Japanese multinational technology company NEC Corporation announces collaboration between its African arm NEC XON, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and nonprofit organization Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) to provide a thermography camera in Kenya to help the nation in its fight against COVID-19.
The thermography camera - also known as a thermal imaging camera or an infrared camera - is used to measure the surface body temperature of local residents and refugees living in the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement in Turkana County, the Sub-Saharan nation's largest county by land area in its northwest region. With the new camera, local authorities can now identify persons with elevated body temperatures, which is a common symptom for some infectious diseases, including COVID-19 - therefore mitigating the spread of these diseases.
Through the thermography camera, NEC Corporation aids in the realization of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly its third goal to "ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages."
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 24: A traveler is displayed on a monitor walking past a test system of thermal imaging cameras that check body temperatures at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) amid the COVID-19 pandemic on June 24, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. The system is being tested in the international terminal for twelve weeks and can flag passengers who have a fever, one of the symptoms of the coronavirus.
ALSO READ: South African Scientists Strive to Understand New COVID-19 Variant
The Kalobeyei Settlement
The northern part of Kenya has seen a significant influx of refugees from its neighboring countries, such as South Sudan, for about three decades now. It has become virtually impossible to determine when these refugees could return safely to their home countries - or if they will at all.
This prompted the UN-Habitat, together with the Japanese government since 2016, to work together with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the local Turkana County government to develop the Kalobeyei Settlement. According to the UNHCR, the location tethers on a settlement approach instead of a refugee camp, aiming to help refugees become more self-reliant in the long run. The Kalobeyei Settlement now has about 35,000 residents - refugees and asylum seekers from Kenya's neighbors.
Additionally, Peace Winds Japan has also worked with various United Nations to help improve the living conditions in the settlement by constructing and repairing temporary and permanent housing and building sanitary facilities such as toilets.
Following the global coronavirus pandemic, the Kenyan national government has banned large gatherings and temporarily closed schools from mitigating the spread of the disease. In the Kalobeyei Settlement, major facilities had to close, including its community centers that hosted events connecting refugees and locals.
Turned over last February, NEC XON led the installation of the thermography camera and trained local personnel on how to operate the device in order to help the settlement resume its community activity.
Additionally, NEC Corporation announces its intent to continue to "capitalize on its technologies and services in order to promote the resolution of challenging social issues."
About NEC Corporation
Formerly known as the Nippon Electric Company Limited, the multinational organization has established itself as a world leader in IT and network solutions - including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), and telecommunications. It promotes the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world."
With its proprietary technologies, NEC Corporation supports businesses and communities to keep up with the rapidly changing market and society while maintaining social values of "safety, security, fairness, and efficiency" in promoting a more sustainable world.
RELATED ARTICLE: Kenya Installs a Power Plant that Makes Ocean Water into Drinking Water
Check out more news and information on the Coronavirus Pandemic in Science Times.
