Increasing numbers of children around the world are affected by humanitarian emergencies and there is an urgent need for innovative, scalable, cost-effective approaches to tackling these crises. Alongside this, digital technology is spreading rapidly across the developing world, and the mobile phone is becoming increasingly accessible to families and children affected by disasters. There is significant potential for mobile phones to play a strategic role in helping deliver rapid, effective, accountable humanitarian assistance. Having access to the right information and communication at the right time can save lives and protect children.

This report is an initial exploration of the effective use of mobiles in emergency situations. It provides a foundation to build upon, based on the premise that mobile phones offer significant transformative potential in emergency situations.

Save the Children, Mobile Technology in Emergencies, 2012 TOPICS: Crowdsourcing, Mobile technology