Principled and Accountable Use of Technology in Humanitarian Action: Meet the Research Grantees

GDPC Spotlight Research Grants Program

Explore the funded research projects

In partnership with the French Red Cross Foundation, the 2026 programme funds researchers in low- and middle-income countries examining how ICTs, including AI, can be used humanely, ethically and responsibly in humanitarian contexts. Explore each project below. Learn more about the programme →

The GDPC selected 18 research teams from low- and middle-income countries to examine how information and communication technologies – from mobile data collection and satellite mapping to mobile money and, increasingly, artificial intelligence – can be applied responsibly in humanitarian action. Used well, these tools help reach people who might otherwise be left behind; used without safeguards, they can deepen the digital divide, expose communities to data misuse, and introduce risks to people's rights, dignity and agency. As needs grow and resources tighten, the question is no longer whether to use technology, but how to use it humanely, ethically and accountably. Explore each project below to see how these researchers are building the evidence base for that question.

Topic 1: Community Needs & Digital Realities

Arnold Tigaiza, Uganda

Institution: Makerere University

Research Project: Stakeholder Experiences, Community Adaptations, and Pathways of Inclusion in the Implementation of Biometric Identification and Digital Cash Assistance Systems in Uganda’s Humanitarian Settings

About the Researcher: Arnold Tigaiza is a PhD Fellow and researcher at Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda. His work focuses on public health, climate change and migration, mental health, humanitarian and refugee well-being, and digital health. He has experience in mixed-methods and implementation research and has worked on several research projects examining climate induced migration and health, community-based interventions, mental health, digital payments, and refugee issues.

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This study explores how refugees in Nakivale experience biometric identification and digital cash assistance. It will examine whether refugees are involved in how these systems are implemented, the barriers they face, how the systems affect inclusion and trust, and what people do when they do not work as expected. It will also examine how humanitarian organizations respond to these challenges.

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The research team will include trained research assistants and qualitative researchers with experience in refugee and community-based research. Co-investigators will include; Bridget Nagawa Tamale, and Otto Businge. The team will also have relevant local-language experts. The study will also draw on academic mentorship and technical input from experts in implementation and humanitarian research.

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Bayarbaatar Bold, Mongolia

Institution: Etugen University

Research Project: Beyond the Signal: How Mongolian Nomadic Herders Adapt Digital Communication to Access Healthcare During Dzud

About the Researcher: Dr. Bayarbaatar Bold is a Mongolian physician-scientist specializing in digital health and applied AI, with experience deploying clinical AI systems, including imaging-based deep learning and LLM tools, across hospitals and populations. He directs the Center for Digital Health and Innovation at Etugen University, Mongolia. His work, spanning a 50-country study on physicians and AI and collaboration with UNESCO, now explores how Mongolian herders and health workers stay connected to care during dzud.

E63A14CD-074C-46DD-AD6A-0B41D893C5A5 - zulaa uzlaa

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Every winter, severe storms called dzud cut off Mongolian herder families from doctors, medicine, and emergency help. Some use phones to reach health workers, but poor signal, dead batteries, and shared devices often get in the way. This study asks herders and rural health workers how they really use phones and messaging to get care when roads close, then turns what we learn into practical tools and recommendations for safer remote healthcare during future dzud.

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Our team blends Mongolia-based public-health expertise with international digital-health depth. Uugantsetseg G. brings 15 years in monitoring and evaluation, including national evaluations for FAO, UNICEF, and UNFPA. Prof. Hong-Gee Kim, Seoul National University, serves on the Center's board. Munkhzul M. coordinates rural and remote healthcare and has spent a decade in Mongolia's TB response. Munkhjargal L., an AI engineer, builds our clinical and health-data systems.

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Christine Muchiri, Kenya

Institution: The Technical University of Kenya

Research Project: Community Agency, Negotiation and Adaptation of ICT4D Tools in Anticipatory Climate-Related Disaster Response: A Case Study of Mathare Informal Settlement, Nairobi, Kenya

About the Researcher: Christine Njuhi Muchiri is a lecturer in the Department of Architecture, Design and Planning at the Technical University of Kenya and a doctoral student in Engineering Science at KU Leuven, Belgium. Her work spans urban governance, digital civics, civic technologies, climate resilience and disaster risk reduction. She develops digital approaches to community-driven climate resilience and leads the development of digital planning and development permitting systems. Her research includes “Community Adaptation Strategies in Nairobi Informal Settlements: Lessons from Korogocho, Nairobi, Kenya”, "Catalytic Tech-Based Participatory Methods To Build Climate Resilience Locally" and “From Reporting to Accountability: A Low-Tech Participatory Platform for Evaluating Government Climate Response.” She engages with academia, government, non-state actors and international organizations to advance inclusive governance, institutional accountability and innovative approaches to climate adaptation in vulnerable urban contexts.

