WhatsApp service developed in less than 5 days during the recent Afghanistan crisis
The recent humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has compellingly highlighted Chat’s ability to provide fast, secure and reliable ways to communicate when it is most needed.
Partnering with WhatsApp, the international humanitarian organisation CARE was able to set up a vital support line for its team on the ground in Afghanistan in less than five days. The line was built using Turn.io’s no-code platform and CARE was able to scale the service in real-time.
CARE’s Chat service was developed to focus on helping the organisation support its team members in Afghanistan during a time of crisis. The service provides access to important information as well as frequently asked questions – and ensures teams on the ground are assisted as a matter of urgency.
CARE’s Kabul-based team works on the organisation’s three programmes - Women’s & girls’ empowerment, Enhanced resilience and Humanitarian action. – and, only days after launching, 84.4% of the traffic to CARE’s chat service is coming from the Afghanistan team members.
“The team chat service is exactly what CARE needed to support communications with employees and former employees during the ongoing crisis,” says CARE’s Jessica Kirkwood, Associate Vice President, Supporter Engagement. “The accessibility of the WhatsApp line and the ease-of-use of the Turn.io platform meant we were able to act on the urgency we were feeling about communicating with CARE’s team when the crisis began.”
“We are honored by the opportunity to help support CARE and their important humanitarian work in Afghanistan,” said Ben Supple, Head of Civic Engagement for WhatsApp. “Billions of people around the world rely on WhatsApp to stay connected, and we are increasingly seeing how private messaging can provide vital information and life-saving resources to those who need it most. This reliable and secure service is a powerful example of that.”
The team at Turn.io partnered with CARE to get the service live and then scaled as needed. The platform’s ability to increase access to relevant, automated information helps amplify knowledge and so plays an important role in reducing the burden on teams at all times – but especially during a crisis.
“Supporting people amidst a crisis - be it humanitarian or climate - is a difficult challenge that requires sustained effort and empathetic conversations,” concludes Turn.io’s Gustav Praekelt. “The service line that CARE developed for its team in Afghanistan shows how Chat can be used effectively, securely and rapidly for this much-needed support.”
* Photograph courtesy of UN OCHA/CARE
