Neighbors Helping Neighbors Build Resilience

The AtmaGo mobile app is a resilience social network that empowers 275,000+ people to help each other prevent, prepare for, and recover from disasters globally.

Long Description

Globally the threat of disasters is only increasing, far outstripping the ability of humanitarian agencies to respond. Disasters caused by extreme weather have impacted an estimated 2.3 billion people. Emergency warning systems (EWS) can save lives and property—but studies have shown these systems rarely reach poor, vulnerable communities. People also need more than just an emergency notification, they need trusted information on what to do to prevent, prepare for and recover from disasters. AtmaGo is directly connected to the Jakarta EWS and releases warnings directly to users mobile phones, we are also creating a community-based early warning system for Tier II and III cities, since most smaller cities do not have effective EWS.

AtmaGo is a free web and Android app that has reached 275,000 urban poor users in 13 cities across Indonesia–our goal is peer to peer communication in poor communities. Our secret sauce is hyper local, user-generated content focused on people helping people. On AtmaGo, users are sharing information on how to protect their houses and belongings from flooding, where to find affordable food, water, and fuel. On AtmaGo, users receive early warning alerts, report problems with infrastructure directly to the government and get a ticket, and develop community collective action through resilience building events like solid-waste clean ups. In the next phase we will create design contests to bubble up exciting resilience building solutions directly from urban poor communities and spread these to others who can benefit (such best solutions to retrofit your house for flooding).