DAVOS, Switzerland,
Jan. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/
-- NetHope, a consortium of 42 leading international
humanitarian organizations, announced today a partnership with
Facebook, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Cisco, EveryLayer
and Inveneo to expand their support for effective communications
capabilities to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and promote sustainable recovery
in the region.
The joint Ebola Response Connectivity Initiative (ERCI) will
deliver high-speed broadband Internet access to Ebola responders
based in hundreds of Ebola treatment facilities, NGO offices, and
additional logistical hubs in Sierra
Leone, Liberia and
Guinea. Reliable communications
capacity is an essential tool for response organizations combating
the outbreak, which has killed more than 8,600 people according the
World Health Organization. Slow, unreliable access to the Internet
remains a major challenge for coordinating the Ebola relief effort,
particularly in some of the hardest hit areas that lack any form of
high-speed broadband. Existing networks have also been strained by
the influx of relief workers and agencies in the region, increasing
demand on the already fragile infrastructure. Effective ICT
capacity enables rapid access and exchange of information,
real-time case management and contact tracking, outbreak mapping,
community mobilization, and supply and logistics management.
"Effective communications and information sharing is simply
fundamental to the work of our teams and local partners fighting
this complex emergency in West
Africa," said Nigel Chapman,
CEO of Plan International, a global humanitarian organization
providing community-based health centers, public health information
campaigns, medical and food supplies, and training for health
workers in West Africa. "The
ability of our teams to access and share information in real time
is not simply a matter of greater efficiency — it simply saves
lives."
The ERCI expands on the participating organizations' support for
rapid-deployment communications solutions delivered to West Africa in late 2014 to meet immediate
needs on the ground. That initial support for Ebola response
organizations included:
- Facebook's donation of 100 satellite terminals to provide
emergency connectivity to high-priority locations within Ebola
affected countries
- Connectivity accelerator funds provided by the Paul G. Allen
Family Foundation to increase existing connectivity at 45
locations, many of which will serve as connectivity distribution
sites for ERCI
- These initial deployments have provided emergency
communications capability to more than 25 NetHope member NGOs and
other response organizations with more than 3,000 staff and
volunteers working on the frontlines of the crisis
"As we've worked together in recent months to support the
connectivity needs of response organizations and impacted
communities, there has been a clear recognition by all involved of
two central facts: the scope of the challenge is enormous and
communications capacity is essential for virtually every Ebola
response related intervention," said NetHope CEO Lauren Woodman. "This unique collaboration among
global leaders in technology, philanthropy and the NGO sector
harnesses their combined commitment, innovation and expertise to
meet the immense challenges in both the short and long term."
The joint initiative will significantly expand the scope and
sustainability of the communications capacity, supporting thousands
of response workers and ultimately millions of individuals
through:
- Deployment and operation of additional infrastructure and
equipment in the impacted countries through support from Facebook
and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. This will be based on the
priority needs of NetHope NGO members and other response
organizations with a focus on shared services with local partners
and long-term benefit for local communities.
- Data analysis on connectivity in the impacted countries,
conducted by Facebook's Data Science Team. This includes working
closely with NetHope and mobile network operators to map locations
that have the geographic need for Internet connectivity and the
technological capability to provide it.
- On-site hotspot equipment and financial support from Cisco
Meraki, that enables responders to connect laptops, phones and
tablets to improve all communications related to the relief
effort.
- The broadband solution, architected by EveryLayer and deployed
by Inveneo and its certified partners, is based on a combination of
extending satellite technology and strengthening existing service
provider networks with carrier-grade Wi-Fi technology. The network
can be deployed at a lower cost and on a faster time horizon than
traditional mobile networks.
- Partnerships with local mobile network operators and
improvements to local infrastructure will ensure that communities
have access to long-term, low-cost connectivity beyond the
short-term Ebola relief effort.
