BIOMETRICS FOR

NON-PROFIT

SOLUTIONS FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

BAYOMETRIC

MARCH 12, 2017

Written & Compiled By

Danny Thakkar

CEO & Co-Founder

“ 99% of maternal deaths occur due to lack of proper health care.

Every year a staggering 1.5 million children die of vaccine preventable diseases in the developing world.

” WHO World Health Organization.

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INTRODUCTION

Fingerprint biometrics is an effective tool that

can be used by non-profit organizations to

guarantee secure and reliable access of aid and

protection to the needy people. Biometrics is a

digital innovation that can be used to improve

people’s lives significantly and help to make a

great social and economic change. Biometric

technologies are the perfect combination of

security and convenience that enable only

authorised users to access aid and welfare

services as well as prevent any unauthorised

access. It helps to eliminate fraud and reduces

errors in the identification and authentication

process.

Image: Ridge points in fingerprint matching

Fingerprint biometrics is the oldest and

probably the most well-known biometric

modality. This popularity can be attributed to

the widespread adoption of fingerprint

technology in various industries such as law

enforcement coupled with the availability of

various low-cost fingerprint solutions. The

process of fingerprint authentication has been

reliably automated and fingerprint readers are

now a common security feature in the newer

generation of mobile devices.

WHY IS BIOMETRICS NECESSARY IN THE

NON-PROFIT SECTOR?

The ability to accurately verify the identity of

clients is critical to the core responsibilities of

non-profit organizations. Any loophole in the

identity verification mechanism of clients can

mean duplicating of services, providing aid and

benefits to impostors and collecting of bad or

unreportable data that can negatively impact

future distribution of services.

Biometrics is the only solution that helps to

establish the correct identity of clients in real-

time and at the same time protects their

privacy and anonymity. Biometrics has a very

strong authentication mechanism as compared

to other traditional methods such as passwords

or identity cards. Biometric identifiers are based

on the unique physical or biological

characteristics of individuals such as

fingerprints, iris etc. Thus biometrics can be

used to strongly link a stored fingerprint

template to the actual person it represents.

Non-profit organizations recognize that absence

of official identity documentation acts as a

major hindrance to people’s access to basic

rights and healthcare services. This obstacle of

identification gap can be resolved with

fingerprint biometrics as it is very flexible

compared to other techniques such as identity

cards. Fingerprints are part of the individual’s

body and will always be available with the

person wherever he or she goes. Thus

individuals can easily prove their identity using

fingerprints.

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In under-developed and developing countries,

non-profit organizations have sustainable

development goals such as ending extreme

poverty and preventing new-born deaths. It is

extremely crucial for non-profit organizations to

measure who they have reached and more

importantly who they haven’t. A fingerprint

identification system helps the non-profit

organizations to overcome these challenges and

enables rapid identification of beneficiaries

regardless of whether they have access to a

formal ID.

WHAT ARE THE APPLICATIONS THAT CAN

BENEFIT FROM FINGERPRINT BIOMETRICS IN

THE NON-PROFIT SECTOR?

Many applications can benefit from the

implementation of fingerprint biometrics in the

non-profit sector as discussed below.

Distribution of Aid

Every year billions of dollars are lost by

developing countries due to corruption and

misdistribution of aid. A study conducted by the

World Bank reported that only 41% of grains

meant for the poor reached out its intended

beneficiaries as part of the Indian food

programs. It also estimated the loss in other

subsidies at 20% which costing almost $10

billion to the Indian government every year.

The reason for these losses and misdistribution

is because of the lack of proper identification

system for citizens. Until now, there was no

way to track citizens who lack identity

documentation such as birth certificate or social

security number. The adoption of fingerprint

identification systems at every point-of-

distribution will enable to link each claim for aid

to the beneficiary. It will help non-profit

organizations and the policy makers to fight

corruption and be rest assured that the aid

reaches its intended beneficiaries.

Maternal health

In developing countries, 99% of maternal

deaths occur due to lack of proper health care.

A vast majority of maternal deaths can be

prevented by providing timely care. Although a

minimum of four check-ups before birth is

recommended by the World Health

Organization, only 39% of all mothers actually

receive these visits.

The primary reasons for this low percentage are

the challenges in identification and

accountability. Due to the absence of

government identification cards, it is difficult to

account for the women who have already had a

check-up and track their record. Fingerprint

biometrics makes it extremely convenient for

these women to get their check-up as well as

for health workers who can facilitate their

duties better. Fingerprint biometrics is very

powerful as it helps to identify patients reliably

and find the right record instantly with the

simple tap of a finger. This will ensure that

every child and mother have access to proper

healthcare.

Education

In poor and marginalised communities, teacher

absenteeism stands as a major bottleneck in

delivering education to all. This can be resolved

to an extent by monitoring of attendance but

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that takes up additional resources and time. A

research report by MIT found that monitoring

of attendance can reduce absenteeism by 20%

and boost graduation rates by almost 40%.

However, an effective attendance monitoring

system is needed. This system should be cost-

effective as well as eliminate any manual

reconciliation of attendance records.

Attendance tracking for teachers and students

can be improved significantly by adopting a

fingerprint system. The difference between

students learning and an empty classroom can

be a simple fingerprint swipe. Fingerprint

biometrics will ensure that all individuals have

access to education.

Data collection

The advancements in technology have

immensely helped the cause of mobile data

collection. Researchers and other non-profit

organizations are now able to gather critical

data on the front lines quickly and efficiently.

However, there is one factor that stops the

organizations from consistently linking

respondents over a period of time. The factor is

identification bottleneck which also reduces the

quality of data that is collected.

