Children in the Yida refugee camp, South Sudan. CC image courtesy of Trocaire, on Flickr.
The Yida refugee camp in South Sudan has received mobile coverage after a partnership between the Vodafone Foundation and African network operator Zain.
Zain already offers 3G voice and data services in the country, but the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) camp in Unity State, which shelters more than 70,000 Sudanese refugees, lacks basic infrastructure.
The connectivity will help coordinate food and medical supplies and allow refugees to contact their loved ones for free.
Scott Gegenheimer, Zain Group chief executive officer (CEO), said: “Zain is committed to supporting the communities we serve making vital telecommunications accessible to all. In situations such as those found in South Sudan, we are obliged to act and help improve the quality of life for those people in need.”
The Vodafone Foundation Instant Network is an initiative which aims to be able to provide rapid activation of connectivity to a region in the case of an emergency.
The Zain South Sudan partnership with the Instant Network is non-equity based and gives the Vodafone Foundation access to its network and supplies them with two network engineers.
Wassim Mansour, chief executive officer (CEO) of Zain South Sudan, said: “Through our cooperation with the Vodafone Foundation Instant Network in providing connectivity, we are delighted and fully committed to support the UNHCR’s life saving efforts to bring relief and enhance the living conditions of the refugees in the Yida camp.”
