Ligtas: When Scouts save lives with technology
During the height of the pandemic, the people in my community experienced difficulties in contacting emergency services, and sometimes received help when it was already too late. What motivated me much was the idea to make sure that no one would have to be lose any more loved ones, which was why I resolved to build a mobile app containing all emergency services in my community. With this, they can easily call for help when needed.
The project took place in my home province, Cebu. I assembled a team of Scouts to help me realize this project. We researched and gathered the emergency contact numbers, practice and learned how to code apps, and coordinated with local government officials and agencies to ask for their support. We built the mobile application using Android Studio, tested it, and released it to the public via Google Play. Currently, we still maintain the app and update the contact numbers in the app when needed.
Since the app was a prototype, it already aided many dispatchers, being an easy-to-use Emergency Directory. When the app was released to the general public, people from all walks of life had this mobile app in their founds, and found it easier to contact emergency services, especially with the app's 5-tap system. The app has since then aided a total log of 342 lives as of this writing. The people in my community and province were provided a life-saving tool, which ultimately saved lives.
Every time I worked on this project, I remember one of the famous quotes of our founder Lord Baden-Powell, "to leave this world a little better than when you first found it." This project made me realize that, indeed, we were born to make a difference in the lives of others: to be a blessing to other people, and that all means to fulfill one's purpose must be taken seriously. Likewise, I could make this project better by sticking to what it is meant to do: finding creative ways to save lives.
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