Film Library
Natasha Freidus: Connecting givers and receivers of aid
In 2015, Natasha Freidus found herself in France trying to solve a puzzle. Thousands of Syrians were turning up with overwhelming needs after escaping the conflict in their homeland. At the same time, people and aid goods were arriving in droves to help. However, as far as she could tell, there wasn’t a system to efficiently connect the two. Often, Freidus says, aid items and support don’t need to be shipped in from a far-flung warehouse to a crisis context. Well-intentioned people really want to pitch in and help, but often they don’t know how and they end up sending goods that are unusable. During her time in France, she explains, “people… kept bringing us stuff we didn’t need, to help the refugees, like cans of pork and beans for a population that eats halal.” Freidus set out to stop the problem of needs going unmet and goods being wasted through NeedsList: a system that bridges that information gap so users and suppliers can be more easily and cheaply connected during times of crisis.