FRED
& FRIEDA

THE PROBLEM

COVID-19 has radically changed the way we spend time with family members and friends. Especially people who were already at the verge of being socially isolated are at risk of becoming lonelier than ever. Whilst the increased amount of solidarity amongst our citizens is a positive evolution, there is still a shortage of country-wide platforms to connect these lonely people with volunteering buddies who are willing to help them in their basic social, emotional and physical needs.

HOW WE SOLVE IT

Together with our partners, we launched fredenfrieda.be to establish a true connection and share warmth and friendship during the COVID-19 crisis - and beyond. fredenfrieda.be is an extension of helpdehelpers.be with a focus on matching volunteers with socially isolated individuals. Volunteers can easily register with a CV, a short description or a recorded message. They can indicate whether they would like to offer live or virtual companionship. This way, they offer to remotely make friendly phone calls, write letters or engage in virtual chats, or make live visits and help out with groceries and more. 

Based on this, they will be paired up with local organizations looking for any sort of companionship for their clients. Organizations and local initiatives can quickly and easily announce what type of buddies they are looking for and specify their target group. The whole process is easy, intuitive and fast, offering a quick match for both parties.

The platform makes use of natural language understanding technology that analyses the needs of both the volunteer and the local organization, matching them accordingly. The mission of Fred & Frieda is to match as many volunteers and buddies, as quickly and easily as possible. It’s the fastest bridge between a volunteer’s heart and a lonely person's need for warmth.