Let's make a Smart Safety Alert Device

Epifania Wilbard , Witness Shangali

20.05.2026 13:45–14:45
Makerspace Community Garden
Englisch
Workshop
Wissenschaft & Technologie
#Feminismus #Diversity #Teilhabe & Zugang #Never Gonna Give You Up
Female students traveling to and from schools, universities, or learning spaces sometimes encounter unsafe situations such as harassment or threatening incidents. Often, they lack a simple, fast way to alert trusted contacts or nearby community members in real time. As a result, assistance may arrive too late or incidents go unreported.
There is a need for low-cost, accessible safety tools that allow students to quickly signal distress and improve personal safety.

Coming to you from Twende  Hub in Tanzania ,  during this workshop  we wull design and prototype a portable safety alert device that enables female students to send emergency alerts instantly when they feel unsafe.

How might we create a simple, affordable safety device that allows female students to quickly alert others in moments of danger?

  • A small, portable device that sends an SMS alert with location to trusted contacts such as family members, campus security, or community safety groups.
  • Designed to be low-cost, easy to use, and independent of smartphones, ensuring accessibility even in areas with limited internet.

    Participants will work in two prototype groups:

  1. IoT-Based Device: Using an ESP32 microcontroller for connected safety alerts.
  2. GSM SMS Device: Using a GSM module to send location-based SMS alerts directly to contacts.

 

 

Speaker