By Mark Kawalya
A new app connects those in need with sponsors who can invest in providing aid to alleviate societal suffering through a transparent model that ensures clear accountability of funds.
MpaMpe, the crowd-funding platform, was formed in 2021 by a team of five students from Makerere University: Maria Luzinda, Angella Bukirwa, Paul Jeremia Mugaya, Emmilly Immaculate Namuganga, Ronnie Atuhaire and is expected to offer an open window into the world of well-wishers.
MpaMpe is a local dialect word that, when loosely translated, means “Give me, I give Out”
The application placed second in the recent MTN MoMo Hackathon, with the team getting a cash reward of $3,000 as funding that will be used in commercializing the application.
According to Maria Luzinda, who is in her second year and the app’s co-developer, the application will enable people to find solutions to challenges for which they would otherwise have no tangible method of accessing support.
“We have seen people with placards on the streets and others pushing posters via social media seeking financial support to address a particular course. We believe that with MpaMpe, we shall be able to link those who are in need of the funds and the donors with a lot of ease,” she says. “The app shall enable the person in need to reach out to so many people through various channels such as social media, digital marketing, and so many other platforms.”
Currently, the platform is web-based, but the developers are working on an avenue that will integrate a USSD protocol, which will widen access to the service with donated funds getting transferred into the beneficiary’s mobile money wallet.
A person who needs support using MpaMpe will have to reach out to the team, which will verify and approve the genuineness of their problem. After meeting the stipulated criteria, their issue will be highlighted on the platform with a call for support.
Ronnie Atuhaire, the platform’s co-developer, believes the application will play a critical role in accelerating societal transformation.
“We are solving for about seven goals from the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, and our mandate is to be a part of the change that will see Uganda move to middle-income status in a few years to come,” he said.
