The first emerging company in Palestine is devoted to mental and luxury health - the occupied Palestinian territories

By Shaden Tubaila, Public Relations and Communications Coordinator

Hakini – which means “tell me” in Arabic – is challenging social stigma and lack of awareness by helping thousands of Palestinians invest in their mental health. The online mental health platform is on a mission to make mental health care more accessible by providing treatment Remote guidance and self-help intervention in Arabic.

The Hakini website and mobile app matches users with therapists who provide confidential care and guide users on a self-help journey backed by evidence-based exercises. The majority of users are women and teens, who face a lack of available mental health resources. Hakini's success is due to her support By Arab mental health professionals who adapt content and services specifically for Arab culture.

Necessity is the mother of invention Sondos Melitat, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Hakini, is a full-time entrepreneur and holds a BA in Architecture from Birzeit University. With a background in investment, design thinking and project management, Sondos has always had the drive to do something that will to benefit its community.

The idea for Hackney came about when Sondos personally went through a rough patch and found herself in need of therapy. At the time, Sondos struggled to find the help she needed. Not only were services limited, but people seeking help also had to contend with stigma and a lack of awareness of the importance of Mental health and well-being in Palestine. Statistics indicate that only 10% of Palestinians in need of mental health care and services are able to obtain them.

“Current mental health care providers are disorganized, disjointed, expensive and simply disappointing,” says Sondos. She felt the need to find a well-organised, personalized and affordable mental health and self-awareness solution for Palestinians and people from the region and around the world.

“At the beginning of the pandemic, my co-founder Majd and I were in the idea stage of developing Hackney. We worked manually and on a very low scale.” Sondos explains. Palestine “we decided no”.

Mental health treatment should be available to everyone

'Hack the Crisis Palestine' was an online event hosted by Gaza SkyGeeks, a joint effort of Mercy Corps and Google for startups.Gaza SkyGeeks is Palestine's leading co-working space, startup accelerator, and technology education hub. Hackathon Collective More than 130 teams share ideas and find solutions in the fields of health, education and working life for Palestinians in the time of COVID-19. The winners of this event get support and mentorship to develop and launch their ideas.

By having a truly unique idea serving a real need in Palestine, Hekini won Hack the Crisis Palestine. After their win, Hekini moved on to the Gaza incubation stage Sky Geeks Startup Accelerator. The intensive 16-week pre-seed acceleration program helps The founders focus on building a user-tested, usable product, releasing their apps for the public to use, and expanding their user base.

When they joined Gaza Sky Geeks Startup Accelerator in 2020, Hekini had nothing but an idea without execution. The help of the Gaza Sky Geeks Startup Accelerator team opened their eyes to many aspects of their venture, from their presentation to their business model.

“Gaza SkyGeeks startup accelerator, helped Hackinney to go to the next level. They turned our idea into a real startup and helped us move forward. Without their help and the grant we won, without the guidance of our mentors and other local and international supporters, Hackinney would not have been able to serve a large customer base as it does today.”

Hakini now offers therapeutic support with one-to-one online sessions, access to self-help materials, and content about mental health and treatment. They support hundreds of Palestinians and their content has reached hundreds of thousands of users People through social media channels and the Hukini website.

Reflections on running a female-led startup

Throughout their journey, the Hackinney team has seen many highs and lows, many of them related to being a startup led by women in a field as stigmatized as mental health. Sondos often felt that she was not taken seriously as a founder because of her gender, but that didn't stop her from pursuing Its goal is to provide trusted resources to anyone who needs help to improve their mental health and well-being.

“My team's dedication and belief in what we do is what keeps Hackini going. We want to help everyone who needs our services,” Sondos says.