For refugees fleeing war and persecution, starting over in a foreign country can be a major challenge. RefAid is a mobile app that connects users with local services offered by aid organisations, to help new arrivals re-establish their lives.

Discarded mobile phones recognise when chainsaws are being illegally used in rainforests, an unusual surveillance system that was developed by engineer Topher White, founder of the start up Rainforest Connection.

Palestinian start up Souktel first found life as a platform that connects job seekers in poverty and conflict stricken areas with potential employers using mobile phones. Today, the company uses mobile tech in a number of key ways to promote development across the world.

Africa is developing at an exceptional rate thanks, in part, to mobile technology, something that has been confirmed by a study by the World Bank (PDF).

PeaceTXT uses mobile technology to intervene in areas at risk of outbreaks of violence, directly contacting people in these regions with pro-peace SMS messages.