How do you build a digital lifeline for survivors of gender-based violence across six countries with limited connectivity, multiple languages, and complex cross-border realities? Over the past six months, we worked alongside JDWS to explore this question through the co-development of Deenal (meaning “protection” in Fulani), a multilingual alert system connecting survivors of gender-based violence to case managers and support services across Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania, and Chad. The goal was not only to deliver a platform designed around survivors’ actual realities, but also to strengthen JDWS’s long-term digital resilience and data protection practices.
“Some suffer, yet they keep smiling. It is by watching over one another that we can protect ourselves.” This testimony, gathered during community outreach in Saint-Louis, Senegal, captures the essence of what our Matchbox partnership with Justice & Dignity for the Women of Sahel (JDWS) set out to support.
Why Justice & Dignity for the Women of Sahel (JDWS)?
JDWS is a nonprofit organization working across six countries in the Sahel region to protect women’s rights and combat gender-based violence. Through awareness campaigns, training, and advocacy, they work to institutionalize GBV prevention and response mechanisms at local and national levels.
When they joined our Matchbox program, JDWS had three main goals: co-develop a secure, accessible alert system for survivors to report GBV incidents and connect with support services; strengthen data security and responsible data management practices to protect sensitive survivor information; and build organizational capacity through training on platform management, secure data handling, and digital security protocols.
Understanding the landscape
Our assessment revealed an organization with deep community connections and a clear vision for regional impact, but with room to strengthen digital infrastructure and formalize data protection practices. JDWS had already developed an initial version of the Deenal platform, but it faced technical limitations and lacked the robust security measures needed for handling sensitive survivor data.
The stakes of getting this right were high. In the Sahel, where the female illiteracy rate in rural areas reaches 70%, a standard web form is itself a form of exclusion. And given the sensitive nature of GBV data, a breach could expose survivors to retaliation from perpetrators, family pressure to recant, or community stigma that forces them into isolation. Building privacy and security into the platform’s foundation was not optional; it was essential.
Building Deenal: Innovation through inclusion
We collaborated with JDWS to build a platform that addresses the unique challenges of working across the Sahel region, centering accessibility and survivor dignity at every step.
A core innovation is the platform’s full voice navigation. Questions are read aloud, and survivors can record their alerts via voice notes, a critical feature for users with limited literacy or those who find it easier to speak than write. This ensures that every woman, regardless of her education level, can access help autonomously. The system also supports French, English, and Arabic interfaces, and we implemented low-data mode functionality to account for the reality of limited connectivity in many regions.
Rather than replacing JDWS’s initial platform entirely, we chose a solution their team could manage with existing skills and built incremental improvements. The alert system categorizes incidents across seven types of GBV, from physical and sexual violence to technology-facilitated abuse, with detailed subcategories that help case managers understand the situation and respond appropriately. An “imminent danger” flag ensures urgent cases receive immediate attention through prominent notifications to case managers.
Case managers receive real-time notifications via email and SMS, with access controls ensuring they can only view cases assigned to them. The platform also includes a comprehensive directory of verified support services, emergency hotlines, legal aid, psychosocial support, and one-stop centers tailored to each country in the network.
Strengthening data security and responsible data practices
Survivor protection relies on absolute technical trust. Together, we co-developed comprehensive data protection and responsible data policies covering the full data lifecycle. These frameworks address data collection, retention, archival, and deletion, ensuring that sensitive information is only kept as long as necessary while centering survivor dignity and privacy.
An ecosystem, not just a platform
Deenal does not work in isolation. The platform is designed to be compatible with the GBVIMS system, allowing for reliable data reporting for humanitarian actors such as UNFPA and UNHCR. JDWS has also linked the platform to their broader work, including income-generating activities that facilitate the economic reintegration of survivors, because financial independence is itself a line of defense against violence.
Within the platform is JDWS’s podcast, “Femmes du Sahel, Voix du Monde,” which gives a voice to change-makers and survivors in order to tell their stories.
Learning and adaptation
A key insight from this partnership was the importance of building on existing foundations rather than starting from scratch. Rather than replacing what JDWS had already built, we designed a platform that preserved their earlier work while addressing its limitations. This approach respected the knowledge and effort already invested and ensured a smoother transition for the team.
We also learned about the specific challenges of building platforms for sensitive data across multiple countries with varying regulatory environments and infrastructure realities. This reinforced the importance of flexible, adaptable design. From JDWS, we gained a deeper understanding of how GBV manifests across the Sahel and the specific features that would truly serve survivors.
What comes next
The pilot phase in Saint-Louis, Senegal is the foundation for a regional movement. JDWS plans to expand across the country and eventually to partner organizations in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania, and Chad. Scaling across six countries with different regulatory environments, languages, and realities is no small task, and we don’t yet know which challenges will emerge as this happens.
By placing ethics and inclusion at the heart of the code, this partnership has strengthened JDWS’s ability to serve survivors with greater security, efficiency, and dignity across one of the world’s most challenging regions for women’s rights. Digital transformation in the Sahel is measured not in features shipped, but in respect for human dignity.
Contact us
If you have questions about integrating tech and data more efficiently and securely into your social justice work, get in touch! We’re always eager to collaborate with passionate groups committed to social change.
Read more about our Matchbox program.