Princeton Siblings Create Coronavirus Platform To Help Needy

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton siblings Aaliyah and Arshaan Sayed were away on spring break in California when the world began to unravel around them due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"I watched as California shut down around me, keeping close tabs on the worsening situation back at home in New Jersey. I wanted to help, but I felt utterly powerless," said Aaliyah Sayed, a junior at Princeton Day School.

Aaliyah and her younger brother Arshaan put their heads together and before they were able to fly back home on March 23 the two had launched 19CovAid — a coronavirus mutual aid platform for volunteers and recipients of support to find each other and stay in touch via private messaging on the site.

"It's like having opportunities stored as contacts in your phone — people are already signed up, you just have to reach out! Users can sign up, provide their location, and create a post offering or requesting help," Aaliyah Sayed said.

Volunteers offer services ranging from grocery delivery to supplying free homemade masks to general assistance.

The site also helps other mutual aid organizations manage volunteers and requests through its built-in workflow, privacy controls, and in-app messaging to streamline their efforts.

"Providing a way to help fight COVID is the best thing I've ever done, and it's been an incredibly gratifying journey so far. I'm so proud of how 19CovAid has grown into a platform not just for COVID-19 help but also for community connection," Aaliyah Sayed said.

Aaliyah's friends from across the country were the first users to step up and offer help which in turn helped to grow the site.

"Personally, the platform has helped me connect with my community in a way I’ve never done before and grown my love for computer science," Aaliyah Sayed said. "At times though, it's been really overwhelming, and I've felt helpless. People across the country have made requests because their kids are starving, or because they’ve lost their jobs and are unable to pay rent. Posts like these remind me how much work there is left to do, and I’m ready to keep fighting the virus."

To volunteer or if you need help visit 19covaid.com. Donations are also being accepted to help those in need through gofundme.com.

For more information follow 19Covaid on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

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