Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has joined forces with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in helping Yolanda survivors, particularly children, reunite with their families.
Smart has provided UNICEF Smart Bro SIMs and free airtime load per month over the next six months for its Rapid Family Tracing and Reunification (RapidFTR) program. This data connectivity will assist social workers that are on ground in Yolanda-affected areas to do real-time data entry of missing, separated and unaccompanied children via the RapidFTR’s mobile application.
The mobile app was developed by UNICEF in 2010 and was used in Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake, and in Uganda to help address child trafficking. This will be the first time the app will be used here in the Philippines to help unaccompanied children in disaster areas either because their parents or guardians died or are still missing.
Athea Penaloza, UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, explains, “The assistance of telecom service providers like SMART is vital to immediately share accurate information among relevant agencies on children and families who have become separated as a result of a disaster. Collected information not only helps in tracing and reunification of families but also in identifying separated children who are at risk of exploitation and trafficking.”
“This is a timely initiative given the frequency and severity of disasters that have been affecting the Philippines. We are helping UNICEF to scale this up and replicate to other sites all over the country as part of our disaster preparedness and management strategy,” said Smart Public Affairs head Ramon R. Isberto.
“Through various initiatives, Smart has been promoting the culture of preparedness among individuals and communities in highly-vulnerable areas. A mobile app that helps track missing family members after disasters is a very important disaster response tool,” added Isberto.
RapidFTR is a versatile open-source mobile phone application and data storage system that seeks to expedite the process of tracing and reuniting families by helping humanitarian workers collect, sort and share information about unaccompanied and separated children in emergency situations so they can be registered for care services and reunited with their families. It is specifically designed to streamline and speed up Family Tracing and Reunification (FTR) efforts both in the immediate aftermath of a crisis and during ongoing recovery efforts.
The app is currently being used in Leyte, which was among the provinces hit hard by the super typhoon. UNICEF works with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), local government units (LGUs) and the local Women and Child Protection team of the Philippine National Police to gather data within the area. The Social Welfare Officer of the municipality as well as the local PNP unit have been trained how to use the app—it includes taking a photo of the child and voice recording as part of the data being entered via an Android phone.
So far, around 79 cases of children separated or unaccompanied by parents or guardians have been reported.
Since 2011, Smart has been supporting the Corporate Network for Disaster Response’s Noah’s Ark Project that helps build disaster-resilient communities. Last year, Smart mounted the Pamilyang Ready, Pamilyang Panalo disaster preparedness caravan targeting households and individuals in vulnerable areas with the goal of attaining zero casualties during disasters.
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