Peter Saffarian has done his part to keep people connected to others in their area by creating a website to assist people going through self-isolation.
Saffarian was inspired to start the website, which he named Jobi, after overhearing a conversation between two people at a church.
One expressed concern that if they had to self isolate they wouldn’t have anyone to help them.
Saffarian, of Prestons, heard the other person offer to help if needed, which made him realise not everyone had somebody close to them to provide support while isolating.
“This sparked a concern in my mind that while some of us are blessed enough to have a circle of family and friends around to support us if and when we have to self-isolate, there are many of us who don’t,” he said.
“Yet if locals know that there is a person in their reach who needs help, most people would be happy to help.”
After hearing that conversation, Saffarian spoke to his team at work and pitched the idea of starting a website that connected people with others close-by to provide support and assistance.
“No one hesitated that this is something that our communities need and we saw it as our responsibility to make Jobi available as soon as possible, so we got to work straightaway,” he said.
After a week of long hours and a couple of all-nighters, Jobi was up and running.
The “i” in Jobi stands for isolation/intelligent.
“So when in isolation Jobi takes care of your jobs and tasks in an intelligent way,” Saffarian said.
He and his team are still working on adding features and improving the website, but wanted to make it available as soon as possible, as Covid case numbers continue to rise.
The website is free to access and has two options to register under, “volunteer” or “isolating”.
If you register as a volunteer you will be notified when there are people self-isolating in your area, and you can provide assistance like talking with them or getting essentials.
If you register as “isolating” you will be connected with people near you to let them know what kind of support you need.
“This February marked four years of my arrival in Aotearoa New Zealand and I have seen nothing but kindness and support from Kiwis,” Saffarian said.
“I see this as an opportunity to give back what I’ve received.”
Saffarian said the website has already had great feedback from the public and community organisations.
“We have had people telling us that Jobi helps them have a sense of hope, purpose and usefulness, as it gives them an opportunity to support one another,” Saffarian said.
“A lot of people want to help but it’s hard to find how and that’s our role to help find that how.”
Saffarian said he wanted Jobi to act as a magnet that brings people together to support one another through these tough times.
“I believe the fact that people are sharing it with their friends and joining at this rate is an indicator of the real impact that we can have if we all work together.”
Visit jobi.co.nz for more information.
