Loop is the independent voice for people receiving aid. All over the world millions of people receive aid from charities, governments and NGOs. Yet those people rarely have the opportunity to give feedback about that aid and whether it is effective and truly beneficial for them. Alex Carle, a former Director of Programs and Partnerships with British Red Cross, is one of many people in the humanita
rian sector who have been observing this problem for years. Two years ago she founded a charity to develop the Loop platform: to give voice to the unheard people, who are amongst the poorest and most marginalised in the world. Loop uses existing phone and computer technology to allow people receiving aid to give feedback; safely, easily, and without having to wait to be asked. Wherever they are, from the remotest rural communities to urban areas in crisis, anyone receiving aid can use Loop to tell their own story and shape the services being provided for them. The organisations providing aid also benefit from Loop, with the ability to access feedback data on an ongoing basis, so they can constantly improve what they do. People can use Loop online or on their phone using SMS. Loop is accessible in local languages, and it doesn’t even depend on literacy: users can speak their stories using any phone. Loop also provides a safe channel for the reporting of serious complaints about exploitation, fraud and abuse. Importantly, Loop is completely independent and not managed by any other aid organisation or NGO. Loop’s mission is to be a truly global platform for people to feedback on humanitarian and development services in their communities. In 2021 Loop went live in the Philippines and in Zambia, and it will soon roll out to Somalia, with the ambition to have the platform available in at least 50 countries with over 100 million site visits per year by 2030.
