The European Refugee crisis: 10 Communications with Communities challenges | UNHCR Innovation

There have been many reports highlighting the significance of the mobile phone in this context – with much progress having been made in terms of ensuring wifi connectivity, mobile phone charging and access to SIM cards. Refugees frequently state that Facebook, WhatsApp and Viber are their preferred channels for communication – but is this with humanitarians? If these channels are predominantly being used by refugees to communicate with friends and families how can/should we leverage them to facilitate better dialogue between refugees and aid agencies? Are humanitarians ready to embrace ‘social media’ like this? And what of the non-digital channels? While the majority of refugees own a phone, many do not – how do we engage with these people and ensure their voices are heard against the digital backdrop?