Digital CEA Solutions Offering
08 September 2026
Humanitarian action thrives when it’s guided by community voices. Amid the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Red Cross Society intended to gain an unbiased understanding of the needs of people affected, and target activities to the needs identified. Together with the Netherlands Red Cross, the National Society decided to pilot the Social Media Listening (SML) tool, which they now operate and maintain autonomously. This initiative has been funded by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)’s emergency appeal to support the regional response in Ukraine and impacted countries.
How SML works
Using SML, National Societies pull data from instant messaging platforms to learn what those impacted by crises are expressing about their situation, needs, and interactions with those providing assistance to identify key insights and trends. This analysis improves internal reporting and enables National Societies to refine activities, programmes, and information campaigns. SML follows a simple workflow:
An AI model scrapes and translates thousands of messages posted from instant messaging platforms, removing personally identifiable information and classifying it among relevant topics such as shelter, food or health (1). These messages are then read, and their topics validated, by expert analysts (2). The insights are finally visualized in a dashboard, where users can see prominent message clusters sorted by topics (3). Only the AI model is managed and hosted by the Netherlands Red Cross, whereas the other steps can be entirely carried out by the National Society using SML. This workflow reflects a human-centred design approach: intuitive tools, local language support, and user-friendly interfaces.
“SML shows that collecting feedback on social media can be effective. It can significantly improve the understanding of needs and feedback in communities and enhance the overall quality of reporting.”
From service to self‑reliance
To strengthen ownership, the Ukrainian Red Cross Society decided to transition from being a service recipient to operating SML autonomously. After training by the Netherlands Red Cross, National Society staff can now use the tool to explore trends directly. All training materials were designed for non-technical participants and provide practical, hands-on experience towards building a feedback loop. The National Society no longer has to wait on external reports and can expedite insights on its own, enabling assistance with impact.
“I believe that SML can become a powerful tool for understanding the needs of the population, providing deeper insights into sentiments. This, in turn, will help improve the quality of both reporting and response.”
Tangible impact, local ownership
The shift from dependency to autonomy has translated into a much quicker identification of emerging needs, shaping the Ukrainian Red Cross Society’s response in a way that reaches communities. Between January 2024 and July 2025, over 83,000 messages were scraped across six Telegram groups in a data-sensitive manner. The initiative demonstrates how digital innovation, when co-designed, responsibly built, and locally scaled, can empower National Societies to direct their own activities.
“SML helped us understand the practical issues and information gaps people displaced from Ukraine have been facing. Recognising people’s concerns and how those changed over time gave National Societies the opportunity to adapt their work to better meet people’s evolving needs.”
Ready to listen smarter?
A data science background is not necessary to listen at scale. The Ukraine pilot of SML proves that user-friendly tools and the right support are enough to turn insight into impact. Are you curious about using social media insights to inform your response, and looking for a low-maintenance solution your team can own? Let’s explore how we can make SML work for your context, together!
