Ericsson has joined forces with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in a new partnership that will see the two work together to use mobile technology in order to improve disaster and crisis response in affected areas.
The partnership is set to focus the first projects on the Ebola virus that continues to plague West African countries through using mobile phones and applications designed specifically for use by IRC teams to more adequately capture and monitor data in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Also as part of a long term solution providing support for areas impacted by health, natural disaster and other humanitarian crises, the partnership will provide technology and services that enable displaced people to connect with their families.
“The combination of IRC’s operational expertise and Ericsson’s technology leadership has huge potential to help alleviate human suffering in some of the places hardest hit by conflict and disease,” said David Miliband, President and CEO IRC.
ICT has demonstrated a major role in responding to conflict and disaster across the globe with more mobile solutions being introduced to help people in the affected areas, Ericsson believes that IRC leveraging advancements in technology will help create real impact on the ground.
Tech companies and social network platforms like Facebook are working to offer the best services they can to help contribute in the ongoing Ebola fight across the affected countries.
Being that the areas affected are the remote villages where there is hardly any network coverage to keep the workers helping out connected for better communication and information sharing, there is need for IT solutions providers to assist however they can possible.
Facebook last week announced a donation of 100 mobile satellite communication terminals that would be deployed across the hugely affected countries Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone to aid in communication and provide mobile broadband services.
