and the humanitarian sector have been increasing remarkably since the onset of Covid-19, with more humanitarian organisations adopting digital solutions to deliver assistance. The GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation (M4H) ...

Three lessons from Ahlan Simsim, Sesame Workshop’s GSMA-funded innovation project

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The GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Fund aims to promote innovation in the use of mobile technology to address humanitarian challenges. The second round of the Fund focused on; testing new technical solutions; catalysing ideas to improve or transform ...

World Refugee Day – The power (and limits) of mobile technology

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Worldwide 89.3 million people are forcibly displaced 27.1 million of these people have crossed a border and are refugees. As a result of conflict, violence, human rights violations, and increasingly severe climate shocks, a growing number of people are forced to flee homes ...

Three lessons from FlowKit, Flowminder’s GSMA-funded innovation project

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The GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Fund aims to promote innovation in the use of mobile technology to address humanitarian challenges. The first round of the Fund focused on providing support to help to test or scale innovative ideas which support responses to ...