Relif

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and fires cause millions of people to leave their homes in search of a safe space, impacting local economies. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), more than 32 million people were displaced due to disaster-related issues, including over 8 million internally displaced persons.  Despite these numbers, our current humanitarian aid system uses outdated methods for managing the correct information, managing emergency shelters, and the cases of the affected population, which leads to slower emergency responses, poor resource distribution, including duplication of efforts, field discoordination, and also deeper economic problems such as prolonged economic stagnation in areas affected by crises and prolonged trauma and stress.

The methods of collecting, managing, and sharing information are outdated and lack safeguards for the privacy of the population's data, often being managed and shared via spreadsheets, documents, emails, text messages, and WhatsApp, without a systemic and strategic vision.

Likewise, we cannot continue with the current systems of crisis and disaster coordination and management, including case information, emergency shelter, and assistance. There is a need for something that allows a continuous flow of information to emergency agents in real-time and gives more power to the displaced people, including the ability to view their information.

We are currently developing Relif, a cloud-based platform designed to optimize disaster and humanitarian response management and coordination. The platform enables the management of people affected by crises, allowing case management, assistance management, and emergency space management.

Our solutions focus on five key points:

Integrated Information Management and Coordination: Our solution allows organizations working on the same emergency to access beneficiary data from that location, enabling visibility into the assistance being provided and reducing the duplication of efforts. Likewise, it facilitates case referrals and management to other actors without removing the information from the platform, easing coordination.

Real-Time Data: Relif is designed with a coordination perspective beyond just management. Thus, all information entered into the platform can also be converted into valuable data for management and coordination entities, such as statistics on incidents within emergency shelters, entries and exits, and affected people.

More Power to Affected People: Relif is designed to promote better assistance for people affected by disasters and crises. With this in mind, our platform allows individuals supported by organizations to manage their data, approving who also has access to their information and including the status of processes in claims, referrals, and disputes, giving more power to those who truly need it.

Effective Management of Emergency Spaces: At the core of Relif is the management of shelters and emergency camps, providing modules for organizations to effectively manage their shelters, with an entry and exit system, case management integrated into the space, and modules for community participation and feedback, allowing greater interoperability between human rights protection operations and shelter.

Artificial Intelligence for Case Management: Relif uses artificial intelligence to enhance the understanding of cases and streamline claims filing, improving response times in humanitarian crises. With the use of predictive analytics, our platform anticipates needs and efficiently allocates resources, ensuring timely assistance to those in critical situations.

By facilitating real-time data processing, enhancing coordination through integrated systems, and empowering affected individuals to control their information, Relif aims to transform the landscape of disaster response management. Our commitment to leveraging technology for social good puts Relif as a critical tool in the global effort to improve the resilience and responsiveness of humanitarian services and to facilitate the economic recovery of countries affected by disaster.

Relif targets communities affected by natural disasters as well as those impacted by humanitarian crises, with a focus on vulnerable populations such as internally displaced persons, refugees, and residents of disaster-prone areas. These groups are often the hardest hit when disasters strike, typically suffering from disconnected emergency systems, delays in response and resource distribution, and poorly coordinated aid efforts. This population also faces critical challenges due to the outdated nature of emergency management systems, especially in terms of information management and dissemination, as well as restricted access to their own information.

Relif facilitates efficient management across all areas during crises, focusing on maximizing efficiency and collaboration during disasters, and speeding up the response to those affected by disasters, easing access to claims, services, and also their own information. This allows individuals to resolve their issues more quickly, enabling a faster recovery and return to their lives.

We are humanitarian professionals with several years of experience in emergency and disaster operations. Our team includes experts in camp coordination and camp management, protection information management, and technology deployment in highly volatile contexts. In this capacity, we have lived and experienced firsthand what these people need and how current aid systems are inadequate for this population. Our tool was designed with this in mind, built on years of field experience and conversations not only with professionals and organizations working in the area but also with the displaced people affected by disasters, specifically regarding the control over the tools used.

We are currently in the prototype phase of Relif. We have completed the development of the beneficiary management, case management, and housing sections and are now testing these with various organizations that lead emergency operations. We have validated important concepts such as including incident reporting in the shelter sector, and using tags to capture data and indicators better, and we are now focusing on issues like data sharing and security for the platform.

The main factor motivating us to apply for MIT Solve is the opportunity to connect with other professionals and network members, offering feedback and also enabling the growth of Relif not just in reach but also in quality. Similarly, we want to understand how to maximize our impact beyond emergencies, looking into how we can also venture into prevention. Therefore, we believe that MIT Solve would be the perfect place to seek these connections.