The GSMA Innovation Fund for Anticipatory Humanitarian Action was launched in November 2022 with the objective to support solutions that leverage digital technology to help anticipate potential humanitarian impacts and enable effective early response. In October 2023 at the GSMA Innovation Fund Bootcamp, Kigali, we were fortunate enough to meet the cohort of eight grantees and learn more about their anticipatory action efforts, what they hope to achieve during the grant period, and how mobile technology can help them scale.
ActionAid Cambodia
ActionAid Cambodia will focus on early action, preparedness and resilience building by adapting the 1294 Early warning system in Cambodia, expanding its coverage to reach more provinces affected by climate change and drought risk.
Buraq Integrated Solutions
Buraq will upgrade existing weather monitoring systems and deploy new automated weather monitoring systems in the flood prone areas of Gilgit Baltistan in Pakistan enabling accurate early warning communication. The solution will enable local communities in the vulnerable region to take timely action in anticipation of any humanitarian hazards.
Naxa
NAXA, together with its partners, will scale an Anticipatory Action (AA) platform, i.e., Digital and Spatial Technologies for Anticipatory Action “DASTAA”, to flood prone wards of the lower Mahakali basin with the aim of enhancing anticipatory actions and reducing the impacts of disaster at the household level. This approach includes profiling the disaster risks of each household, prior to flooding, monitoring thresholds, enabling local government and humanitarian agencies to take evidence-based decisions for targeted disaster preparedness and recovery programmes.
People in Need
People in Need will develop a monitoring system based on IoT and connected sensors that integrates with government tools and disseminates flood warnings via mobile phones directly to the impacted population.
Rumsan
Rumsan will aim to build and pilot a multi signature based anticipatory action programme in an existing mobile technology cash and voucher assistance (CVA) platform. The solution will enable timely distribution of CVA to affected populations before and during a natural disaster.
Synnefa
Synnefa will integrate satellite imagery into their farm management platform, FarmCloud, to provide real-time data on crop health and weather patterns to smallholder farmers in Kenya.
TAHMO
TAHMO, will aim to establish a cost-effective early warning flood system in Ghana by repurposing existing mobile technology, including the use of commercial microwave links.
Tearfund
Tearfund will use mobile technology to raise awareness of the benefits of insurance, as well as equipping agropastoralists facing climate change related shocks with access to timely climate information, and simple, parametric cover for extreme climate events.