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

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – In a small corner inside the Taqat Gaza co-working space, 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. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list 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] Missing belongings Bahaa al-Mallahi, a 26-year-old information systems graduate, was at the same hackathon as Saja. …