Kakuma refugees to get health education on mobile phones

David and Christopher Mikkelsen, co-founders of Refunite, sign the Kakuma Project deal with other partners at the World Innovation Summit for Education in Doha, Qatar, on November 5, 2014. PHOTO | COURTESY |

What you need to know:

  • The launch of the project, dubbed m-Health, was announced in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday.
  • It is part of an ongoing effort to address barriers to education for refugees.
  • Kakuma camp is home to over 125,000 refugees in need of medical support.
  • Information on the m-Health platform will be accessible to refugees through low-end mobile phones with no need for access to the Internet.

Refugees at the Kakuma camp in northern Kenya may soon get access to information on health using their mobile phones.

This is as a result of a new pilot project dubbed m-Health.

The launch of the project was announced in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday as part of an ongoing effort to address barriers to education for refugees.

The new project will be run by Refugees United (Refunite), a non-profit tech organisation that reconnects refugees, in partnership with Education Above All (EAA).

“While technology makes the process easier, the real impact comes from educating refugees and innovators to educate themselves.

“Having assisted over 30,000 refugees in Kakuma, piloting m-Health information is a natural extension of our current activities,” said David Mikkelsen, co-founder of Refunite,

The Kakuma camp is home to over 125,000 refugees in need of medical support.

NO NEED FOR INTERNET

According to Mr Mikkelsen, information on the m-Health platform will be accessible to refugees through low-end mobile phones with no need for access to the Internet.

He also noted that the project builds on Refunite’s expertise on technology for refugees and will leverage on mobile devices to educate them on diseases such as malaria, Ebola, HIV and cholera.

Leonardo Pinheiro, director of strategy, policy and research for EAA, reiterated the importance of the initiative saying: “The Kakuma project represents an innovative approach to providing education in a conflict-affected community.

“We are working towards giving refugees the tools and agency they need to create a better future for themselves."