Innovation Stories

Tech for good — what does it actually look like?

Tech for good — what does it actually look like?

New and emerging technologies have the potential to cause both great benefit and harm — yet the processes designed to develop and use these technologies rarely consider the humanitarian and social costs. How can technology be used for good? What does this look like? Who gets a say? These are some of the questions we are exploring at Humanitech, an initiative of Australian Red Cross, dedicated to harnessing the transformational power of technology for good.

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Shamuk, reducing electronic waste by giving it a second life

Shamuk, reducing electronic waste by giving it a second life

Shamuk, leaving no one behind, is a project that seeks to reduce electronic waste by giving it a second life. Through repowering devices and delivering them to children in rural areas in Ecuador, it also reduces the digital gap and supports school reintegration. The initiative was designed and is led by volunteers from the Ecuadorian Red Cross, with funding and support from the IFRC Solferino Academy. 

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Brothers across Borders – Interactive film based on true stories

Brothers across Borders – Interactive film based on true stories

Brothers across Borders is an interactive film based on the true stories of Syrian refugees in Turkey. You are Ismaël, a 21 years old Syrian refugee on a mission to find his brother Muhammed. Muhammed, as the oldest brother, went to Turkey to find a new and safer home for the family, but never returned to Syria. Nor has he contacted the family since he left Turkey. Now it’s all up to you. The future of Ismaël, Muhammed and the entire family is in your hands.

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Kazakhstan: IFRC and Red Crescent launch bot to counter COVID misinformation

Kazakhstan: IFRC and Red Crescent launch bot to counter COVID misinformation

Budapest/Almaty, 19 February 2021 – A social media chatbot has been launched in an innovative bid to share accurate, trusted information to counter vaccine hesitancy. The chatbot was developed by the Red Crescent of Kazakhstan and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). It followed research undertaken late last year by the IFRC and the Red Crescent that found high numbers of people saying they would refuse the coronavirus vaccine for themselves or their children.

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Rise of the humans

Rise of the humans

The impact was impressive. The Accounts Payable team are sent up to 400 invoices every day. They check the details against our records before they make the payment. It takes a lot of time, so we trained a bot to manage the five suppliers who sent the most invoices.

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