Case study: Gravity’s work with refugees in Turkey featured in latest report from Oxford Centre for Technology and Development, “Digital Identity: An Analysis for the Humanitarian Sector”
This month, Gravity’s digital ID solution to support refugees in Turkey increase their employment opportunities through digital education profiles is featured in the new report “Digital Identity: An Analysis for the Humanitarian Sector” written by the Oxford Centre for Technology and Development, commissioned by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and supported by the DIGID consortium (Norwegian Red Cross, Norwegian Refugee Council, Norwegian Church Aid, Save the Children Norway).
The report includes a case study on Gravity’s work to help refugees in Gaziantep, Turkey struggling to find employment because they do not have adequate proof of their educational experiences. As part of a pilot with the Sustainable Development Goals impact accelerator (SDGia) established by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Syrian refugees created verifiable education profiles using Gravity’s digital ID platform that they could then share with potential employers to increase their employment prospects.
With Gravity, refugees can easily compile all of their education credentials from different livelihood training programmes all in one place and digitally share this information with potential employers to increase their employment and livelihood prospects.
According to the report written by Aiden Slavin, Franziska Putz and Dr. Emre Eren Korkmaz:
“Gravity’s work is selected as a case study here because their solution included close collaboration with four other organizations from the start. It thus offered a rife example of interoperability challenges associated with digital ID systems, as well as how the same systems may be used to overcome existing coordination challenges. Moreover, Gravity has made more documentation of this project publicly available.”
Collaboration is key to real impact and innovation, which is why Gravity builds human-centered digital ID solutions that improve interoperability between organizations. Gravity collaborated with Sertifier, Mark Labs, the Gaziantep Chamber of Industry (GSO) and the Gaziantep Chamber of Artisans and Craftsmen (GESOB) to make this work with Syrian refugees in Turkey possible.
Key takeaways from the report’s analysis of the Gravity case study in Turkey:
“Gravity’s experience in Gaziantep demonstrates the value of public-private partnerships as well as how substantial interoperability can be achieved without sacrificing data privacy or individuals’ control over their own data. The example also demonstrates a valuable use-case of how digital ID systems can help migrants throughout their journey.
“Digital ID systems are commonly piloted to support crisis response or more immediate humanitarian assistance, including initial registration for aid as well as short-term assistance, whether in the form of food or cash transfers. Gravity’s work facilitates a vital next step: helping refugees acquire and prove their education and training credentials so they can advance their level of socioeconomic inclusion. Crucially, the Gravity solution was able to help all stakeholders: beneficiaries, aid and training organizations and employers.
Through a series of expert interviews and case studies, the report shows that digital ID has great potential for use in the humanitarian sector, with benefits to organizations and affected communities alike, while also outlining its limitations and the challenges to overcome.
It is hoped that this report will be useful to anyone in the humanitarian sector looking to invest in or develop digital identity solutions like Gravity for their organization.
For the full report and additional readings, please visit the Prepare Center website hosted by the Global Preparedness Center and the American Red Cross and the DIGID website.
Interested in learning how Gravity can help your organization optimize its impact and service delivery? Contact our team.
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