Building a Community Solution: Why We Created Missing People to Help Find Those Who Disappear

[u/PastorCalisto]

A few months ago, a friend of mine went missing. It was a huge shock to all of us—friends and family alike. That experience made me curious about how missing persons are reported online. I noticed that sometimes the official sites can be hard to navigate or temporarily unavailable, which makes it challenging to find or share information quickly.

The other main option is platforms like Facebook, but their notification system has serious limitations and posts often don’t reach the wider community unless you’re directly connected.That’s when I had an idea: why not build a platform where the community can easily report missing persons, lost pets, or stolen vehicles?

That’s how Missing People was born—a platform we just launched to provide a better, more accessible way to help those in need. I have spent countless hours building this system, and I believe it will truly help our community.

What do you think about this movement?

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[u/benevolent-badger]

great.

might want to change states to provinces.

[u/moreintouch → u/benevolent-badger]

Dem emdashes dead giveaway

[u/PastorCalisto → u/benevolent-badger]

Thank you for the helpful suggestion! We will make the change from "states" to "provinces" by this evening.

[u/livinginanimo → u/PastorCalisto]

And also update the emergency contacts you have listed on the Resources page, the ones listed there are American or don't exist.

[u/PastorCalisto → u/livinginanimo]

Thank you, I have apdated accordingly.

[u/the-djdj]

Maybe putting the South African emergency numbers on the page would be a good idea?

[u/PastorCalisto → u/the-djdj]

Thank you for the great suggestion! We already have a page with South African emergency numbers on the site, but we will review it and add more numbers where needed to ensure no important contacts are missing.

[u/zodwa_wa_bantu]

It's cool. Great really.

What I'm worried about though is that most people who go missing are kids from rural/low income households who's main form of communication might not be English.

Maybe a quick Afrikaans and Zulu language toggle on the website?

[u/PastorCalisto → u/zodwa_wa_bantu]

Thank you for pointing that out — it's a very important consideration. We are currently working on adding multilingual support to the website that will include all South African official languages, such as Afrikaans and Zulu, among others. This update aims to make the platform more accessible to everyone, including kids from rural and low-income households whose main forms of communication may not be English. Your suggestion for a quick language toggle is definitely aligned with our plans, and we appreciate your input!

[u/moreintouch]

There are multiple groups doing this - most active is probably Pink Ladies. You may think your idea is unique, but certainly not. You are just looking for exposure and validation.

[u/PastorCalisto → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Being proactive is what truly makes a difference, and initiatives like this complement the many valuable groups and sites already doing great work. Even if just one person is helped or saved, it makes all the effort worthwhile. Constructive support and kindness help us all move forward together toward a common goal.

[u/808nXP → u/moreintouch]

Found another one. On each post there has to be someone either jealous of the idea brought forward by the O.P and just blatently exercises their freewill on bullshit.

O.P is doing something, if nothing suggestive or productive to add then why not keep your trash comments to yourself.

OP you're doing something here, and I appreciate it. We never know when this may come in handy and should it one day, God bless you for trying, that's all that matters.

[u/PastorCalisto → u/808nXP]

Thank you so much for your kind and supportive words! It means a lot to know that the effort is appreciated. The main goal here is to create something helpful that can one day make a real difference. We’re all working toward the same mission, and encouragement like yours truly keeps us motivated. God bless you!

[u/moreintouch → u/808nXP]

Chommie of the OP without a doubt

[u/808nXP → u/moreintouch]

And even if I were I see nothing wrong with supporting an initiative of this scale.

Anything else?

[u/moreintouch → u/808nXP]

22 day old account - probably fake account of OP 🤣