Capacity Media/ITW supports the emergency relief work of Télécoms Sans Frontières, please contact: ros.irving@capacitymedia.com if you would like any further information.








Founded in 1998, Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) / Telecom Without Bordersis the world’s leading emergency telecommunications non-profit organisation. Since 1998, TSF has participated in international emergency efforts, setting up emergency communications facilities in war-torn or disaster zones for affected populations and relief workers.

With its 24-hour monitoring center and offices in Europe, Central America, Asia, and its office in the United States, TSF is among the first to arrive after a catastrophe. 



TSF rapid-response teams: 

(1) Intervene anywhere in the world in less than 24 hours to provide emergency broadband service. 
Once on the ground in an emergency, TSF deploys specialists to wherever survivors have found shelter and offers a free three-minute phone call to every family. These calls are frequently the first contact displaced persons have with the outside world. Simultaneously, TSF specialists establish emergency telecom centres for emergency responders. The centres offer – at no charge – broadband Internet access, voice communications, fax lines and all the IT equipment needed for a field office. These centres enable emergency NGOs, the UN agencies, and local authorities to communicate right at the heart of a crisis. They also facilitate the coordination of aid efforts. TSF rapid response teams also assist local governments and emergency response coordinators to perform ICT assessments of damaged areas.

(2) Work with partners to make long-term development missions more effective and efficient using broadband and empower advances in health, development, education, and food security. 
The aim of TSF’s longer-term prevention and development activity is to bridge the digital divide and to use ICTs to allow local partners to more effectively and effectively advance their goals in areas such as health, agriculture, education, economic development, and crisis prevention.

TSF’s programs directly benefit the local populations, very poor people who struggle for a better life, and the following objectives are attained:
- Improving the quality of life for the population through the implementation and the reinforcement of activities that respond to their special needs.
- Participation in the development of the community thanks to reducing the digital divide and the sharing of information; this acts positively upon the local economy.
- Effective participation in the development of any local initiatives and their coordination.

(3) Train governments, UN staff, and NGOs on how to use telecom and Internet tools in emergencies.
In order to enable optimum efficiency and coordination of local response structures, TSF has for the last 5 years been developing and running disaster relief and preparedness training programs in the field of emergency telecommunications; these courses are open to the global community of humanitarian aid workers.  



In 14 years, TSF has deployed to more than 60 countries on five continents, supporting over 650 relief organizations and providing humanitarian calling operations to hundreds of thousands of people in need. TSF is partner of the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and UNICEF. TSF was designated “First Emergency Telecoms Responder” within the United Nations Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC).



For more info please visit the website: www.tsfi.org