Mobile for Development Blog

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M4H Innovation Fund COVID-19 adaptation: The impact and reach of grantees’ responses

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global, social and political systems continues to have adverse consequences for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Isolated communities lack access to essential services and lifesaving commodities, while more vulnerable ...

Three lessons from CHANTER, Mercy Corps’ GSMA-funded innovation project

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 ...

Digital Dilemmas Debate: Connectivity as Aid

I was delighted to take part in the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) DigitHarium series last month. DigitHarium is a global forum to discuss and debate digital transformation within the humanitarian sector, with a focus on humanitarian protection, policy, ...

Learnings from M4H Innovation Fund grantees’ responses to the Nyiragongo Volcanic Eruption

On Saturday, 22 May 2021, the Nyiragongo volcano began to erupt 16 kilometres from the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The volcano released ash and lava, which spread into the city, eventually stopping just 300 metres from Goma airport. At least 31 ...

Building and strengthening holistic digital ecosystems through strategic partnerships

COVID-19 has emphasised the importance of digital humanitarian assistance. As social distancing requires increased remote delivery of services and information, mobile network operators (MNOs) are leveraging their core services to serve the public, and partnering with ...

Developing guidelines for humanitarian cash assistance in Somalia

Many humanitarian actors apply the consortium approach as a tool for coordination, learning, alignment and accountability. The Somalia Cash Working group (SCWG) leads the inter-sectoral cash coordination mechanism with an aim of improving the coordination of cash assistance, ...

COVID-19’s impact on mental health in humanitarian contexts

Since July 2019, Naya Jeevan has been a part of our GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian (M4H) Innovation Fund portfolio. Round two of the Fund focused on supporting organisations to enable solutions to empower, assist or protect individuals and communities affected by complex ...

Three lessons from the Lumkani, Fire Detection and Insurance GSMA grant project

Building resilience through mobile-enabled solutions: Lessons for innovators

Mobile networks and the connectivity they provide can be a lifeline for those affected by sudden-onset disasters and protracted humanitarian crises. Be it access to critical information, the ability to communicate with family and friends, or through the provision of ...

COVID-19 and digital humanitarian action: Virtual vs in-person training

This blog post is the final in a series exploring COVID-19 and its impact on digital humanitarian action. More findings related to current trends, risks and the path forward can be found in our report. Since August 2019, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been a ...

COVID-19 and digital humanitarian action: Mobile money enabled cash assistance and the role of the agent network

This blog is part of a series exploring COVID-19 and its impact on digital humanitarian action. More findings related to current trends, risks and the path forward can be found in our report. In a world where minimising human contact where possible is at the forefront ...

Providing meaningful feedback to research participants with visual and hearing impairments

In February and March 2020, the GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation (M4H) team worked with partners, including UNHCR, Safaricom and Butterfly Works, in Nairobi to better understand how both Kenyans and refugees with visual and hearing impairments use their mobile phones. ...

The shift to mobile technology for amplified government and humanitarian cash and voucher assistance amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya

This blog is part of a series exploring COVID-19 and its impact on digital humanitarian action. More findings related to current trends, risks and the path forward can be found in our report. On 5th January 2020, the World Health Organization identified the first case of the ...

COVID-19 and digital humanitarian action: Trust and the uptake of information

In a pandemic, almost nothing is as important as timely, trustworthy and actionable information. In responding to COVID-19, many humanitarian organisations realised the importance of these factors quickly and have used mobile channels to deliver vital information to the ...

COVID-19 and the future of digital humanitarian action: Advice from the experts

Last week we were lucky to have three exceptional panellists bring to life some of the key lessons from our respective COVID-19 reports from ODI Humanitarian Policy Group and the GSMA focusing on the impact of the pandemic on the future of digital humanitarianism.

Five mobile technology trends in the humanitarian sector

In the 2020 M4H Annual Report, we take stock of prevailing trends related to the role of mobile technology in the humanitarian sector and how they are shaping humanitarian action. Trend 1: The pandemic has accelerated the need for inclusive digital humanitarian assistance ...

COVID-19 and digital humanitarian action: Three early lessons

This blog is part of a series exploring COVID-19 and its impact on digital humanitarian action. More findings related to current trends, risks and the path forward can be found in our report launched today. In humanitarian contexts, COVID-19 has had a particularly severe ...

Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation: Our impact in 2020

We publish the GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation (M4H) programme’s annual report today, as we near the one year mark of COVID-19 gripping the globe. The pandemic has impacted lives heavily, and has increased those needing humanitarian assistance and protection by ...

Behind the Mobile Stories / Historias Móviles project

In March 2020, the GSMA and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) asked Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Barranquilla, Colombia, to tell us about the importance of mobile connectivity in their lives. They shared their own stories using the medium of their choice, with control ...

User Journeys in Burundi: A conversation with Ground Truth Solutions

In 2019, the GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation (M4H) team worked with Ground Truth Solutions in Burundi to understand users’ experience of receiving cash assistance through mobile money. The work used human-centred design (HCD) methodologies to empathise with users and ...

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