SESP already understood the power of communication technologies and the role they play during a disaster; until then, they were often overlooked. If this seems obvious to us today, let’s remember that at the time, the flip phone was king and cell phones only allowed for calling and sending texts. The first smartphone wouldn’t appear for another seven years, and with it, the widespread use of mobile internet.

Over the past 20 years, SESP have participated in over 20 missions in 12 countries. These include natural disasters such as Hurricane Maria in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico or Cyclone Idai in Mozambique. But this program also covers health emergencies such as the Ebola crisis in West Africa and ongoing crises in places like South Sudan, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.