Overview
Kaaka is a community help line run from one Android phone and one laptop. Callers need nothing but a phone that can make a call or send an SMS.
Watch the walkthrough
Kaaka: One Call, Help Finds You. Full Walkthrough (Gateway, Caller and Control Room). Watch on YouTube.
The three parts
| Part | Runs on | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Kaaka Call (the Kaaka number) | One Android phone with a SIM | Screens every incoming call, rejects it and replies by SMS. Texts responders, handles their replies, and reports everything to the control room. |
| Control room (dashboard) | A laptop or server | Groups calls, texts, alerts and locations into incidents on a live map. History, analytics, responder registry, notifications. |
| Kaaka Sensors (optional) | The caller's own phone | SOS button, fall detection, a safety timer and an "I'm safe" button. Sends GPS reports by SMS to the Kaaka number. |
What happens on a call
- Someone calls the Kaaka number. The call is rejected at once, so it costs the caller nothing.
- The caller gets an SMS: "Kaaka received your call. Help is being arranged. If in immediate danger, call 112." If a public URL is set, it ends with a link to share their location.
- Every configured responder gets an SMS with the caller's number and "Reply ACK <number> to confirm."
- The call appears in the control room as an open incident. When the caller's location arrives, the nearest available responder is dispatched by SMS with distance and ETA.
- A responder replies
ACK; the caller is told a responder has seen their call. If nobody replies within five minutes, responders get one reminder. - The incident closes when a responder texts
RESOLVE, the caller textsSAFE, or someone presses [resolve] in the control room.
Help without a call
An SMS to the Kaaka number containing HELP, SOS, KAAKA or സഹായം is handled exactly like a call. See SMS commands.
Kaaka works alongside 112, never instead of it. Every reply points to 112 for immediate danger. Kaaka adds location, tracking and a responder loop; it cannot answer calls with a voice.
Where to go next
- Getting started: set up the Kaaka number and the control room in about twenty minutes.
- SMS commands: every text Kaaka understands and sends.
- Running in production: token, service files, backups, health check.
Kaaka 1.0.0 · Edit this page · In immediate danger, call 112.