- 07 Jan 2025
EDGE Project Empowering Palestinian Entrepreneur to Revolutionize Volunteering
In the heart of Palestine, a young visionary named Hiba transformed frustration into innovation. A top IT student and aspiring leader, Hiba experienced the challenges of disorganized volunteer efforts firsthand during a university service course. Her 120-hour stint fixing a flagpole at the Nablus Shopping Festival sparked a realization: volunteering needed a smarter, more impactful approach.
That spark led to Sawaed19, a digital platform designed to connect NGOs and volunteers, streamline operations, and amplify social impact. Hiba’s mission? To empower communities by turning fragmented volunteer efforts into meaningful contributions that foster resilience and drive change.
A Tech-Driven solution for Social Good
At its core, Sawaed19 is a digital volunteering management system tailored to the unique needs of NGOs and volunteers in Palestine. The platform simplifies recruitment, volunteer matching, project management, and impact reporting, offering NGOs the tools and training they need to succeed. The platform ensures a seamless volunteer experience, empowering individuals to make a difference while helping organizations amplify their impact.
Fueling Growth through EDGE
The journey of Sawaed took a transformative turn through the support of the EDGE Project. Through her network of entrepreneurship incubators, Hiba discovered EDGE and secured a financial grant that became a cornerstone of the platform’s success.
Thanks to this financial support, Hiba and her team was able to build a passionate, skilled team, bringing on talented interns who gained invaluable, hands-on experience in tackling real-world challenges at the heart of a tech-driven social enterprise.The interns contributed to various key roles like content creation, social media management, and technical support, helping Sawaed19 reach more people and make a greater impact.
Turning Challenges to Opportunities
Sawaed’s path has been anything but easy. Facing the challenges of Palestine’s ongoing conflict, limited NGO access, and digital adoption gaps, the road ahead was tough. And when war erupted in Gaza, it delayed crucial platform upgrades and threw logistical hurdles in the way. But here’s the thing, Sawaed19 didn’t stop.
Against all odds, Sawaed19 has made significant strides. It’s been a game changer by successfully creating volunteer opportunities, supporting organizations in crisis management, and even distributing aid and resources to thousands of individuals in Gaza. Hiba and her team have poured their hearts into making sure the platform stays strong, flexible, and ready to tackle whatever comes their way. Their passion and perseverance are making a real difference in the region.
Significant Wins
Since launching, Sawaed19 has made impressive progress, including:
- The impact of volunteers through Sawaed in Gaza touched over 1,200 lives.
Facilitated the Sumud Network, a collaboration between Palestinian and Irish NGOs that promotes virtual volunteering and economic empowerment.
- Launched the “Volunteering Management in Times of Crisis” training program, in partnership with IAVE, benefitting 20 Palestinian NGOs.
- Created opportunities for internships, allowing young Palestinians to develop real-world skills in volunteer management and organizational support.
Launched The Builders of Tomorrow: A Story of Unity and Hope in both Arabic (in Palestine) and English (in Ireland). This story, inspired by social leaders in Gaza, highlights the resilience of volunteers, honors those killed in the genocide, and reinvests all proceeds into supporting volunteer efforts in Palestine.
Looking ahead, Hiba’s vision for Sawaed19 is bold and inspiring: to transform the platform into the go-to volunteer management tool across the MENA region. The future is bright, with exciting plans for mobile accessibility, advanced impact tracking features, and ongoing investments to ensure the platform’s long-term sustainability and growth.
A Vision for Regional Impact
Hiba’s vision for Sawaed19 goes beyond Palestine. She is on a mission to become the trusted go-to volunteer management platform across the MENA region. The plan is to expand its reach steadily, forming strong partnerships with local organizations to better support both NGOs and volunteers. As the platform evolves, it will roll out exciting new features like a mobile app for easy access and powerful tools to track and measure impact.
To bring this vision to life, Sawaed19 is seeking impact investment to strengthen its operations and accelerate platform development. This support will fuel sustainable growth and enhance the value the platform delivers to NGOs and volunteers, all while staying true to its mission of creating meaningful solutions that empower communities and drive positive change.
With the support of EDGE, Hiba’s journey with Sawaed19 shows that even in the toughest environments, innovation can spark real social impact. More than just a business, this platform is a symbol of community resilience, entrepreneurial spirit, and the transformative power of technology in overcoming adversity.