The World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), are set to work with telecommunication companies to text people directly on their mobile phones with vital health messaging to help protect them from COVID-19.
These text messages will reach billions of people that aren’t able to connect to the internet for information.
Now more than ever, technology must ensure that everyone can access the information they need. The collaboration will start in the Asia Pacific region and then roll out globally.
The goal is to reach everyone with vital health messages, whatever their connectivity level. An estimated 3.6 billion people remain offline, with most people who are unconnected living in low-income countries, where an average of just two out of every ten people are online.
ITU and WHO call on all telecommunication companies worldwide to join this initiative to help unleash the power of communication technology to save lives from COVID-19.
