Last month, we proudly announced the launch of our Humanitarian Tech Support Programme, a new initiative designed to support tech-focused startups focusing on global humanitarian problems. Using our unique blend of global development and digital identity experience, we have already started helping Lanterne in their mission to deliver a trusted, secure alert system to humanitarian fieldworkers in Afghanistan (over the last decade, more than 3,000 humanitarian workers were killed, injured or kidnapped in conflict zones around the world.)
Today we are pleased to announce details of a further three Programme Partners.
People in Need
People in Need helps people in emergencies – both in wartime and in areas affected by natural disasters – whilst focusing on places where it is difficult for people to break out of the vicious circle of poverty. Providing humanitarian assistance to victims of armed conflict abroad was the initial undertaking when People in Need was first set up in the 1990s. Over time, they began to deal with longer-term problems, such as shortage of safe drinking water, restricted access to good education, healthcare services, and environmental degradation. Today they have missions around the world supporting communities in places such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti.
Yoti’s support will be focused on the ongoing development of Humansis, an open source web-based platform that humanitarian organisations use to ensure they reach their beneficiaries wherever they are, quickly and securely. According to James Happell, Humansis Product Owner, “People in Need are incredibly excited to be involved in Yoti’s Humanitarian Tech Support Programme. We are looking forward to finding solutions to the identification challenges that face the most vulnerable populations who we serve every day.”
Bitprop
Bitprop creates assets and income streams for underdeveloped markets by enabling investment into backyard rental property at a macro scale. Using innovative thinking and technology, Bitprop secures title deeds and manages rental income for those that need it most. They then attract investment from multiple sources and use it to help each homeowner secure their title (asset) and develop their property to secure income (rent) in a sustainable and replicable manner. Bitprop also manages the tenant sourcing and rental income for the homeowner and shares the rent so that the homeowner receives a new income stream from the first month, and the investors receive a return. With rates of African urbanisation exceeding 23 million people per year, there is a desperate need for good quality living space. There is already a shortage of over 65 million housing units across the continent.
Yoti’s expertise will be used by Bitprop to help establish and secure the identity of the homeowner, and to streamline the registration process. Products such as Yoti Sign, our biometric document signing solution, are also particularly relevant to Bitprop’s work. According to Glen Jordan, one of the co-founders, “Bitprop is busy creating a new reality in developing world property ownership and development. We have neither the desire nor capacity to re-invent specialised technology and processes already developed by people and companies with far more experience than us, so we are very pleased to be working with Yoti in the area of personal identification – a key building block for everything that we do.”
Humanity Data Systems
Humanity Data Systems is a startup dedicated to leveraging data analytics, machine learning and AI to improve the efficiency of aid delivery. Their objective is to help humanitarian actors – from local organisations operating on the ground to global agencies – respond better and quicker to the needs of vulnerable populations in conflict zones.
Given the challenges present in the region, and the lack of tools available to organisations working there, Humanity Data Systems are currently focused on the Middle East, with their first products designed to help organisations understand what resources to deploy, where, how, when and by whom, with a realistic understanding of risk, and to track aid delivery and report easily to stakeholders.
According to Bonnie Chiu, Co-Founder and CEO of Humanity Data Systems, “We are really excited to benefit from the wisdom and expertise of Yoti and Ken. Yoti, as a certified B Corp, has shown genuine commitment to using technology to create social good and we are excited to learn from them as we embark on a similar mission. We are also confident that we can accelerate our progress, benefiting from the wisdom and expertise of Ken, with his decades of global development experience in this field.”
More on the Humanitarian Tech Support Programme
Our Humanitarian Tech Support Programme is one activity from our wider Social Purpose Strategy. While the Programme has now reached capacity, if you’d like to talk more about how we might be able to support your humanitarian efforts in other ways please do get in touch.
We’d love to hear from you.