"The Internet can be an enabler for basic needs like healthcare,
and we are seeing that firsthand with Ebola response efforts," said
Chris Weasler, Facebook's Director
of Global Connectivity. "The communications capacity that we are
implementing with this extraordinary partnership is one step in
supporting the work that the doctors, nurses and health
professionals have bravely led in West
Africa. We believe that ERCI can deliver critical tools,
talent and resources to help those on the front lines access and
send lifesaving information and stay in touch with their families
and friends at home. By providing courageous medical professionals
with the right support, we hope to encourage others to follow their
path and fight the spread of this disease."
"From the early stages of this crisis we recognized the need for
connectivity and data collection in containing and ultimately
stopping Ebola," said Gabrielle
Fitzgerald, Ebola Program Lead for the Paul G. Allen Family
Foundation. "Working together we can build an infrastructure that
will have an immediate impact as well as long-term effect to help
the countries recover once this crisis is over."
"Every day, we see people face seemingly overwhelming issues.
Working with partners, using our expertise and technology, we can
help respond to critical human needs. We do this through
Cisco's employees and our technology; bringing people together to
tackle global challenges faster," said Tae
Yoo, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs. "By
providing the resources, the technology and the experience to
address the connectivity demands of the first responders, aid
organizations and governments, we hope to multiply the positive
impact of connecting the experts who are working tirelessly toward
a breakthrough in the fight against the spread of this
disease."
"High-speed, reliable Internet access is a key lever to stopping
the spread of Ebola," said Mark
Summer, CEO and Co-founder of EveryLayer. "An additional
benefit to ERCI's approach is that once we've won the fight against
Ebola, the broadband infrastructure and partnerships will stay in
place and continue to deliver high-speed Internet to local
businesses and customers, which will help communities thrive for
years to come."
"ICT is an important tool in combating Ebola. Inveneo is excited
to build out key communication infrastructure to support needed ICT
tools. We are leveraging our local partners in country to assure
locally trained personnel support the effort and to provide
long-term sustainability," said Bruce
Baikie, Executive Director of Inveneo.
About the ERCI Partners
About Facebook
Founded in 2004, Facebook's mission is
to give people the power to share and make the world more open and
connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and
family, to discover what's going on in the world, and to share and
express what matters to them.
About The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
Launched by
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen and Jo
Lynn Allen in 1988, the Allen family's philanthropy is
dedicated to transforming lives and strengthening communities by
fostering innovation, creating knowledge and promoting social
progress. Since inception, the Foundation has awarded over
$446 million to more than 1,400
nonprofit groups to support and advance their critical charitable
endeavors in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The Foundation's
funding programs nurture the arts, engage children in learning,
address the needs of vulnerable populations, advance scientific and
technological discoveries, and provide economic relief amid the
downturn. For more information, go
to www.pgafamilyfoundation.org.
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide
leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of
tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect
the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go
to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
About EveryLayer
EveryLayer (formerly Volo Broadband)
enables broadband service providers (ISPs and Mobile Network
Operators) in emerging markets to provide radically lower cost
high-speed services in weeks, not months. EveryLayer's cloud-based
ISP network and service automation platform simplifies how
providers design and manage fixed wireless networks, set up and
provision services, and serve and bill customers. EveryLayer's
expert team provides technical and commercial design blueprints and
training, enabling service providers to gain skills to rapidly
deploy lower cost fixed wireless networks and broadband services
using carrier grade last-mile WiFi networking technologies.
EveryLayer is the partner for service providers who are ready to
deliver better, faster, cheaper broadband everywhere.
About Inveneo
Inveneo is a non-profit social
enterprise that delivers the tools of technology – sustainable
computing and broadband – to those who need it most in the
developing world, to transform lives through better education,
healthcare, economic opportunities, and faster relief. Inveneo is
leveraging more than 10 years of experience of successfully
introducing technology and expanding connectivity to underserved
areas of Sub-Saharan Africa to implement this
project.
About NetHope
Founded in 2001, NetHope is a consortium
of 42 leading international humanitarian organizations providing
emergency relief, human development and conservation programs in
more than 180 countries. Through member collaboration and by
facilitating public-private partnerships with major technology
companies, NetHope enables members to leverage their technology
investments to better serve their end beneficiaries.
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SOURCE NetHope