Passport Photo 1_2022 - Christine Muchiri

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Digital tools have become a common approach to building community resilience, but they are often modified by users to suit local realities or abandoned altogether. Drawing on design justice, which asks who shapes technology and who benefits, this study examines how residents of Mathare, Nairobi, repurpose, sustain or abandon ICT4D tools used for anticipatory flood response, and whether these practices influence humanitarian design and decision-making. Using participatory action research, focus groups and interviews with residents, platform designers and programme managers, and working with MCERN, the research will co-produce a framework for community agency, locally grounded design and shared accountability in humanitarian climate response.

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The team comprises five urban planners and designers. Moses Mabinda contributes land-use planning, field surveys and drone mapping; Gideon Nasong'o, urban design and environmental governance, with a focus on digital technology and community knowledge; Paul Thuo, participatory climate resilience; Samson Owino, GIS and spatial analysis; and Ivy Odhiambo, participatory planning and spatial justice. Mathare community researchers and M-CERN also form part of the research team.

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Mathare Community Emergency Response Network (M-CERN) is a grassroots initiative bringing together Future Hope Response Team and Reach Community under the UCRB Programme, supported by the Kenya Red Cross. It advances community-led disaster preparedness, emergency response and resilience. As a research partner, M-CERN will support co-generation and community ownership of research findings, ensuring they reflect local priorities and knowledge and can be translated into practical, locally implementable climate resilience solutions.

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Ilyass Mahamat Nour Moussa, Chad

Institution: Université de Paris Cité (CEPED/IRD)

Research Project: The Infrastructures of Precarity: Digital Traceability, Pharmaceutical Logistics, and the Vulnerabilities of Sudanese Refugees in Eastern Chad.

About the Researcher: As a socio-anthropologist specializing in STS, my research focuses on the political economy of pharmaceuticals in conflict settings (the Sahel and Haiti). Following my doctoral thesis on the militarization of the pharmaceutical market in Chad, my postdoctoral work analyzes how digital technology and logistics are redefining access to healthcare and health sovereignty in crisis zones. My ethnographic approach examines security policies and postcolonial infrastructures.

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My project examines how digital technology is transforming humanitarian aid in response to the Sudanese refugee crisis in eastern Chad. NGOs use inventory management software and biometric data to deliver medicines; however, these technologies—designed in the Global North—often overlook on-the-ground realities such as equipment failures, connectivity issues, and political complexities. I aim to understand these obstacles to help ensure fairer and more secure access to healthcare.

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Our interdisciplinary team brings together experts from CEPED (Université Paris Cité) and the University of N’Djamena. It includes my research supervisor—a specialist in the anthropology of health and digital technology (STS)—as well as a Chadian co-supervisor who is an expert in local health policies. In the field in eastern Chad, research assistants support us in conducting observations and interviews with NGOs and local populations.

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Paula Piccolo, Argentina

Institution:Universidad Nacional de Rosario

Research Project: From Alerts to Assistance: The Role of Digital Technologies and Community Organization in Humanitarian Wildfire Response in the Comarca Andina (Argentina) and Ñuble–Biobío (Chile)

About the Researcher: Paula Piccolo is an economist, PhD candidate in Economic Development at Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, and lecturer at the National University of Rosario. Her work focuses on ecological and territorial development, environmental governance and socio-environmental inequalities, combining academic research with applied experience in participatory methods, project management and humanitarian response.

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This research examines how digital technologies and community organization shape wildfire risk management and humanitarian response in Argentina and Chile. It aims to understand how technologies are used or adapted, what operational barriers affect them, and what affected communities need and experience. By comparing both territories, the study will generate practical recommendations for locally adapted, community-centred response and future technologies.

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The research team combines expertise in wildfire governance, environmental policy and community-based research. Javier Grosfeld, BSc and PhD in Biological Sciences from Universidad Nacional del Comahue, is a CONICET Principal Professional at CCT Patagonia Norte, with extensive experience in natural resource planning, forest management and conservation. Clara Mitchell, Industrial Engineer and MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development, contributes expertise in wildfire response, restoration and public policy.

