The Challenge
It started with a simple hackathon prompt: "Build a platform for Youth Centers."
But we didn't want to just build another app. We wanted to solve the real problem. We talked to the youth, and we found three massive roadblocks:
- 1Unemployment: Waiting, Not Creating
Talent was sitting idle. Youth were waiting for traditional jobs that weren't coming, instead of creating their own opportunities.
- 2Isolation: Talents in Silos
A designer in Salalah had no way to find a startup in Muscat that needed her. Geography was a barrier, not a bridge.
- 3Zero Income: Skills Wasted
Skills existed—coding, design, photography—but there was no trusted channel to turn them into money.
The Solution
We built Hallum not as an app, but as an engine. An engine that turns skills into income.
We asked: What if we could connect everything?
The Innovation
To make this work, I had to build three separate, high-performance systems that talk to each other perfectly.
1. The Mobile App
Where the youth live. Built with React Native and Expo for a truly native feel on both iOS and Android. I prioritized an offline-first architecture so it works even with spotty connections.
2. The API Gateway
The brain. I chose Hono on Cloudflare Workers because speed was non-negotiable. We needed sub-100ms response times. It's serverless, type-safe, and scales infinitely.
3. The Admin Dashboard
Control center for admins & companies. Built with Next.js and Tailwind. It provides real-time data visualization so admins can see the impact immediately—jobs filled, skills learned, connections made.
See it in Action
