Internet in Greek migrant camps as important as food, water: aid groups | Reuters

One of the first questions aid worker Isaac Kwamy was asked in Greece's camps for refugees and migrants was not whether there was food or water, but whether there was internet access. "Very few of them (migrants) said, 'We are hungry, we need food. Or we are thirsty, can we have water?" said Kwamy, who visited camps in June. "They were literally asking, 'Do you have Wi-fi access and where can we charge our phones?'" As the head of emergency response at NetHope, an alliance of aid groups and companies like Facebook, Microsoft and Cisco that provide technology services during humanitarian crises, Kwamy said the need for connectivity came as no surprise. Not only do asylum seekers and migrants need the internet on their smartphones to plan their journey towards Europe, he said, they also use it to apply for asylum, and to stay in touch with family through mobile apps like WhatsApp and Facebook.