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Vincent Itai Tanyanyiwa, Zimbabwe

Institution: Zimbabwe Open University

Research Project: Youth Digital Intermediation for Information Equity during Humanitarian Crises in Zimbabwe

About the Researcher:Vincent is a socioecologist and pracademic researching the environment-development nexus, ecosystem services, and human-nature dynamics. His work analyses how environmental change affects community resilience, risk, and vulnerability. An expert in water governance and urban sustainability, Vincent explores biophysical and socio-political dimensions of water security and equitable, resilient cities. His actionable scholarship bridges theory and practice to inform policy and empower communities

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This study looks at how young people in rural Zimbabwe use social media and digital tools to help their communities get crucial humanitarian aid and information during crises. Because many rural residents lack internet access, these youth act as digital bridges, translating online messages and sharing them offline with elders and marginalized groups. Ultimately, the research shows how youth-driven networks build local resilience and improve disaster response effectively and in time.

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Tirivanhu Muhwati is a distinguished climate change scientist with extensive expertise in UNFCCC policy, carbon markets, and disaster risk reduction initiatives. Olivia Sahkile Juba specialises in biodiversity conservation, Indigenous knowledge systems, and sustainable food systems within the Zambezi Basin. Bridget Nyamombe focuses on climate change, humanitarian resilience, and strengthening local adaptation strategies to effectively reduce environmental vulnerability across Zimbabwe today.

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Khalid Md. Bahauddin, Bangladesh

Institution: Daffodil International University (DIU)

Research Project: Shadow Networks of Survival: A Participatory Evaluation of Informal Digital Adaptation and Risk Among Climate Migrants in Dhaka’s Informal Settlements

About the Researcher: Khalid Md. Bahauddin is Lead of Center for Sustainable Innovation and Resilient Futures - CSIRF, DIU and Assistant Professor of Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management (ESDM) at Daffodil International University. With 15+ years in climate adaptation, DRR and environmental justice, he leads interdisciplinary environmental action research empowering vulnerable communities. A published author directing projects funded by national and international agencies, his work bridges academic inquiry and grassroots action to build equitable climate resilience and sustainable futures in Bangladesh.

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Climate migrants in Dhaka use informal digital platforms to find housing, jobs and for survival but these unregulated networks are full of scams. Our project works directly with migrants to map these hidden digital dangers. Together, we will co-create a simple, visual 'Digital Safety Guide' to help them avoid fraud, protect their resources and navigate the digital world safely, turning their survival networks into secure tools.

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Mohammad Monjurul Habib serves as Co-Investigator. With 16+ years in humanitarian leadership, he brings deep expertise in disaster response and inclusive program design. Formerly with IFRC and CDD, he has successfully managed multi-million-dollar grants (EU, UKAid). His strategic oversight ensures rigorous ethical safeguarding, robust community engagement, and the effective translation of research findings into actionable humanitarian policy.

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Topic 2: ICT Solution Feasibility & Implementation

Judith Irene Nagasha, Uganda

Institution: Kyambogo University

Research Project: Operational Constraints to ICT-Enabled Humanitarian and Public-Health Action in Flood-Affected Kasese and Landslide-Prone Bududa, Uganda

About the Researcher: Dr. Judith Irene Nagasha is a social scientist with over 18 years of experience in climate change, food security, indigenous knowledge, and community-based natural resource management research. She is the Hub leader of the Agrifose2030 Ugandan Hub that has led research initiatives connecting science, policy, and practice across the region. Her current research examines climate-induced migration and gender-responsive livelihood adaptation among communities in western Uganda. Through her research, teaching, publications, policy briefs, international conference presentations, and community engagement, she promotes the integration of gender equality, Indigenous knowledge, and locally grounded evidence into policies and interventions addressing climate change, food security, and sustainable development in Africa.

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This study will examine whether existing digital systems deliver timely and useful disaster warnings and public-health information during floods in Kasese and landslides in Bududa. Working with communities, health workers, government agencies and humanitarian responders, we will identify problems involving connectivity, skills, funding and coordination and recommend practical improvements to existing systems.

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Ibrohim Said, Uzbekistan

Institution:Tashkent State University of Law

Research Project: Agroportal in Uzbekistan: power dynamics and concerns

About the Researcher: Ibrohim Said is a legal scholar and researcher at Tashkent State University of Law (TSUL), Uzbekistan, specializing in corporate law, business law, and corporate governance. He holds an LL.M. from Brunel University London and a PhD in Law, with research focusing on directors’ duties and corporate accountability. He is actively involved in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of law, technology, and sustainable development.

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This study will scientifically examine the power and legal relationships between local authorities and farmers within the newly introduced Agroportal in Uzbekistan. It will analyze the practical distribution of resources, the socio-legal consequences of these relationships, and farmers' attitudes toward the Agroportal, with particular attention to its ethical and transparent operation under conditions of drought and water scarcity.

