CONTENT WARNING: VIOLENCE Customer spotlight Information as The International Rescue Committee’s Signpost project provides people empowerment displaced by violence with access to life-saving resources One in every 100 people in the world is a Now, when a refugee or displaced person refugee, according to the United Nations. reaches out to the Signpost Twilio-powered The International Rescue Committee (IRC) WhatsApp number, they get an immediate knows access to information can mean the response. The return message provides topics difference between freedom and persecution the refugee could learn more about, from for refugees navigating their journey to COVID-19 health information, to legal support, safety. The IRC team launched Signpost, a women’s health, food security, housing, and Thanks to Twilio, we can now have mobile website for life-saving information on more. When they ask about a particular a real-time dialogue with a woman legal aid, housing, food, and healthcare, at topic, the bot responds with more resources. who’s fleeing from armed actors in the height of the refugee crisis in Europe. If a refugee has a unique question or wants El Salvador with her kid. She wants to talk to a person, the chatbot seamlessly to know where’s safe, who can she Following the success of Signpost, IRC wanted connects them to a trained moderator. trust, if there’s a safe house—and to expand the program to address needs of we’re able to respond to her." displaced people in Guatemala, Honduras, Twilio's automated messaging systems enable and El Salvador. IRC learned that people in the Signpost moderators to keep up with demand region preferred to engage over WhatsApp to for information, which increased multiple times get trusted information, instead of a website. at the start of the pandemic. In the first quarter DAVID MILIBAND That’s why IRC chose Twilio’s cloud contact after launching in El Salvador, Honduras, and (HE/HIM) center, Twilio Flex, to build their helpline. Using Guatemala, IRC's Twilio-powered helpline — PRESIDENT & CEO, IRC Twilio Flex, IRC was able to engage refugees supported 3,412 people and powered 25,181 over WhatsApp, build chatbots, and integrate messages. Moving forward, IRC plans to expand their internal case management system. its WhatsApp refugee helpline to other regions, including the U.S. and parts of Europe.