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Annual Report 2017

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World
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TSF
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Executive Summary

The year 2017 was poignantly marked by numerous humanitarian dramas around the world. From devastating natural disasters to deadly conflicts, Télécoms Sans Frontières has remained mobilised and adapted its response to the specific needs of the affected populations, introducing new and innovative means of providing communications aid.

The powerful hurricanes that devastated the West Indies in September reminded us of the fragility of human infrastructure in the face of natural elements, with levels of destruction reaching 90% in certain countries. Amongst the first international NGOs in the field, TSF allowed local authorities and hundreds of emergency actors to coordinate relief for the hundreds of thousands of people affected.

Given the scale of the disaster and the difficulties in getting around, TSF launched a brand new service to bring technologies closer to populations. For the first time ever, the most remote areas benefited from high-speed Wi-Fi access thanks to an ambulant Wi-Fi service, allowing TSF to cover a broader beneficiary base.

For the sixth consecutive year, TSF maintained its unwavering support to the medical and educational sectors in Syria, regardless of increasingly difficult circumstances. The role of TSF has become increasingly important in Syria as the years have gone on.

Despite the countless changes in territorial control, TSF has constantly adapted its response to provide technical means to people who risk their lives trying to save those of others. Our satellite connections have been strategically repositioned to optimise the provision of vital medical care, whilst our educational activities have also been relocated to support displaced Syrian children and refugees.

Beyond its emergency deployments, TSF maintained its goal of transmitting expertise and know-how to the benefit of projects and longer-term programmes in areas ranging from protection & assistance to bridging the digital divide.

As we enter into our 20th anniversary year, thanks to our partners’ unwavering fidelity, TSF remains the leading NGO in new technologies and telecommunications in crisis situations, striving to constantly develop innovative solutions adapted to specific contexts of each of our missions.
Jean-François Cazenave President & Co-founder