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Henrique Estides Delgado, Brazil

Institution: Universidade Santa Ursula (Santa Ursula University)

Research Project: From Localization to Digital Sovereignty: What Indigenous Governance in the Brazilian Amazon Can Teach Humanitarian Action About ICT Design and Preparedness

About the Researcher: Dr. Delgado is an economist and professor in the Graduate Program in Development and Peripheries at Santa Ursula University, Brazil. His academic and professional experience spans a handful of countries, with a focus on economic development, comparative policy analysis, geoeconomics, and governance mechanisms. His research examines the relationship between institutions and technological change and its implications for development, especially in peripheral territories and communities. He co-designed and co-leads this project with Carla Coelho and Rossandra Cabreira.

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Humanitarian organizations increasingly use digital tools designed far from the people they serve. We study two initiatives co-created with Indigenous Peoples in the Brazilian Amazon: Yẽgatu Digital, which builds language technology for Nheengatu, and SOMAI, a territorial monitoring system. We examine how decisions are made, how data is governed and how benefits are distributed, tracing their processes comparatively, to understand what makes technology trusted, useful and safe for communities.

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As mentioned above, we are a three-person team that designed this study together, drawing on our complementary backgrounds. Carla Coelho is a sociologist and humanitarian practitioner with extensive international experience, including over ten years in crisis research and data governance, and founder of the Collectif IA Solidaire. Rossandra Cabreira (Poty Rajegua) is a specialist in Indigenous interculturality and a doctoral candidate at UFGD, Brazil, undertaking research on Kaiowá/Guarani graphic art as a living language of memory, territory and ancestral heritage.

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Topic 3: Data Protection in Humanitarian Action

Dr. Zaheer Ali, Pakistan

Institution: Institute of Business Administration

Research Project: Locked Out of Relief: Digital Identity, Religious Minority Exclusion, and Humanitarian Aid Access in Climate-Vulnerable Tharparkar

About the Researcher: Dr. Zaheer Ali is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at IBA Karachi and a PhD graduate of Royal Holloway, University of London. He is Principal Investigator on funded projects with the Global Disaster Preparedness Center and the British Council, and co-leads applied research with UN Migration, Oxfam GB, and ICIMOD. His research interests include religious minorities, disaster vulnerability, and postcolonial state power.

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I'm studying why Hindu Dailit families in Tharparkar, a flood- and drought-prone district in Sindh, often get left out when disaster aid and registration systems reach their communities. Many lack the ID documents aid programs require, and their distance from state institutions compounds the problem. With support from the Global Disaster Preparedness Center, I'm examining how this exclusion happens so that humanitarian organizations can design registration and aid-delivery systems that reach vulnerable minority communities more fairly.

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Prof. Dr. Ir. Ella Meilianda, Indonesia

Institution: Syiah Kuala University

Research Project: Community Data, Trust, and Accountability in Technology-Enabled Humanitarian Risk Reduction: A Participatory Study in Aceh, Indonesia

About the Researcher: Prof. Dr. Ella Meilianda is a disaster risk reduction researcher specializing in multi-hazard risk, community-based and participatory research, GIS and remote sensing, participatory mapping, and humanitarian information systems. Her work spans tsunami, earthquake, flood, and coastal hazards, with a strong focus on stakeholder engagement and translating scientific evidence into policy and community practice.

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This study explores how communities and local authorities in Banda Aceh use digital tools and community data for disaster risk reduction. Through village discussions, participatory mapping, and joint workshops, it will identify gaps in data use, communication, inclusion, and trust. The project will develop practical guidance to improve consent, feedback, accountability, and two-way communication between communities, BPBD, and humanitarian actors.

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Dr. Alfi Rahman delivers participatory research tools, trained facilitators, qualitative findings, and community feedback. Nazriatun Nisa delivers communication maps, accountability and GESEI findings, and recommendations. Dr. Dedy Alfian delivers field records, hazard and participatory maps, and quality-controlled data. Rizka Puspitasari delivers transcripts, coded data, cross-gampong analysis, and draft outputs. Eka Okatvianus delivers administrative records and logistical support.

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Batchatat Yanya Karelle Manuela, Canada

Institution: Université du Quebec à Montréal

Research Project: Humanitarian biometrics in Cameroon: issues regarding data protection and community trust among displaced populations

About the Researcher: Karelle Yanya is a PhD researcher in Political Science at UQAM, with master’s degrees in Political Science (ULB) and International Humanitarian Action (UCLouvain). Her work examines humanitarian policy, forced displacement, digital ethics, securitization and state capacity in Africa. Committed to community-centered research that improves protection and policy, she founded “Solidarité Ensemble”. She is active in research networks across Cameroon, Europe and North America. Soli Deo Gloria 🙏🏾

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When humanitarian organizations help displaced people in Cameroon, they collect fingerprints, photos, and iris scans. But do displaced communities understand why? Do they feel safe? Do they trust the organizations holding their data? This research listens directly to displaced people across three crisis zones in Cameroon to answer these questions and produce practical recommendations for more ethical, transparent humanitarian technology.

