We are Yalla Co-operative

In 2018, Joe Friel in the UK, Simon Dupree in Germany, and Ramy Al Shurafa in Gaza, Palestine, came together after completing tech bootcamps at Founders and Coders and Gaza Sky Geeks, which are two organisations championing technology for social impact and cross-border collaboration. We chose the name Yalla, meaning “Let’s get going” in Arabic, reflecting our shared drive to make a difference.

Our first project was Connect 5, a mental health training tool. With funding from Health Education England, we embarked on our first multi-sprint project. This success gave us the confidence to take on our second project, Tempo, a prototype for a UK charity. Then, in September 2019, we finally met in-person in Gaza and expanded our team to six members.

Working remotely wasn’t easy, especially under the constraints of Gaza’s blockade. But these challenges shaped us, making us experts in remote collaboration and strengthening our commitment to a mission: leveraging technology to create a fairer world where talent and potential aren’t defined by borders.

Over the next three years, we made significant progress toward our long-term goals. Our team expanded to six core members and eight freelancers across Palestine, the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany. We had the privilege of partnering with inspiring organisations like Shannon Trust, where we built a digital literacy tool for the Ministry of Justice. We also worked with the Social Mobility Foundation, Children’s Music Therapy, Scouts, and many others, delivering impactful tech solutions across platforms and technologies.

These years brought meaningful milestones, including several awards like the Prison Leavers Innovation Challenge Winner, recognising our contributions to the tech-for-good ecosystem.

In 2022, we returned to Gaza to host workshops for local developers, building connections that defied physical barriers and investing in the community that continues to inspire us.

Growth led us to strengthen our foundations so we could scale and build resilience. With support from partner organisations, we developed our handbook, a practical guide that shares our experience in building remote-first cooperatives across borders.

We also deepened our engagement with the Palestinian tech ecosystem, growing our network to over 40 freelancers across regions. The devastating events in Palestine since late 2023 have only underscored the urgency of our mission. Through these challenging times, we’ve remained steadfast in supporting our team in Gaza.

Our 2024 rebranding celebrates the diversity of our team across Palestine, Europe, and the UK, reaffirming our belief that talent knows no borders. Looking ahead, we’re preparing to launch new programmes with tech-for-good partners and continue to create opportunities where barriers once stood.