Facebook Launches Community Help on Facebook Lite

Facebook is adding Community Help to Facebook Lite in more than 100 countries, including Thailand, so people and organisations on Facebook Lite and in areas of low connectivity will now be able to connect with one another to directly support each other with goods and services like water, supplies, or shelter after a crisis.

Community Help is a part of Crisis Response on Facebook where people come to let friends and family know they’re safe, learn and share more about what’s happening, and help communities recover. In times of crisis, people turn to Facebook to check on loved ones and get updates. It’s in these moments that communication is most critical for both people in the affected areas and for their friends and families anxious for news.

However, in some areas around the world, networks can be slow and unreliable. This can be even more challenging after a crisis, when communication is critical.

Launched in 2015, Facebook Lite is a standalone app designed for people to access Facebook in areas with low connectivity or limited coverage. Used by people in more than 100 countries in 55 languages, Facebook Lite consumes less data, installs rapidly, loads quickly and works well across all network conditions, even 2G.

“Our priority is to build tools that provide people with ways to get the help they need to recover and rebuild after a crisis. By making Community Help available on Facebook Lite, even more people can get the help they need in times of crisis.” Jeong-Suh Choi, Crisis Response Product Manager, Facebook.

Following the launch of Safety Check on Facebook Lite earlier this year, the addition of Community Help is another step in creating tools on Facebook that allows people to support their community, and the communities they care about, to recover from, and survive a crisis.