HELPSTiR: Hyperlocal AI for Benefits Access

HELPSTiR is an AI-enabled platform designed to address structural barriers that prevent vulnerable women and children from accessing welfare benefits and protection services. Across many communities, individuals facing poverty, gender-based violence, or social marginalization often struggle to obtain assistance due to a combination of factors including limited awareness of government schemes, documentation gaps, mobility restrictions, and social stigma. These challenges disproportionately affect women and girls, particularly in marginalized communities.

Traditional welfare delivery systems often require beneficiaries to actively seek assistance, navigate complex administrative processes, and interact with multiple institutions. For many vulnerable individuals, these requirements create significant barriers to accessing support. HELPSTiR addresses this issue by shifting the responsibility of initiating support requests from beneficiaries to community actors who are better positioned to identify and report cases of need.

The platform allows civil society actors such as teachers, social workers, NGO volunteers, healthcare workers, and community members to submit help requests on behalf of vulnerable individuals. These requests include basic information such as approximate location, category of need, and optional contextual details. Machine learning models process the submitted information and classify requests according to urgency and service requirements.

Using geospatial algorithms, the system then matches the request with verified local organizations capable of providing assistance. These organizations may include NGOs, shelters, healthcare providers, and welfare service providers. The first qualified organization to accept the request takes responsibility for delivering support and tracking the case through the platform.

A key advantage of HELPSTiR is its ability to remove digital access barriers. Beneficiaries do not need smartphones, internet connectivity, or digital literacy to receive assistance. Instead, trusted intermediaries within the community submit requests on their behalf.

During pilot deployments, the system successfully identified previously unreported cases of vulnerable girls who had dropped out of school and facilitated their reintegration into education programmes. The platform significantly reduced the time required to detect and address cases, enabling support providers to respond within minutes rather than weeks.

HELPSTiR illustrates how artificial intelligence and geospatial technologies can strengthen social protection systems by connecting vulnerable populations with services more efficiently. By enabling community-mediated reporting and automated service matching, the platform creates a scalable model for improving gender-responsive welfare delivery and strengthening local support networks.

For additional context and detailed documentation of this use case, please refer to pages 20-23 in the attached Casebook.