(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Ooredoo is working with the GSMA and Souktel Mobile Solutions to develop new partnerships and enhance current strategies to manage disaster preparedness, following the first-ever Middle East Summit on Mobile Technology and Crisis Response.
As countries across the Middle East face growing humanitarian crises, mobiles are playing a key part in regional aid efforts. When Iraqi refugees were asked about their urgent needs in a recent poll, mobile charging stations were the main form of help they requested after food and water. As a result, aid agencies rushed to include solar-powered mobile chargers in emergency relief packages.
According to the GSMA mobile economy 2014 Arab states report, at the end of 2013, the Arab states of the Middle East and North Africa region accounted for 195mn of the 3.4bn unique mobile subscriptions worldwide € a 53% penetration rate. At the same time, it is estimated that global conflict had forced 33.3mn people to become internally displaced people (IDPs) and a further 17mn people to become refugees at the start of 2013.
This crisis puts pressures not only on the displaced populations themselves, but on the host communities, local infrastructure and service providers. These were the issues that the Middle East Summit on Mobile Technology and Crisis Response sought to examine. Held in Amman, Jordan, the event brought together more than 30 leaders in the aid and telecoms sectors to build partnerships that will enable quicker, more effective service delivery in emergencies.
Ooredoo Group has a long history of providing emergency aid via technology such as a recent Gaza SMS donation campaign by Wataniya Palestine. During the month-long drive, customers across Palestine could donate directly to relief efforts by pledging funds via text message, through their mobile accounts. These rapid donations helped get real-time assistance to families across the Gaza Strip.
Most recently, Ooredoo Maldives has been in action to help tackle a water crisis, which left thousands of people in Male without fresh water after a fire broke out at the main water and sewage company. To help alleviate the crisis, Ooredoo Maldives provided a water tracking service on Ooredoo locate - a real-time vehicle tracking system - which enabled users to find nearest mobile water units across Male.
In addition, Ooredoo Group made a significant donation to the relief fund and provided tonnes of water bottles airlifted to the Maldives by Qatar Airways.
Dr Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Ooredoo, said: "Being there to connect and care for people during emergency situations is one of Ooredoo's core values € and one we are striving to support in every market that we operate in."
"Access to mobile network services can be a lifeline for those affected by crisis," said Kyla Reid, head of disaster response, GSMA. Jacob Korenblum, CEO, Souktel Mobile Solutions, observed that partnerships are essential for achieving impact in humanitarian response work.
The GSMA is an association of mobile operators and related companies devoted to supporting the standardising, deployment and promotion of the GSM mobile telephone system.
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