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AN APP TO SUPPORT THE IMPROVED WELLBEING OF REFUGEES

3 Sided Cube were approached by UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as they wanted to develop new innovative technology solutions that improved the wellbeing of refugees and encouraged more private-sector donations.

UNHCR APP 2

70

connections made

3

languages

5

countries

THE CHALLENGE?

3 Sided Cube were approached by UNHCR (The UN Refugee Agency) as they wanted to develop new innovative technology solutions that improved the wellbeing of refugees and encouraged more private-sector donations. UNHCR wanted a secure way for donors and refugees to communicate with each other directly – without the filter of an organisation – to build mutual understanding and knowledge, shift attitudes and allow high value donors to understand how their donations were making a difference.

The aim of the app was to positively impact an initial group of Syrian refugees in Jordan so UNHCR needed a robust platform that was safe and secure for refugees and donors.

Phone screen showing UNHCR app and a profile page for a user

THE SOLUTION

The solution, Connecting Worlds Family, is a react native app that consists of multi-language content targeted at multi-countries. The app is focused on security, with the safety of refugees being paramount for UNHCR so 3 Sided Cube included many checkpoints in place to ensure this. 

This app allows refugees and donors to set up a profile before they are matched with a same-gender profile. Once profiles are approved the donor is prompted to send their first message, which can be automatically translated to the native language of the recipient. Throughout this process there are two human interventions as well as an intermediary API to ensure the content adheres to the UNHCR Community standards and that communication is translated accurately.

As well as integrations with Google and Azure APIs the app utilises the ZenDesk support platform to ensure users can communicate seamlessly with UNHCR directly to raise any issues or review FAQs.

This is the first time that I have seen an application which was developed to create sentimental value to people from different backgrounds. A simple message from us can mean the world to refugees. This is a prototype of using technology to bring people together for a humanitarian purpose

Oranuch Lerdsuwankij, Co-Founder and CEO of Techsauce Media

WHAT DOES THE APP DO?

UNHCR App showing a message from a mentor

ALLOW MESSAGING BETWEEN DONOR AND REFUGEE

The app allows you to send messages and images, save messages to create a memories section.

UNHCR app showing a news feed item

TIMELINES FEATURE

A carefully curated content feed which comprises community and impact features as well as News from the field.

UNHCR app showing the home screen and push notifications

AUTOMATIC PUSH NOTIFICATIONS

To encourage interaction between donor and refugee each week.

From the very first brief, 3 Sided Cube not only understood the concept but threw everything at it to develop a world first app that has been welcomed by donors and refugees.

Lara Schlotterbeck, UNHCR Connecting Worlds Family Project Lead