[SatNews] Internet connectivity assistance has been donated by the Company to relief efforts in Libya...

To assist Germany-based NGO Welthungerhlife in its work to provide clean water, sanitation, roads and agriculture for refugee camps in war-torn Liberia, Miami-based NewCom International recently donated a year’s worth of Internet connectivity to three remote field offices scattered throughout the country. The Companuy is donating the satellite-based Internet service to enable field workers to coordinate with central staff and other NGOs to facilitate the delivery of non-food items and other critical supplies into the camps. “At NewCom, we  see the human face behind today’s communications technology and are always looking at ways to bundle communications services  to foster education, advance health care, secure public safety and improve living conditions for people residing in developing countries around the globe,” said Dora Mejia, director of Business Development for NewCom International. “Welthungerhlife originally approached us to provide internet connectivity for other operations and when they told us about their field work in Liberia and the critical need for internet and voice communications there, we knew we wanted to help.”


Welthungerhlfe, which has supported more than 5,500 projects in more than 70 countries since it was founded in 1962, provides the crucial infrastructure necessary to help prevent spread of disease in Liberian refugee camps and ensure life-saving supplies can be brought into the camps. The organization builds wells to provide clean drinking water for refugees, and oversees the construction of latrines to help with sanitation. Welthungerhlife is also charged with constructing and maintaining roads and bridges so other NGOs can get to and from the camps.  In addition to supporting the refugee camps, Welthungerhlife works with local communities along the roads from the border, where the largest number of refugees are hosted. Welthungerhlife assists these communities with tools and seeds to enable refugees to become self-sustainable in their food supply, and provides water and sanitation infrastructure to facilitate the sudden huge increase in population.

“The Internet links help us and our NGO partners to communicate with our regional and head offices on logistics—which is a very difficult aspect in a country with such bad infrastructure,” said Andre Stelder, who oversees projects for Welthungerhlife in Liberia.  “In the rainy season, it is hard or even impossible to reach some of the refugee sites to bring supplies even though we are constantly working to keep roads and bridges open, so communications are essential. NewCom's donation helps us in our work because any money we save on our operations can be used to do more for beneficiaries.”