Sandra Hassan, a student in Lebanon, has recently released an app called "I Am Alive."
With a single touch, the app will blast a tweet saying "I am still alive! #Lebanon #Latestbombing." The goal is to provide easy communication and reassurance to family and friends after a bombing, when phone lines might be down.
Cordelia Hebblethwaite, writing for the BBC, reports:
She launched it on 21 January as "an expression of frustration" at how bad the security situation has become in Lebanon. "I didn't expect that people would actually start using it," she says, but they have. There have been two bomb attacks since it was launched, and dozens of the 4,000 people who have downloaded the app so far have used it for real.
For years, the security in Lebanon has been progressively deteriorating. Beirut, the country's capital, is only an hour from the border with Syria and already a million refugees have flooded the country. This proximity to a war zone has led to an increase in weapons smuggling and cross-border raids.
Lebanon is a country deeply divided among Christians, Sunnis, and Shias. This division has often erupted into violence, and took on a further violent tone after Hezbollah, one of the main military forces in Lebanon, became embroiled in the conflict in Syria.
Bombings and assassinations have become a fact of life for many throughout Lebanon.
Currently, Hassan's app is enjoying massive success. She has received requests from Pakistanis and Egyptians requesting she extend the app into their countries.
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