MANILA – December 26, 2013 – Telecommunications company Globe Telecom takes on the cause of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to reunite children with their families after being separated from each other during the chaos brought about by Typhoon Yolanda.
Utilizing its Information and Communications Technology capabilities such as data connection, SIM cards and prepaid load credits, Globe would be able to power up the phones and laptops which will be used by UNICEF to bring people together, the telecommunications company said in a press release.
“Globe Telecom’s role here is crucial because uninterrupted internet connectivity is necessary to ensure that the system continues to work in the next several months as UNICEF hands it over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development,” Fernando Esguerra, OIC, Globe Corporate Social Responsibility, said in a press release.
With their houses destroyed and relatives missing, reuniting children with their kin becomes a daunting task but a mobile phone application that seeks to reunite separated and unaccompanied children and their families particularly in emergency situations is expected to make things easier, Globe said.
UNICEF will be using RapidFTR (Rapid Family Tracing and Reunification) which it developed in New York and Uganda early this year in collaboration with a global working group including Save the Children, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Committee of the Red Cross, World Vision, and International Rescue Committee.
To be launched initially in 13 municipalities in Leyte, UNICEF will register children who have been separated from their families through an Android phone application that allows quick sending of information to other people and organizations involved in the process. To do this, UNICEF will provide basic smartphones to the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Offices and Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Desks to be used while canvassing the affected barangays in their municipalities.
Within the next several weeks as data services are fully restored in the hardest hit areas, UNICEF will be able to synchronize data from the mobile phones directly to a website that all agencies will use for coordination in following up the cases. The phones would also have Globe prepaid load credits for voice calls each month to allow the officers to make emergency phones call for case management support if necessary.
Meanwhile, Globe also continues to call for donation to UNICEF which may be done via Mobile GCash APP or by dialing *143#> GCash > Others > Donate > Amount > MPIN > UNICEF.
Globe Telecom’s support for UNICEF is part of its Bangon Pinoy program, an enterprise-wide disaster response initiative that aims to have a unified system for donations, relief efforts, and corporate social responsibility programs across products and services. It is an integrated program that allows communities devastated by calamities to benefit from various efforts geared towards rebuilding and rehabilitation. It was first introduced by Globe in 2009 after typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng wreaked havoc in the country. For more updates visit the Globe website.
