There's an app for that: Gaza's developers use tech to solve war problems

"Saja al-Ghoul sat working on her latest mobile app idea. The 23-year-old programmer, like her colleagues working from the space, is focused on developing apps that can help solve some of the difficulties of living in the Palestinian enclave. Identifying a problem is not difficult; two years of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, and a ceasefire that has not stopped attacks, or allowed for proper reconstruction to take place, mean that the enclave is teeming with crises."

"Saja's app is called Waselni Arabic for help me reach my destination. She aims to help alleviate the transportation problems Palestinians in Gaza face. The app allows people to share rides and coordinate trips with one another to reduce transportation costs, which have risen dramatically in recent months. It also includes a prepaid electronic wallet to bypass the worsening cash crisis brought on by the war."

"Anyone can propose a trip, for example, from al-Shifa area to as-Saraya in central Gaza City at 8am, and then other people can join the same ride and split the cost, Saja explained. Saja al-Ghoul's app, Waselni, aims to help Palestinians in Gaza share transportation costs [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]"

"Bahaa al-Mallahi, a 26-year-old information systems graduate, was at the same hackathon as Saja. His app idea focuses on another problem that has become prevalent during the war: the loss of belongings. People lost almost everything during displacement, Bahaa said. Personal belongings, official papers, phones, bags Sometimes, things with little financial value but immense importance to their owners. Bahaa noticed that recovering lost items had become extremely difficult, and that appeals about missing belongings were flooding social media platforms."

Young programmers in Gaza City work in a co-working space to create mobile apps that help people manage daily difficulties intensified by war. One developer builds Waselni, an app for sharing rides and coordinating trips to reduce transportation costs that have risen during recent months. Waselni also includes a prepaid electronic wallet to help users navigate a worsening cash crisis. Another developer focuses on recovering lost belongings after displacement, including personal items, official papers, and phones. He observes that appeals for missing items flood social media and that recovery has become extremely difficult, motivating app-based solutions.

Read at www.aljazeera.com