International Rescue Committee [to 14 March 2015]
http://www.rescue.org/press-release-index

12 Mar 2015
Zain Group joins REFUNITE, the International Rescue Committee and Ericsson to Use Mobile Technology to Reconnect Separated Families in South Sudan
:: The Family Reconnection Project aims to connect thousands of displaced people with missing family members separated due to the conflict in South Sudan
:: Partnership to demonstrate the power of technology and frontline response

Zain Group announces that it has joined Refugees United (REFUNITE), the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) in launching a pilot project in South Sudan, which empowers separated families to search for their missing loved ones through a mobile phone. The Family Reconnection Project leverages simple mobile technology in support of the 1.4 million people who are internally displaced in South Sudan.

Ongoing internal conflict, coupled with lack of access to the internet and a breakdown of media infrastructure, has made it nearly impossible for separated families to reconnect within and across borders. The Family Reconnection Project enables separated families to search for missing friends and relatives. A series of mobile services will be rolled out during the coming weeks; all with the goal of making it easier for families to search, connect and communicate.

Following the announcement between Zain Group, Ericsson and IRC in November, to use technology to transform humanitarian response, the IRC is initially supporting the pilot in South Sudan by helping to connect those displaced by conflict, often without direct mobile phone or internet access, to an online platform that allows them to more easily contact family members, helping to close the digital divide among those who might otherwise fail to gain access.

The partners will aim to replicate the program in South Sudan across five other camps in Africa and the Middle East during 2015. In South Sudan alone, the pilot is expected to generate 10,000 registrations during 2015…