UNHCR Brings Services Closer to Refugees Through Innovation
The toll free number, 0800720063, is expected to improve Individual Case Management (ICM), identify and fast-track vulnerable cases, reduce costs associated with accessing UNHCR such as transport and the time spent trying to gain access to UNHCR services.
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR Kenya, has launched a helpline to enable refugees to have access to information without coming to the office physically. Refugees, asylum-seekers and new arrivals will now be able to channel their queries and requests through this innovative approach. The helpline is a project conceived by UNHCR Kenya Office to provide telephony access to its services to the over 486,000 refugees and asylum-seekers. The toll free number, 0800720063, is expected to improve Individual Case Management (ICM), identify and fast-track vulnerable cases, reduce costs associated with accessing UNHCR such as transport and the time spent trying to gain access to UNHCR services. UNHCR/Modesta Ndubi
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR Kenya, has launched a helpline to enable refugees to have access to information without coming to the office physically. Refugees, asylum-seekers and new arrivals will now be able to channel their queries and requests through this innovative approach.
The helpline is a project conceived by UNHCR Kenya Office to provide telephony access to its services to the over 486,000 refugees and asylum-seekers.
The toll free number, 0800720063, is expected to improve Individual Case Management (ICM), identify and fast-track vulnerable cases, reduce costs associated with accessing UNHCR such as transport and the time spent trying to gain access to UNHCR services.
The helpline is also expected to facilitate the collection, collation and sharing of verified information from UNHCR and its partner organizations and to provide increased accountability for case officers by providing for alternative official follow-up mechanism.
UNHCR call agents receive calls from the refugees or asylum-seekers and they close the cases that they can immediately through the provision of information. Cases that require some form of feedback from a case officer are escalated to the identified officer for follow-up. A concrete call-back durations is always given to the caller.
“Sensitive cases which are forwarded by the hotline agents are handled by specific focal points in the various protection units such as refugee status determination, data management, protection delivery and resettlement among others.” Said UNHCR Assistant Representative (Protection), Catherine Hamon Sharpe.
The helpline is currently being manned by ten (10) agents who cater for 12 languages that is English, Swahili, French, Arabic, Somali, Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromo, Kinyamulenge, Kirwanda, Dinka and Kirundi. All callers get a language selection prompt when they dial the toll-free number.
The hotline is currently being manned by ten (10) agents who cater for 12 languages that is English, Swahili, French, Arabic, Somali, Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromo, Kinyamulenge, Kirwanda, Dinka and Kirundi. UNHCR/M.Ndubi
The UNHCR call agents have been trained on how to handle the cases received, receive the calls and reduce the callers’ requests into short actionable statements using the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software.
The helpline is a confidential service. Strict caller authentication procedures through which the sharing of confidential information is mediated have also been put in place.
The helpline does not negate other access services offered by UNHCR. The caller makes a personal choice of not physically coming to UNHCR offices. Additionally, information about UNHCR partners and the services they provide will also be availed to the callers.
“The helpline also comes in support of UNHCR’s goal to entrust Refugee Affairs Secretariat (RAS) with enhanced protection delivery functions while ensuring that persons of concern have an easier access to general and individual case information”. Emphasised Ms. Catherine Hamon Sharpe.
Currently, the helpine operates from 8am – 5pm but there are plans to make it a 24-hours system. Before the 24-hour system becomes fully functional, voicemail has been introduced.
Since the inception of the helpline two months ago, over 2000 calls have so far been effectively handled as cases. These are the calls whose resolution required the specific input of case-officers. The first call was received on 23 February 2017 from a Congolese refugee who was following up on his case.
In April 2017 alone, 2159 calls were answered and a total of 1400 cases were handled.