Wanting to only be known as Sidharrth, Cornelius and Shaun, the students from Multimedia University (MMU) realised that there was no centralised platform that crowdsourced data to connect people in need with those able to help.

Speaking to FMT, Sidharrth said they then set out to build the crowdsourcing platform named Sambal SOS, which can be accessed via any web browser at https://www.sambalsos.com/.

The way the app works is simple enough. Those in need can send an SOS to ask for help or get access to the locations of various food banks listed on the app.

Meanwhile, others can report those putting white flags and in need of assistance, or channel aid directly to them.

“If you see someone who needs help, you can snap a photo in front of the house, without any faces in the photo, add the location and write a brief description.

“After that, it goes through a review where we check whether the information breaches privacy, whether faces are shown or if it’s spam. We review, edit and approve. After that, it shows up on the map,” he said.

Having first been launched as the Bendera Putih App, it was later renamed Sambal SOS and has been greatly welcomed by Malaysians, with many taking to social media to share about the platform and to thank the developers.

However, few know about the three computer science students aged 18 to 21 who were the ones behind the platform.

Following its launch, Sidharrth and his two friends have been busy addressing bugs that surfaced due to the large amount of traffic and frequent updates required.

“We tackled them one by one and are still discovering new bugs every day. The development time was very short, around four days, so we’re constantly upgrading.

“A lot of people have provided us with new food bank lists, so we’re working on crowdsourcing all that data into one platform,” he said.

Currently, nearly 80 food banks across the nation are listed on the platform, with SOS reports from the Klang Valley to Perak and even Sarawak.

The White Flag campaign is a community initiative to help those in desperate need of food and assistance in light of the worsening Covid-19 health and economic crisis.

The campaign encourages those who are struggling financially to reach out for help without fear or shame by displaying a white flag in front of their home as a sign that they need immediate assistance.

An extensive list of some individuals and organisations helping Malaysians in need can be found here.