Welcome to issue 73 of the Call to Comms!
Category 4 hurricane Beryl hit Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on July 1st, causing destruction, infrastructure damages and power and communication outages.
TSF monitored the situation before the hurricane made landfall and coordinated its deployment with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
A team is already on its way to provide emergency connectivity and support the people affected.
Stay updated on our social media channels.
This week, discover TSF's 2023 annual report. Read on to learn more about our key figures, missions and impact last year.
“TSF is adapting its response to contribute to the protection of people at the heart of humanitarian crises. We believe that communication is a human right and that it is crucial in humanitarian situations, for both individuals and organizations. Our commitment to providing telecommunications is an essential part of our core values and extends - as far as possible - beyond all borders.”
Monique Lanne-Petit, Director of TSF
2023 in Numbers
In 2023, TSF carried out 14 missions in 15 countries and assisted over 403,900 people and 128 humanitarian and governmental organizations.
Connectivity
In 2023, TSF carried out emergency missions in response to climate-related disasters in Libya, Morocco, Turkey, and Mexico, supporting local and international relief efforts, and providing telecommunication to affected communities.
TSF also continued its project in Ukraine in response to the war, providing connectivity to 8 shelters for internally displaced people.
“We use the Wi-Fi and it is very useful for us because my husband and I work online. This is one of our main needs because there is not enough money for 4G. It is also necessary for children to study online.”
Access to Information
In 2023, 259,200 migrants and refugees displaced across Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and Poland had access to crucial information about legal procedures, healthcare, and aid resources, through our informative screens in migrant shelters and collective centers.
“The screens are very helpful because they give information that we personally don’t have. For example, when you have to go for vaccinations, or how to help people going to school, or how they can get social help…”
Digital Inclusion
In 2023, 1400 Malagasy visited the IT Cup Center of Miarinarivo, Madagascar, including 600 youth and students who participated in the activities offered by the center such as the computer initiation programs, the extracurricular workshops, and the technical and creative clubs like the mapping and data collection projects.
The partnership with the Lycée Général de Miarinarivo was also renewed, and a new research support activity was organized to improve students' studies.
"I live in Miarinarivo, but study in Tana. When I am here, I take the opportunity to visit the IT CUP cyber center, which offers me reduced rates and a work area. I'm doing some research into my studies. I'm also trying to find a job. So it's necessary for me to have an internet connection. In the current context, digital technology is essential, especially for young people. But this presents a lot of risk if young people use it in irresponsible ways such as identity theft, scams and harassment. So I'm sending out a message to users of the new technology to set their sights on digital as a vector for development.”
Edwin, a 33-year-old master's student at the Private Institute of Tananarive, enrolled in a computer programming course at IT Cup.
To read the full report, click on this link.
See you next week!
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