STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN — (Marketwired) — 05/20/13 —
* First-of-a-kind event will rally global tech community around a common
goal:
creating technical solutions that help refugees find lost family
* Three weekend challenges in Cairo, Egypt; San Francisco, USA; and
Nairobi,
Kenya
* Winners to be announced on World Refugee Day, 20 June
In order to raise awareness of the plight of refugees, and find new ways to
reconnect refugee families in some of the most remote areas in the world,
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and Refugees United will run a series of developer
competitions leading up to World Refugee Day, on 20 June 2013.
The number of forcibly displaced people around the world is measured now at
43
million. That is why it is urgent to reconnect families who have been
separated
due to conflict, war, and disaster. So far over 200,000 refugees have
registered
on the service, and the aim is to reach 1 million by the end of 2015.
The Global Hack for Good will galvanize the talent and skill of the
developer
community toward a solution for separated families. The unique series of
“hackathons” – a weekend-long marathon of developing applications on mobile
networks – will be held on three continents, on three separate weekends,
but all
are working toward the same goal of making re-connection easier.
For example, refugees may be reluctant to share data, or they face
challenges
such as illiteracy and lack of internet connectivity. Developers might find
ways
to make the platform more accessible from low-cost mobile phones, change
interfaces or modify the built-in messaging application that allows
refugees to
exchanges messages without additional costs.
The first hackathon will be in Cairo, Egypt, on 31 May-1 June. Then, a new
batch of developers will gather in San Francisco, USA, on 7-8 June, and the
third part of the Global Hack for Good will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on
15-16
June.
Christopher Mikkelsen, co-founder of Refugees United, says: “Everyone has
the
right to know where their family is. To separated refugee families, this
for
many years seemed impossible. Today, we-re at a tipping point where
technology
can help them reconnect. Now it-s up to us to act and help.”
Elaine Weidman-Grunewald, Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate
Responsibility, Ericsson, said: “We have a long-term commitment to the
refugee
cause, and have been working with Refugees United since 2010 to create a
mobile
platform for refugees to reconnect with family and loved ones. We now want
to
harness some of the new innovation and technology of the developer
community
with this Global Hack for Good, in order to scale and amplify the great
work
that is already underway.
“Increasingly we see developers wanting to apply their skills for a good
cause –
this is a true example of Technology for Good, and we hope to see the
world-s
most talented developers create new ideas to serve more separated
families,” she
said.
The jury, including experts from both Ericsson and Refugees United, will
select
two finalists at each location. On World Refugee Day, June 20, 2013, a
winner
from each location will be announced. The three winners receive a trip to
Kenya
and will be invited to test their prototypes in the Kakuma refugee camp in
late
2013.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Invitations and location information: Global Hack for Good
Hack for Good – Cairo
Hack for Good – San Francisco
Hack for Good – Nairobi
Refugees United – Bahati-s story (video)
Download high-resolution photos and broadcast-quality video at
Ericsson is a world-leading provider of communications technology and
services.
We are enabling the Networked Society with efficient real-time solutions
that
allow us all to study, work and live our lives more freely, in sustainable
societies around the world.
Our offering comprises services, software and infrastructure within
Information
and Communications Technology for telecom operators and other industries.
Today
40 percent of the world-s mobile traffic goes through Ericsson networks and
we
support customers- networks servicing more than 2.5 billion subscriptions.
We are more than 110,000 people working with customers in more than 180
countries. Founded in 1876, Ericsson is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.
In
2012 the company-s net sales were SEK 227.8 billion (USD 33.8 billion).
Ericsson
is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ, New York stock exchanges.
Global Hack for Good 20May2013:
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of
Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and
other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Ericsson via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1703054]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT
Ericsson Corporate Communications
Phone: +46 10 719 69 92
E-mail:
Ericsson Investor Relations
Phone: +46 10 719 00 00
E-mail:
You must be logged in to post a comment Login