Why Innovation and Technology is Critical in Solving Global Refugee Crisis

According to UNHCR estimates, the number of refugees in camps has hit the 50 million mark, the highest since Second World War. In Europe alone, refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea to the continent are estimated to be one million annually.

That excludes the ones who use the Turkey route to Greece and later to Europe; the strict migration control has elevated the humanitarian crisis making refugee camps permanent home for many, unlike the temporary accommodation as in the initial objective.

Technology is a savior in getting answers to many unanswered questions in the crisis. Currently, the minimum duration one stays in the refugee center is about 20 years.

Innovation and technology support various services within and away from the camps to hastened access to services, analyze data analytics, and overall communication.

The main sectors that have benefited from innovation include:

Education
Communication
Health
Labour force
Digitalized lifestyle

What is the role of technology in refugee camps?

Hastened Access to Medical Services

The crowd and deplorable conditions in a refugee camp in a bid t accommodate everyone have compromised the refugees’ health.

With technology, a doctor or a medical professional is a phone call or a touch of a button away.

Pregnant mothers within the camp can book antenatal appointments and get the right medications and tests to benefit their unborn children.

Diagnostic tools are available on Smartphones help to help in early diagnosis. In Lebanon camp, technological tools are effective in early diagnosis and timely treatment, reducing the refugee camp’s mortality rate.

Reduce Illiteracy Level

The education of the refugees is always at stake once they get to a camp. As much as the administrators try to train them on hands-on skills, people who started courses in tertiary institutions will shut their dreams.

That is past tense with innovation and technology in refugee camps. They can continue learning through distance program s with minimal cost implications.

The only pre-qualification is access to reliable internet to support the rich multimedia content and social interactions.

In western Ghana, children have a satellite-based education through an online program that promotes literacy levels among children in the refugee camps. It keeps them busy, making them forget about their current predicaments.

Digital education projects the bright future of conflict-stricken individuals. It rebuilds their lost hope with minimal effort.

In Tanzania, it was next to impossible due to network coverage. A tour with the high-level managers from MTN testing the network strength and the need to have a network booster serving the area made a dream come true.

What is the role of technology in refugee camps?

Improved Refugee Management

A refugee crisis is a serious humanitarian crisis that requires proper operations and rehabilitation.

If mishandled, it can be a base for refuge for terrorists, gangsters, and unwanted individuals in the society seeking asylum.

Since it’s a free-for-all home, there should be ways of making sure the management has data at their fingertips on the people getting in and out and their origin, including access to services within the facility.

Technology supports refugees’ placement in various categories, which aid in the management and delivery of services.

When a donor needs high school graduates for course placement, you only need to open your gadget and synchronize the information; within seconds, you have all the data for budget and planning purposes.

Easy Access to Information

Gone are the days when people refugees had no idea of what happens in the world. Most of the refugee camps at the border towns where access to services was a dream.

Moreover, infrastructural development was also at its lowest point. In that scenario, many lived in the dark when it comes to national and international news. Some had no idea of the new migration controls.

Currently, everything is at their disposal thanks to technology. They know the new camps, administrators and management can also send information to the real-time using gadgets and social media platforms.

The immigration department enjoys digital innovation for they scan the faces, scan their identity cards, and open accounts for each refugee for better-personalized service delivery.

Wrong Use of Internet Litter

Despite the positive inroads in technology, internet litter is a nuisance within the refugee camps.

With their unstable emotions, they may gain access to wrong links and hyperlinks, which may jeopardize their online safety.

Moreover, their security is also compromised since hackers use such loopholes to get unsuspecting prey.

Others can hack the system to get sensitive data like personal information for dubious tasks, which may compromise the entire camp’s security. The vulnerability of the refugees prone them to such acts; spies for terror groups within the institution.

Social interaction
Family separation is a big challenge among displaced people. Family members end up in different parts of the globe and further camps.

The uncertainty of whether your kin is alive or not takes a toll on one’s emotional health. Therefore, with technology, they can easily locate their families despite their physical distance.

Social Media Platforms

Family separation is a big challenge among displaced people. Family members end up in different parts of the globe and further camps.

The uncertainty of whether your kin is alive or not takes a toll on one’s emotional health. Therefore, with technology, they can easily locate their families despite their physical distance.

Social media platforms promote social interaction with friends and family within and away from the camps.

Technology is a blessing in disguise to refugees. You compare it to the feeling of using a pellet stove in cooking; apart from the cooking appliances, it’s ideal for warmth.

The “warmth “is equivalent to the comfort of access to information and services supported by technology.