Pieter Rambags from Goirle has been through a lot of misery. He heard heartbreaking stories from Syria and Eritrea, but now also from Ukraine. “I wanted to do something with that. So I developed my own app to save refugees.”
Although he conceived the app to help refugees from Africa and the Middle East, it is now mainly in the spotlight because of the Ukraine conflict. “I was already working on it way in advance. The stupid thing is that something like this has to happen, to show that this app is really necessary,” explains Rambags.
He was originally an IT professional, who has been traveling the world for years. “I have been active for refugees for seven years now and I set up refugee work in Goirle. I heard many stories there. Of rapes, oppression and people smuggling. Concentration camps in Libya and other degrading stories. Those stories have never left me.”
Despite this, Rambags has never lost his faith in humans. He is convinced that most people are good and wants to help others to take a step in the right direction. “I often hear around me that someone wants to contribute something, but doesn’t really know how. And that’s where my work comes into the picture.” With his data company he made an app, RefugeeFriend. “I want to put the right people to work with that. Let our hearts speak.”
In the app you can register as a helper or someone who is looking for help. For example, a helper can indicate which facilities he has at home to help a refugee. This can be an overnight stay or transport, but also sanitary facilities, medical aid or food. The helper and the help seeker come into contact with each other via WhatsApp.
The idea is gaining momentum due to the war in Ukraine. “We were barely live when I already received a message from a Ukrainian woman. That is very special. It is already being used a lot, with about 101 pins on the map.”
On the one hand, that’s nice, on the other hand, it also brings up some frustration on the part of the developer. “It is frustrating that there are also people who only want to help Ukrainians, but not other refugees of a different origin. That distinction makes me puke,” he says with disgust. “Every person should be equal to each other. Such an app should be able to offer help to everyone who needs help. And not only if it takes place within Europe.”