How Your “Help from Home” Can Reach the Frontline

The coronavirus pandemic is constantly reshaping the world as we know it. Many of us at home are practicing self-isolation and social distancing to flatten the curve; but we’re also looking for other ways to help out frontliners and those affected by the crisis.

With limitations brought about by the enhanced community quarantine, people have turned to social media to proactively look for organizations and support their causes. A group of volunteers saw the need to house all the information in one place and in response, created a microsite to readily connect people at home with those who are on the frontline.

Help From Home (HFH) is a coordination hub that connects individuals and institutions to those most in need: frontliners and communities at risk. It contains listings of publicly accredited organizations in the country seeking donations that can sustain, feed, and protect the most vulnerable. It also promotes transparency through the information provided, which also helps address the gaps through public support.

More than just consolidating the efforts of various organizations, the HFH volunteers also employ an extensive verification process to validate and ensure that each organization is legitimate. Part of the requirements which they review include the institution’s background, digital assets, fundraising history, and proof of delivery. These details are critical to help website visitors make informed and data-driven decisions about how and where to make donations.

But aside from presenting the supply side, the HFH website also features a real-time and needs-based list and map to showcase the demands needed nationwide.In collaboration with By Implication, Switchboard PH, and Vector, HFH developed a tool that presents hospital needs and how much of these needs have been fulfilled. The list uses color and progress bars, while the map uses both color and the size of the circle to denote quantity needed. This tool can be used by individuals and organizations alike to more strategically provide and distribute supplies. HFH is also currently working on featuring demands from vulnerable sectors, and identifying them by municipality and by barangay.

HFH continues to update its database and system to accommodate a growing list of partner organizations and monitor the status of donation drives as well. The group plans to reach out to more initiatives, communicate efforts being done in far-flung communities, and collaborate with like-minded brands and institutions with shared goals.

The call to help from home continues to inspire action. For more information on supporting frontliners and communities at risk, visit their website https://helpfromhome.ph/