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I work with two Cameroonian researchers. Stéphane Akoutou is a PhD candidate in International Relations History at the University of Yaoundé 1, specializing in foreign development aid to Cameroon’s agricultural sector since 1960. He has conducted extensive fieldwork across Cameroon and published on Chinese and French agricultural assistance. Arsène Tchocgnia holds a Master’s in Curriculum Studies and Teaching from the University of Yaoundé 1, has authored several scientific articles in education and humanities, and works as a pedagogue and research scholar in Cameroon.

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Jacob Malama, Zambia

Institution: University of Gothenburg

Research Project: Community Trust and Personal Data Handling in Humanitarian Action: Refugee Experiences in Meheba Refugee Settlement, Zambia

About the Researcher: Jacob Malama is a PhD Candidate in Education at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. His research focuses on refugee education, educational governance, equity and humanitarian action in Zambia. He has led mixed-methods and qualitative research projects in Meheba Refugee Settlement, Zambia, and is among the 2026 GDPC Spotlight Research Grant awardees.

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Mugisha John, China

Institution: Southern Medical University

Research Project: Who Consents to the Algorithm? Community Trust and Data Protection as AI-Enabled Tools Are Integrated into WASH Monitoring in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, Uganda

About the Researcher: As a PhD candidate in Public Health Policy and Management, I am driven by implementation science to bridge the gap between research and real-world impact. I focus on translating evidence-based practices into actionable policies, evaluating complex interventions, and developing innovative strategies to solve pressing public health challenges, ultimately strengthening health systems and sustainably improving community well-being.

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AI-enabled tools are rapidly transforming WASH monitoring in humanitarian settings, outpacing data protection safeguards. This qualitative case study in the Kyangwali refugee settlement, Uganda, explores how refugees, host communities, and frontline workers perceive consent, trust, and data protection as AI features are introduced. Through interviews and focus groups, it identifies knowledge gaps and offers guidance for ethical AI governance. Findings will inform UNHCR and the Uganda WASH Working Group.

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I collaborate with UNHCR Uganda, the UN Refugee Agency, dedicated to protecting rights and building futures for those displaced by conflict. I also partner with Tufaayo, a youth-led non-profit empowering underprivileged youth through life skills, health information, and career guidance. Together, we leverage education, protection, and community action to ensure vulnerable refugees and youth stay safe, in school, and thriving.

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Principled and Accountable Use of Technology in Humanitarian Action: Meet the Research Grantees

Explore the funded research projects

Topic 1: Community Needs & Digital Realities

Arnold Tigaiza, Uganda

Bayarbaatar Bold, Mongolia

Christine Muchiri, Kenya

Ilyass Mahamat Nour Moussa, Chad

Paula Piccolo, Argentina

Vincent Itai Tanyanyiwa, Zimbabwe

Khalid Md. Bahauddin, Bangladesh

Topic 2: ICT Solution Feasibility & Implementation

Judith Irene Nagasha, Uganda

Ibrohim Said, Uzbekistan

Henrique Estides Delgado, Brazil

Topic 3: Data Protection in Humanitarian Action

Dr. Zaheer Ali, Pakistan

Prof. Dr. Ir. Ella Meilianda, Indonesia

Batchatat Yanya Karelle Manuela, Canada

Jacob Malama, Zambia

Mugisha John, China

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Principled and Accountable Use of Technology in Humanitarian Action: Meet the Research Grantees

Explore the funded research projects

Topic 1: Community Needs & Digital Realities

Arnold Tigaiza, Uganda

Bayarbaatar Bold, Mongolia

Christine Muchiri, Kenya

Ilyass Mahamat Nour Moussa, Chad

Paula Piccolo, Argentina

Vincent Itai Tanyanyiwa, Zimbabwe

Khalid Md. Bahauddin, Bangladesh

Topic 2: ICT Solution Feasibility & Implementation

Judith Irene Nagasha, Uganda

Ibrohim Said, Uzbekistan

Henrique Estides Delgado, Brazil

Topic 3: Data Protection in Humanitarian Action

Dr. Zaheer Ali, Pakistan

Prof. Dr. Ir. Ella Meilianda, Indonesia

Batchatat Yanya Karelle Manuela, Canada

Jacob Malama, Zambia

Mugisha John, China

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