Providing vital information to refugees
The Client
International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC o
ffers emergency aid and long-term assistance to refugees and those displaced by war, persecution, or natural disaster. The IRC
is currently working in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities where it resettles refugees and helps them become self-suffcient. The President of the International Rescue Committee is the former U.K. Member of Parliament, David Miliband.
Consisting of first responders, humanitarian relief workers, international development experts, healthcare providers, and educators, the IRC has assisted millions of people around the world since its founding in 1933.
Case
Refugee.Info empowers people made vulnerable by man-made crises or natural disasters to address their needs by providing an interactive and accessible platform of accurate and timely resources. During the European migration crisis of 2015, Refugee.Info provided critical information for people arriving in Greece and the Balkans, addressing safety, rights, and immediate location concerns. As the European context changed, so did the focus of the platform: to deliver in-depth procedural, service, and living information, while establishing two-way communications, through which beneficiaries’ voices and stories can be heard.
Solution
The Refugee.Info platform includes websites, mobile apps, and social media. The team implemented the mobile application for iOS and Android using the cutting-edge mobile technology known as React Native. It was the first project of that kind in our company, and developers learned a lot from this experience. Adaptation to React Native required considerable effort, and we had to figure out the complex build workflow, certification, and release process (using Bitrise).
The web version of the application was implemented using the Django framework and many front-end technologies like AngularJS, jQuery, Leaflet. It is fully usable and compatible with Android and iOS mobile browsers. The team was also responsible for creating a lightweight version of the application in static HTML.
Result
The newest iteration of Refugee.Info was launched in the fall of 2016 featuring a redesigned website, a mobile app, and an increased social media presence.
The information provided reflects the questions and requests received from refugee populations, both online and in-person, and continues to provide refugees with information on vital emergency support and asylum procedures. The service information section added a new user interface that allows refugees to search for information on services in their neighboring areas and plot these services on a map.
The fully-featured, offline-enabled mobile application empowers our clients with a more streamlined experience, supports the mapping of services, and allows for push notifications.
As a result of this successful project our partnership with IRC was extended, and now work is focused on many projects under the umbrella term of Refugee.info. To name a few: Refugee Info CMS v2, alkhadamat.info, Service Provider Portal, Spreadsheet Reader Support for Greece.
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