Founded in 2006, Souktel designs and delivers custom mobile solutions that connect job seekers with employers, and help development implementers get information to & from the people they serve. With staff teams in North America and the Middle East, Souktel changes lives across the globe—providing its made-in-Palestine technology to more than 30 funders and implementers.

Souktel is a cell phone-based service that uses SMS and voice-menu technology to link young people with jobs and connect aid agencies with people who need help. Souktel was founded by Palestinian, Canadian and American graduate fellows at Harvard University and M.I.T..

Today, they design and deliver mobile solutions for 20+ leading development/aid organizations across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. This work has earned us praise from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and it’s helped us win accolades at the World Economic Forum and the Silicon Valley Tech Awards. Building on these achievements, in late 2012 Souktel received $1m in growth capital from Sadara Ventures–a fund backed by Google.org, Cisco, the Skoll Foundation and the Soros Economic Development Fund.

Aidlink: Connecting Aid Agencies With People Who Need Help
Across the developing world, demand for humanitarian services is growing - but it's tough for aid agencies to get help to those who need it: Many communities can't be reached by road. Few families have Internet or regular electricity. AidLink overcomes these barriers through an easy-to-use SMS service: It lets aid agencies send SMS alerts to customized "mailing lists" of local farmers, families, or small business owners in multiple locations, giving them personalized updates about emergency aid and other services - right on their mobile.

AidLink Also lets aid agencies send SMS surveys to people who need help. These short questionnaires allow agencies to get key information from needy families or individuals, even if they can't be reached in person.

Together, AidLink alerts and surveys are changing the face of emergency aid: These SMS services mobilize help quickly for the people who need it most - even in remote areas - and let aid agencies get their work done more efficiently than ever before.

JobMatch: Connecting Job-Seekers and Employers
In the developing world, it's hard to find good information about jobs. Classified ads and government resources are scarce. So are online job sites - and they're also out of reach for most job-seekers, who don't have good web access. Family connections can help in some cases, but most people surveyed in SoukTel market research said that social networks couldn't get them long term work.

That's where JobMatch steps in: Through a simple, easy-to-use SMS format, the service connects thousands of job-seekers with employers who are looking for staff. By giving users real-time information on their mobiles, JobMatch levels the playing field of access to jobs and employees, helping break cycles of poverty and unemployment.