How We Started: A Made-in-Palestine Success Story |
Souktel’s founders know all about the problems facing job markets and the aid sector in developing countries: We’ve experienced them ourselves. After spending a year and a half each without a job, and with no resources to help them find work, Palestinian co-founders Mohammed Kilany and Lana Hijazi knew there had to be a better way of getting basic job information. And with their backgrounds in the telecom industry, they knew that simple, cheap technology was the answer. Meanwhile, after working in the aid sector in West Africa and the Middle East, Canadian co-founder Jacob Korenblum was frustrated by the lack of good communication between aid agency offices, their staff on the ground and the people they aimed to serve. When the three met by chance in Ramallah, Palestine, it took less than an hour to sketch out the basic concepts behind JobMatch and AidLink. Three months of Middle East market research showed that their hunch was right: Most youth in the region couldn’t get good information about the job market; most aid agencies were struggling to keep in touch with their staff and clients. And most people in countries from Iraq to Morocco use cell phones on a daily basis—while only a minority has regular web access. In 2006, Souktel launched JobMatch: A system that connects youth with work and internships via SMS. After a Runner-Up finish in the Harvard Business School’s “Social Venture Business Plan Contest”, Souktel’s Palestinian IT team created the final versions of JobMatch and AidLink. This “Made-in-Palestine” solution was piloted for 12 months among youth, employers and aid agencies before launching in the local market. Souktel TodaySince that time, more than 8,000 youth and 150 employers have signed up for JobMatch services in the Middle East and East Africa,and Souktel has linked hundreds of young people with work and training. Meanwhile, more than 20 leading aid agencies (from theRed Cross to the UN) are actively using AidLink. Across the board, they’re reporting quicker communication with staff and people who need help—and huge savings of time and money.
Key Achievements:2010
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