“No money? Donate with your phone. “On the sign placed at the feet of Alexandre, 38, a homeless person installed on the pedestrian bridge which leads to the courthouse in Lyon (Rhône), the message addressed to passers-by is clear: “No more excuses for not not give, smiles the interested party. Everyone has a phone. »
The idea of creating a dematerialized donation system for the city’s homeless came from students at Écam LaSalle, an engineering school, and the company Dynergie, which specializes in innovation consulting. They have developed a solution that allows you to make a donation to a homeless person on the street, without having to take a coin out of your pocket. The project is called Vagadons and is good for Alexandre’s morale: “Ordinarily, engineers don’t do social work. It’s fun! »
A QR code linked to a Leetchi kitty
The students of Écam LaSalle have imagined a system that works from a QR code, linked to a Leetchi kitty, which you just have to scan. Since the start of the experiment launched a few days ago, they have been distributing the money collected daily to four homeless people who have agreed to test the device.
Passers-by play the game, even if they have to be convinced… In one day, Alexandre managed to collect up to 15 euros and is thrilled: “You have to know how to sell yourself, but it’s a good start! Satisfied with the experience, the students of Écam LaSalle are already planning: “Our idea is to equip each homeless person with an NFC chip — replacing the Leetchi pot — on which they will receive donations and which will allow them to pay without having a bank account. »
For donors, an application still needs to be developed to secure the device.