By Alexandra Alpert, Membership DirectorSan Juan, Puerto Rico – It’s been three weeks since Hurricane Maria tore through the Caribbean region, devastating islands already damaged by Hurricane Irma just days before. Puerto Rico caught the brunt of Maria’s ire, taking down the island’s aging power grid and its telecommunications capabilities. These failures, compounded by impassable … Continued
By Kristin KalningOn September 8, NetHope decided to activate its Emergency Response team to the Caribbean, two days after Hurricane Irma made landfall in Antigua and Barbuda. Isaac Kwamy, NetHope’s Director of Global Programs in Humanitarian Disaster Management, and his team are on the ground, assessing the damage after Irma, and experiencing the wrath of … Continued
By Amanda Cupido, World Vision InternationalIt’s the classic “chicken or the egg” dilemma. What comes first: a job, so you can get experience? Or experience, so you can get a job? The average millennial knows this quandary all too well. According to No Lost Generation research, it’s also a concern for youth and adolescents affected by … Continued
By Forrest Wilhoit, Africa Broadband CoordinatorThe Ebola crisis of 2014-2015 resulted in tragic loss of life across West Africa and caused massive global alarm. It also revealed the power of communications technology – and the significant problems that can result when communications networks fail during a crisis.In Liberia’s national response to Ebola, the fragility of … Continued
“I never forget that I could have been in their position.” – Ilias Papdopoulos, NetHope Refugee Connectivity CoordinatorBy Lauren WoodmanGoogle has been an important partner to NetHope for several years, and I can’t think of a better way to punctuate our World Refugee Day coverage than to thank Google for their recent blog post, and … Continued
By Theresa Ritzer, Project ReconnectNoor Hakeem is excited to be a dad. Just a few months ago, he and his wife, Sumaya, welcomed their first child. Noor is also happy that he was officially granted asylum status in Germany. Together, Noor and Sumaya have built a new life: family, their own apartment, and a job.Noor … Continued
By Frank Schott, Vice President of Global ProgramsIt was March 1999 and I was on an assessment mission at the Kukes refugee camp in Albania. Refugees had been fleeing Kosovo and the stress on the faces of the refugees that day was palpable. Some kids were playing with a ball, others sat silently under a … Continued
By Kelli HoganEditor’s Note: Kelli Hogan, a marketing manager at Google, was a member of the 12-person NetHope Team K deployment to Greece and its official mission storyteller.Kavala, Greece — A group of hopeful refugees gather around a NetHope team scouting a location for a new access point. “Will we have Wi-Fi today?” asks Salha … Continued
By Kelli HoganEditor’s Note: Kelli Hogan, a marketing manager at Google, was a member of the 12-person NetHope Team K deployment to Greece and its official mission storyteller.Drama, Greece — Children lie, giggling and wiggling, on the floor surrounded by paper and markers. They’re making art, an activity facilitated by Solidarity Now, a UNICEF Blue … Continued
By Kelli HoganEditor’s Note: Kelli Hogan, a marketing manager at Google, was a member of the 12-person NetHope Team K deployment to Greece and its official mission storyteller.Lagadikia, Greece — We met Mohammed as soon as we arrived in the camp at Lagadikia. He is an electrician by trade, and when the NetHope team began the … Continued