MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Casual Labour App

One-line solution summary:

An App that alerts casual workers if construction sites have room for their expertise

Pitch your solution.

The App allows casual workers to save the time they spend standing outside construction sites in hope of finding work.

Through accessing this App the workers can tell if all spaces at the construction site have been filled for the day or not.

This will allow them to move on to the next site rather than stand around waiting for an unknown outcome.

A useful tool if you earn a daily wage.

What specific problem are you solving?

On my daily morning exercise routine around my neighbourhood, I have noticed many casual labourers standing outside construction sites in anticipation of finding work for the day. The script repeats itself as I come back where I meet those who have been left out of the selection for the day, trekking on to the next site to try and earn a wage for the day. By providing these workers with a platform that tells them which sites are available, will save them the time and the anxiety that comes standing around not knowing if you will have job that day.

What is your solution?

The solution is a mobile phone innovation in the form of a text messaging app which provides a registry of potential casual work as well as availability or non availability of the same.

The app will be designed for the most basic phones in both Kiswahili (national language) and English.

Users - will send a text to a specific number which acts as subscription. They will then receive an SMS with prospective potential locations.

Foremen will also each day send out their requirements for the day. These once filled should reduce the multitudes outside their sites daily.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

The App will serve a large community of casual construction site labours by providing leads, saving time and preventing the disappointment of not finding work.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Support workers to advocate for and access living wages, social safety nets, and financial security

Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge and your selected dimension.

This App aims to offer support in the form of removing anxiety that comes from not knowing if you will find work for the day especially if your fate hangs in the balance of a foreman choosing 5 out of 20 people standing outside a construction site. Knowledge of where possible work may be found may increase some form of security as a casual starts off their day.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Nairobi, Kenya

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Concept: An idea being explored for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model based on that idea

Who is the primary delegate for your solution?

Mwania Masyuko