iochieng1/SemaKazi

"Verified skills & reputation platform for Kenya's informal-sector workers" # SemaKazi > A verified skills & reputation platform for Kenya's informal-sector workers (fundis). ## Problem statement Kenya has one of the youngest populations in the world (median age ~20), and the overwhelming majority of its workforce is employed in the informal sector — artisans, electricians, carpenters, mechanics, tailors, and other skilled tradespeople known locally as "fundis." Despite real skill, these workers have no digital way to prove their competence to someone outside their existing social network. Clients rely entirely on word-of-mouth, which: - Limits skilled fundis to a small, slow-growing client base - Lets unskilled or dishonest workers pose as experienced professionals - Gives clients no way to compare or verify quality before hiring SemaKazi solves this by giving fundis a public, verifiable profile built from three trust signals: **proof-of-work** (photo/video of completed jobs), **client ratings**, and **peer-endorsed skill badges**. ## Who it's for - **Fundis** — skilled informal-sector workers who want to build a discoverable reputation and reach clients beyond their existing network - **Clients** — people who need a trade done and want some evidence of quality before they hire a stranger ## MVP scope (what this build actually covers) - Fundi and client registration/login - Fundi profile: trade, location, bio, contact - Proof-of-work uploads (media + caption) - Client ratings & reviews per fundi - Peer skill-badge endorsements - Search/filter fundis by trade and location ## Out of scope for MVP - Payments or in-app job booking/escrow - SMS/USSD access for non-smartphone users - Admin moderation dashboard - Real-time chat between client and fundi (See `docs/PRD.md` for the full breakdown, including user stories.) ## Tech stack | Layer | Choice | |---|---| | Backend | Node.js + Express | | Database | SQLite (better-sqlite3) | | Auth | JWT + bcrypt | | Frontend | HTML/CSS/JS (Phase 2) | | Media storage | Cloudinary/S3 (Phase 2) …