Kanjo-Elkamira-Ndi/Bolo

A bilingual (EN/FR) student gig marketplace for Cameroon — connecting university students to odd jobs & freelance work, with Mobile Money payments and escrow protection. # BOLO > A bilingual (EN/FR) student gig marketplace for Cameroon — connecting university students to odd jobs & freelance work, with Mobile Money payments and escrow protection. --- ## The Problem University students in Cameroon regularly face cash shortfalls between parental remittances. There is no trusted, structured channel for students to advertise their availability for odd jobs — cleaning, cooking, painting, tutoring, delivery — or for clients to hire them safely. Most arrangements happen informally over WhatsApp with no payment protection, no accountability, and no recourse when things go wrong. **Bolo fixes that.** --- ## What It Is Bolo is a hyperlocal gig marketplace built specifically for Cameroonian university students. Think of it as a local Fiverr + Indeed + Upwork, focused on the student economy — both physical odd jobs and digital micro-tasks, with built-in trust mechanisms and Mobile Money payment protection. | Feature | Details | |---|---| | **Bilingual** | Full English / French interface toggle | | **Physical + Digital gigs** | Cleaning, cooking, painting, tutoring, design, translation, delivery, and more | | **Dual marketplace** | Students post services (Fiverr-style) or clients post jobs and workers apply (Indeed-style) | | **Escrow payments** | Funds held until client confirms completion — no more payment ghosting | | **Mobile Money** | MTN Mobile Money & Orange Money — no credit card required | | **Verified students** | Optional student ID upload for a trust badge | | **Workroom** | Per-order chat, file exchange, and milestone tracking | | **Hyperlocal** | Location-tagged by city and campus area | --- ## Tech Stack ### Server - **Runtime:** Node.js 20 + Express.js - **Language:** TypeScript (strict) - **Database:** PostgreSQL 16 + Drizzle ORM - **Auth:** better-auth — Google, Facebook, Apple, X + Phone OTP - **Real-time:** Socket.io - **Payments:** MTN Mobile Money API + Orange Money API - **Storage:** Cloudinary - **Notif …