The Syrian refugee crisis, despite being out of the media spotlight, has lasting effects. As one of NetHope’s longest lasting projects, we have provided connectivity in the Greek-based refugee settlements for the last four years, funded through our various partners and, for the last 10 months, by a special grant provided by the International Office of Migration (IOM). This funding has allowed NetHope to “go the extra mile” to continue connectivity for the residents of these settlements as well as organizations supporting them.

Beginning in 2020, the IOM and Greece’s Reception and Identification Services (RIS) agency will take over responsibilities for the maintenance of these networks. NetHope is confident that the networks will be in good hands as the reins of this project are handed over to these two entities. This will continue service, uninterrupted, for the thousands of refugees who still reside in these settlements.

NetHope is grateful for the support we have received to continue this vital service for these many years.

We thank the original partners who provided funding, technical and equipment assistance, and expertise for the first portion of this project—Cisco, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, The Patterson Foundation, and TripAdvisor—and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN agency that oversees migrant and refugee programs around the world, which extended funding to see the program through to the end of 2019. We also thank the IOM and Greek Reception and Identification Service for assuming continued maintenance of the networks, and engineers Nikos Nassopoulos and Ilias Papadopoulous for their incredible service.

Read past posts on the Syrian Refugee Crisis:

Filed Under: Emergency Response, Refugees, Syria Refugee Crisis, Technology in Our World