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Refugees United was created in 2005 in response to a critical lack of a global, anonymous IT infrastructure helping refugee families separated during escape to reconnect in a streamlined and self-empowering fashion. The family-finding tracing tool can be used in all zones of conflict via web and SMS technology, and has the ability to be deployed in areas considered too dangerous or hard to reach, as long as there is web or mobile phone coverage. |
Globally, 54 million people are officially recognized as refugees, internally displaced persons, or stateless persons. Countless thousands of families have become separated, many never reconnecting due to the lack of a central information system allowing people the essential possibility to register and reconnect with missing family under “anonymous” information only their loved ones could know.
Refugees United set out to develop the first ever web based global platform designed to help refugees scattered around the world to reconnect with their loved ones. Using a computer with internet connection – or even just a mobile phone – refugees can register and search for missing family members. The success of the project depends largely on the size of the database: If we can make as many refugees as possible aware of this tool, chances are higher that their family members also have registered and that they succeed in reconnecting.
The IKEA Foundation's support in 2009 to provide grants allowed Refugees United to have a presence in many camps and thus accelerate the number of refugees who are made aware of the service and subsequently decide to sign up with an anonymous profile. Refugees United estimates that millions of refugees are currently looking for missing family members.
With the help of the IKEA Foundation, Refugees United plans to add another 30,000 refugees to their database in 2011.
East Africa is the geographical focus
The aim is to add 30,000 refugees to the internet based database.
Providing an anonymous platform
Refugees United offers a database where you can register and search for missing family members.
Millions looking for missing family members
