Help The Needy | Mohammad Junayed Hasan

Overview

Help The Needy is a comprehensive web-based platform designed to connect donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries for social welfare initiatives in Bangladesh. The system facilitates monetary donations, clothing distribution, volunteer recruitment, and transparency in charitable activities.

💻 GitHub: Help-The-Needy
🌐 Tech: PHP, MySQL, Bootstrap
🎯 Mission: Streamline charitable giving and volunteer coordination

Problem Statement

Challenges in Traditional Charity:

❌ Lack of Transparency: Donors unsure where funds go
❌ Fragmented Systems: Multiple platforms for different needs
❌ Volunteer Coordination: Difficult to organize and track volunteers
❌ Donation Tracking: No centralized record of contributions
❌ Trust Issues: Beneficiaries may not receive timely help

Solution: Unified platform with transparency, tracking, and accountability

Key Features

1. User Management

Three User Roles:

Donors

Register and create donor profiles
Make one-time or recurring donations
Track donation history
Receive tax receipts (for formal donations)
View impact reports

Volunteers

Sign up for volunteer opportunities
Register for specific events/drives
Log volunteer hours
Receive certificates of participation
Track contribution history

Beneficiaries

Request assistance (financial, clothing, food)
Submit need-based applications
Receive notifications on approved aid
Provide feedback on services

2. Donation System

Monetary Donations

// Donation processing
function process_donation($donor_id, $amount, $purpose) {
    global $db;
    
    // Payment gateway integration (bKash, Nagad, Rocket)
    $payment_status = initiate_payment($amount);
    
    if ($payment_status == 'SUCCESS') {
        // Record donation
        $query = "INSERT INTO donations 
                  (donor_id, amount, purpose, date, status) 
                  VALUES (?, ?, ?, NOW(), 'completed')";
        
        $stmt = $db->prepare($query);
        $stmt->bind_param('ids', $donor_id, $amount, $purpose);
        $stmt->execute();
        
        // Send receipt
        send_receipt_email($donor_id, $amount);
        
        return "Donation successful! Thank you.";
    }
}

Payment Methods:

bKash Mobile Banking
Nagad
Rocket
Credit/Debit Cards
Bank Transfer

Clothing Donations

Schedule pickup for clothing items
Categorize by type (men, women, children)
Track distribution to beneficiaries

3. Volunteer Coordination

Event Management

// Create volunteer event
function create_event($title, $description, $date, $location, $volunteers_needed) {
    global $db;
    
    $query = "INSERT INTO events 
              (title, description, event_date, location, volunteers_needed, status) 
              VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, 'open')";
    
    $stmt = $db->prepare($query);
    $stmt->bind_param('ssssi', $title, $description, $date, $location, $volunteers_needed);
    $stmt->execute();
    
    // Notify registered volunteers
    notify_volunteers($title, $date, $location);
}

Event Types:

Food distribution drives
Clothing donation camps
Education support programs
Disaster relief coordination
Blood donation campaigns

Volunteer Registration

// Register for event
function register_volunteer($volunteer_id, $event_id) {
    global $db;
    
    // Check capacity
    $capacity = check_event_capacity($event_id);
    
    if ($capacity > 0) {
        $query = "INSERT INTO event_volunteers (volunteer_id, event_id, status) 
                  VALUES (?, ?, 'registered')";
        
        $stmt = $db->prepare($query);
        $stmt->bind_param('ii', $volunteer_id, $event_id);
        $stmt->execute();
        
        send_confirmation_email($volunteer_id, $event_id);
        return "Registration successful!";
    } else {
        return "Event is full. Please check other events.";
    }
}

4. Beneficiary Management

Request Assistance

Submit need assessment form
Upload supporting documents (optional)
Specify assistance type (financial, food, clothing, education)
Track application status

Verification Process

// Verify beneficiary request
function verify_request($request_id, $admin_id, $status, $comments) {
    global $db;
    
    $query = "UPDATE assistance_requests 
              SET status = ?, verified_by = ?, verification_date = NOW(), 
                  admin_comments = ?
              WHERE request_id = ?";
    
    $stmt = $db->prepare($query);
    $stmt->bind_param('sisi', $status, $admin_id, $comments, $request_id);
    $stmt->execute();
    
    // Notify beneficiary
    notify_beneficiary($request_id, $status);
}

5. Transparency Dashboard

Donor Dashboard:

Total donations made
Breakdown by category (education, food, healthcare)
Impact metrics (e.g., “Your $100 fed 20 families”)
Leaderboard (optional, gamification)

Public Statistics:

Total funds raised
Number of beneficiaries helped
Active volunteers
Ongoing projects

6. Admin Panel

Administrative Functions:

Approve/reject donation requests
Verify beneficiary applications
Manage volunteer events
Generate reports (monthly, yearly)
Export data (Excel, PDF)
Monitor platform activity

