App to track Ramadan community fridges in UAE

Having troubles locating the nearest Ramadan sharing fridge? Volunteers looking to provide the underprivileged with food and water this holy month can now use a free mobile app to locate the sharing fridges across the UAE.

Launched in line with the 'Year of Giving' by the software development company Synergistics, the Community Fridge App will help individuals, organisations, and volunteers to stock the fridges to help the needy and reduce food waste.

The free app, available on iOS and Android, allows users to list items they stocked in the fridge, report damage to the owner and request fridge refills.

Tarek AlZubair, the managing partner of Synergistics, said the app was developed after realising the challenges faced by the community in locating a fridge. He added that despite the growing popularity of community food fridge initiatives across the world, several people have continued to list a number of problems related to the maintenance of the fridges.

"Last year, the Ramadan Sharing Fridge initiative in Dubai drew a lot of attention. When I was looking at the initiative's Facebook, I noticed that every third post spoke about the difficulties in finding the fridge and whether they were still properly maintained," said AlZubair.

He added: "People were using social media platforms, namely Facebook, to complain about fridges that were out of order, removed without any notice, never stocked, and many other logistical issues."

After downloading the app, users in 15 countries including the UAE, can view the locations of the fridges and select the closest one. Fridge owners can create an account, add one or more fridges to their account, and then oversee their operation. The app also allows fridge owners to take a photo of the fridge on site to make it easier for people to locate them.

AlZubair said the app will not only help the local community but will also be globally accessible. "There are 15 countries with sharing fridges and we are in contact with all of them," he said. "Food wastage is a global phenomenon and our aim is to provide a solution that will reduce the waste while ensuring those in need."

He added that the development team is working on a version 2.0 for the app, which will be launched after Ramadan.

Some of the enhanced features will enable users to bookmark their favourite fridges to receive an instant notification on when the fridge needs to be restocked with food or beverages.

Another feature will allow users to search different categories such as coolers or shelves, which will be helpful for travelers or visitors to a new country that runs into an emergency, and might need to search for a location where they can get free water.

App will be integrated with popular Ramadan Sharing Fridges

The community-based initiative 'Ramadan Sharing Fridges,' which is back this year, confirmed using the app over the next few days.

The public will be able to locate over 80 fridges across Dubai, that are expected to reach over 100 soon.  
"The app is now live, but we now have to get the fridge managers to set up their own accounts and add the locations on the maps over the next few days," said Janine Ben Souda, one of the initiative's admins and committee members.

She said the smart system will help the team of 13 volunteers operating the initiative to drop the pins of different fridges across Dubai. So far, fridgeshave been scattered across Dubai from Garhoud, Mankhoul to Marina, Springs, Meadows, The Lakes, JVC, Sports City, Arabian Ranches and Deira.

"The most common questions we got across our Facebook page were about the locations of the fridges and whether people had a fridge close in their neighborhood. The app will definitely facilitate the donation process and put us in touch with the community," said Ben Souda.

"It will also put us in touch with any problems that occur in the fridges and whether they need refilling."

The initiative started last year with a single resident setting up a fridge and distributing food and drinks to those in need in her community. It has gained popularity and reached over 25,000 members. Ben Souda urged the community to download the free app and use it to locate the fridges.

Source: Khaleej Times