Biometrics can help overcome these

identification issues. A fingerprint system will

help bridge the identification gap and enable

robust and reliable data collection even in the

most far-flung communities. Even in areas such

as mountainous regions, mobile fingerprint

systems will enable to identify beneficiaries and

maintain consistent records.

Microfinance

In the developing world, microfinance has

made inroads into almost all corners. However,

the key industry challenge in the world of

microfinance is the screening of borrowers who

take multiple loans. Multiple borrowing is a

major issue and has driven the market

collapses that took place in Nicaragua, Bosnia

and Andhra Pradesh. Yale has performed

randomised control trials which show that the

adoption of biometrics can increase the

repayment rates among high-risk borrowers

from 44% to 85%. This is a significant

improvement that can bring down interest rates

and help microfinance institutions save millions

of dollars lost in bad loan cases.

Fingerprint system will help to track borrowers

with their unique biometric identifier and

provide a record of their loan history. Any loan

defaulter who comes subsequently can also be

tracked as his record will show up on a

fingerprint swipe.

Immunisations

It is a very well-known fact that immunisations

can decrease mortality rates and is a very

successful and cost-effective health intervention

method. But in the developing world it can be

extremely difficult to administer vaccinations to

all children due to identification challenges.

Every year a staggering 1.5 million children die

of vaccine preventable diseases in the

developing world. Moreover, 17% of the deaths

occur in children who are below 5 years old.

These numbers indicate the magnitude of the

challenges that occur due to lack of proper

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identification. A fingerprint system will help

resolve these identity issues and save the lives

of millions of children in the developing world.

A combination of fingerprint hardware and

software will help the non-profit organizations

to track the children receiving vaccination and

also have an account of their health records.

EXAMPLES OF BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGY

IMPLEMENTATION IN THE NON-PROFIT

SECTOR

Operation ASHA is a non-profit organization

that has adopted fingerprint technology for

reaching out to the poor residents in India’s

urban slums and villages that need treatment

for tuberculosis. Tuberculosis patients require

76 doses of medicines and the complete

treatment takes almost six months which

makes it very challenging for patients,

supervisors and health workers.

Image: Biometrics to track India’s tuberculosis cases - Voice of America

Operation ASHA has adopted fingerprint

biometrics to provide efficient healthcare

treatment to tuberculosis patients located in

disadvantaged areas. The patient’s fingerprints

and other essential details are registered in the

biometric system after the first diagnosis.

Thereafter, patients need to scan their

fingerprints every time they visit the centre for

their medicine dose. The fingerprint system

provides concrete evidence of every patient

visit and ensures that the medicine was given

under supervision. This has helped to achieve a

very high success rate among the patients.

Image: eCompliance Biometric Tracking System - Operation ASHA

The successful adoption of fingerprint

technology by operation ASHA has propelled

the implementation of fingerprint technology

among patients in many other countries such as

Uganda, Peru and Dominican Republic.

Image: UNHCR staff demonstrates the biometrics data-gathering process for refugees

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Another successful biometric implementation

was done by the United Nation High

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in early

2013. The pilot program enrolled the biometric

data of more than 17,000 people and had their

identities verified at the Malawi Refugee Camp.

The success of the pilot program in Malawi

created confidence in the biometric program

and Thailand was chosen as the site for the

global roll-out. In June 2015, the UNHCR

completed biometric registration for nearly

110,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand’s border

camps. This was indeed a blessing for many of

the refugees who had lost their identity

documents during the flight and would have

faced problems later in gaining access to aid

and protection.

ADVANTAGES OF FINGERPRINT TECHNOLOGY

IN NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Fingerprint systems ensure a very high

accuracy rate and secure identification of

beneficiaries.

A simple fingerprint scan allows quick and easy

access to records. Health workers in the field

thus make better decisions as they now have

immediate and reliable access to crucial medical

information of patients.

Fingerprints are unique to each individual and

therefore eliminate de-duplication of records.

Fingerprint technology assures the privacy of

individuals as they do not convey any personal

information such as health status, race or

gender and can be reliably used instead of

names.

Increases program accountability as

beneficiaries need to scan their fingerprints for

every visit.

Accurate identification ensures that goods and

services are provided only to the intended

beneficiaries and impostors are refused.

The fingerprint identification of every

beneficiary helps to maintain data integrity by

producing transparent, accurate and compelling

data. Constituents and stakeholders can be

provided with reliable reports that help to

protect the interests of the non-profit

organization.

CONCLUSION

Fingerprint biometrics is a cost-effective

solution that can help non-profit organizations

to tackle its identity management challenges

and control the access to services and benefits.

Non-profit organizations will experience

improved operational efficiency due to the

savings of valuable volunteer and staff time.

Fingerprint technology enables non-profit

organizations to accurately identify beneficiaries

and refuse services to impostors thereby

eliminating any chances of fraud.

BIOMETRICS FOR NON-PROFIT

Bayometric

1743 Park Avenue

San Jose, CA, 95126

sales@bayometric.com

t. 877.917.3287 (USA)

t. 408.940.3955 (INT)

AUTHOR

DANNY THAKKAR CEO & Co-Founder

Danny Thakkar is the CEO and Co-Founder of Bayometric,

one of the leading biometric solution providers in the

world. He has been in the Biometric Industry for 10+

years and has extensive experience across public and

private sector verticals. Currently, he is chief evangelist for

Touch N Go.

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REFERENCES 1. Biometric Fingerprint System to Enable Rapid and Accurate Identification of Beneficiaries –

NCBI

2. Biometrics at the Frontiers: Assessing the Impact on Society – European Commission

3. Nonprofit Uses Biometrics Technology to Monitor India’s Tuberculosis Cases – Biometric

Update

4. Biometrics for Non-profit Organizations – Iritech