System Architecture

Database Schema

-- Users table
CREATE TABLE users (
    user_id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    username VARCHAR(50) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
    email VARCHAR(100) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
    password_hash VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    role ENUM('donor', 'volunteer', 'beneficiary', 'admin') NOT NULL,
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

-- Donations table
CREATE TABLE donations (
    donation_id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    donor_id INT,
    amount DECIMAL(10, 2),
    purpose VARCHAR(255),
    payment_method VARCHAR(50),
    status ENUM('pending', 'completed', 'failed'),
    donation_date TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    FOREIGN KEY (donor_id) REFERENCES users(user_id)
);

-- Events table
CREATE TABLE events (
    event_id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    title VARCHAR(200),
    description TEXT,
    event_date DATE,
    location VARCHAR(255),
    volunteers_needed INT,
    volunteers_registered INT DEFAULT 0,
    status ENUM('open', 'closed', 'completed'),
    created_by INT,
    FOREIGN KEY (created_by) REFERENCES users(user_id)
);

-- Assistance Requests table
CREATE TABLE assistance_requests (
    request_id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
    beneficiary_id INT,
    assistance_type ENUM('financial', 'food', 'clothing', 'education'),
    description TEXT,
    status ENUM('pending', 'approved', 'rejected', 'fulfilled'),
    verified_by INT,
    request_date TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    FOREIGN KEY (beneficiary_id) REFERENCES users(user_id),
    FOREIGN KEY (verified_by) REFERENCES users(user_id)
);

Tech Stack

Backend: PHP 7.4+
Database: MySQL 8.0
Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap 4
JavaScript: jQuery, AJAX
Payment: bKash API, Nagad API
Email: PHPMailer
Server: Apache

User Interface

Homepage

Hero section with mission statement
Live donation counter
Featured campaigns
Success stories
Call-to-action buttons (Donate, Volunteer, Get Help)

Donor Portal

Personal dashboard
Donation form (amount, purpose, payment method)
Transaction history
Tax receipts download
Impact visualization (charts)

Volunteer Portal

Available events calendar
Registration forms
My Events (registered, completed)
Volunteer hours tracker
Downloadable certificates

Admin Dashboard

// Admin analytics
function get_admin_stats() {
    global $db;
    
    $stats = [];
    
    // Total donations
    $query = "SELECT SUM(amount) as total FROM donations WHERE status='completed'";
    $result = $db->query($query);
    $stats['total_donations'] = $result->fetch_assoc()['total'];
    
    // Active volunteers
    $query = "SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT volunteer_id) as count 
              FROM event_volunteers WHERE status='registered'";
    $result = $db->query($query);
    $stats['active_volunteers'] = $result->fetch_assoc()['count'];
    
    // Pending requests
    $query = "SELECT COUNT(*) as count FROM assistance_requests WHERE status='pending'";
    $result = $db->query($query);
    $stats['pending_requests'] = $result->fetch_assoc()['count'];
    
    return $stats;
}

Security Features

Authentication

// Secure login
function authenticate_user($username, $password) {
    global $db;
    
    $query = "SELECT user_id, password_hash, role FROM users WHERE username = ?";
    $stmt = $db->prepare($query);
    $stmt->bind_param('s', $username);
    $stmt->execute();
    $result = $stmt->get_result();
    
    if ($user = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
        if (password_verify($password, $user['password_hash'])) {
            // Start session
            $_SESSION['user_id'] = $user['user_id'];
            $_SESSION['role'] = $user['role'];
            return true;
        }
    }
    return false;
}

Security Measures:

Password hashing (bcrypt)
SQL injection prevention (prepared statements)
XSS protection (input sanitization)
CSRF tokens for forms
HTTPS enforcement

Sample Use Cases

Use Case 1: Donor Makes Donation

User registers as donor
Logs in to donor portal
Selects “Make Donation”
Chooses amount and purpose (e.g., “Education Fund”)
Selects payment method (bKash)
Completes payment
Receives confirmation email with receipt
Donation appears in dashboard

Use Case 2: Volunteer Registers for Event

User registers as volunteer
Browses available events
Finds “Winter Clothing Distribution” event
Clicks “Register”
System checks capacity
Confirms registration
Receives event details via email
Volunteer shows up and logs hours

Use Case 3: Beneficiary Requests Help

User registers as beneficiary
Fills assistance request form (financial aid for education)
Uploads documents (school admission letter)
Submits request
Admin reviews and verifies
Request approved
Beneficiary receives notification
Aid disbursed
Beneficiary provides feedback

Impact Metrics (Hypothetical)

📊 Platform Stats:

5,000+ Registered Users
$50,000+ Donated (BDT 50 Lakhs)
2,000+ Volunteer Hours logged
500+ Families helped
20+ Active Campaigns

Future Enhancements

🚀 Planned Features:

Mobile app (Android/iOS)
SMS notifications
Multi-language support (Bangla + English)
Blockchain for donation transparency
AI-based beneficiary need prediction
Integration with government welfare programs

Status: Academic/Community Project
Target: Bangladesh Social Welfare
License: MIT
Contributors: Open source