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SOSsmap is part of the "Love in the Covid Season 2021" program, initiated by the technology company XTEK and implemented in collaboration with the Vietnam Women's Union, the Institute of Science and Technology for Rural Development, and the Women's Association of the External Affairs Department - Ministry of Public Security.
When accessing the map website at this addresssosmap.netA map using Google Maps data will appear, along with a navigation panel leading users to two options: "give" and "receive." From there, users can fill in contact information and select the types of essential supplies and quantities they need or wish to donate.
For recipients, essential items that can be received include face masks, protective gear, vegetables, rice, instant noodles, cash, etc. Recipients can register for their entire family or neighborhood by filling in the number of people needing assistance.
On the donor side, in addition to essential supplies (clothing, masks, protective gear, rice), they can contribute cash, labor, or transportation.
Points where people want to give will be shown in orange, and points where people want to receive will be shown in red. When those in need have received their supplies, the status will turn green.
According to Pham Thanh Vi, founder of XTEK, this map helps solve the problem of distributing charitable resources. "We used to support people in flood-affected areas and noticed the 'stepping on each other' situation among charitable groups, leading to some places receiving too much while others received nothing," Vi said. From there, the idea of a map to support charitable work was developed by him and his colleagues and applied during the pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City. Thanks to the map, finding information and addresses to deliver essential supplies has become much easier.
After 10 days of implementation, the SOSmap digital map has recorded over 1,300 registrations for receiving supplies and nearly 100 registrations for donating. Hundreds of people have received essential supplies through this system.
However, building a "give-take" map is only the beginning of the process of connecting givers and receivers. According to Mr. Pham Thanh Vi, for this solution to work, a team is needed in the middle to connect the givers and receivers. Currently, this team consists of four administrators and 21 call center operators responsible for system administration and contacting the parties to receive and verify information. In addition, a team of over 70 volunteers supports receiving goods from the givers, transporting them to the warehouse, and distributing them to those in need.
Individuals and organizations can register to become volunteers by following the instructions in the 'program information' section. After verifying their identity and health status, users will be granted access to a system specifically set up for volunteers.
