Helpers, 1st place

Bienvenidos! A Helpers.

With 27,435 votes, this Argentinian/Uruguayan organization will now be able to make their program available outside of South America. Using a phone app, Helpers connects volunteers that they’ve trained to people who need help — and this happens in real time. Helpers wins $10,000! 

Helpers aims to create an international social network of volunteers trained to help, by allowing any organization to develop its own volunteer community. Through an innovative model that combines advanced technology, based on geolocation, and an intelligent management and analysis system, with the network of trained volunteers, Helpers connects, in real time, people who need help with people who are able to provide it.

Helpers’ volunteers range between 18-40 years and involve young people and professionals who seek to make a social impact or/and who would like to join a volunteer movement where they can have an active participation and directly help others. Many Jewish volunteers do not have a very strong Jewish identity, but through volunteering with Helpers, they are exposed to the importance of representing Judaism and its values, which really strengthens their Jewish identity.

Shalom Corps Notes:

The Helpers app is fully customizable. It can be modified to include additional types of assistance and focus on any specific community need and volunteer skill set. The app is functioning and already has thousands of users in Argentina and Uruguay. The platform offers a tool that can be scaled anywhere.