Missions

A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on Saturday 14 August. TSF deployed a team from its headquarters to provide humanitarian assistance in the affected area.

ICT to help bridge the digital divide in Nicaragua's remote and rural communities

Near the northern border of Nicaragua, Telpaneca is a district populated by indigenous populations. In the eponymous town of 20,000 inhabitants, the economy relies mainly on the production of bananas and coffee. The IT Cup centre opened by TSF in partnership with the PIT facilitates access to ICT for students, teachers, farmers and local NGOs. It also enables residents to learn about the uses of the internet, to improve their daily lives.

After the hurricane, the most affected cities of Jérémie and Les Cayes were deprived of contact with the outside world. TSF teams were on hand to provide the essential communications to rescue teams and residents.

TSF organised a capacity building programme to strengthen the humanitarian response system through the optimal use of technologies

TSF contributes to narrowing the digital divide in some of the world’s most remote and vulnerable areas. For the past 10 years, TSF, from its regional base in Nicaragua, has been providing computer and Internet training sessions to the inhabitants of the San Bartolo area. This region situated in the northwest of the country, far from the other main cities, is characterized by its poorly developed rural areas.

Between August 2010 and February 2011, TSF trained 102 staff members from organisations and humanitarian agencies in Asia and Central and Latin America to improve effective use of telecommunications service in emergency situations.

The 2010 earthquake in Haiti is a humanitarian crisis that remains engraved in the memories of people across the globe. With more than 220,000 fatalities, and over 1 million people left without a roof over their heads, relief efforts were titanic. With the support of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations body (ECHO), TSF provided satellite telecommunications support for the humanitarian response community, including the government and the United Nations, whilst working to provide communications services for thousands of families.

Hurricane Ida swept the coasts of Nicaragua and El Salvador in November 2009. At the request of UNDAC, TSF teams traveled to both countries to provide communications to the United Nations assessment teams.

TSF supported satellite communications and IT resource centres for humanitarian emergency operations following four hurricanes in Haiti.

Following Hurricane Felix, TSF installed three emergency communication centres for the United Nations and the humanitarian community in the Puerto Cabezas region, in partnership with the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO).

Just after having returned from their mission in Guatemala, TSF Latin America teams are again called upon by Managua's authorities.