At YMCA Malta, social care professionals were spending valuable time managing repetitive forms, paper records and disconnected spreadsheets. The information was essential, but the administrative workload reduced the time available for supporting people directly.
The response to this challenge shows how the HP / YMCA project framework can connect technology, skills and community needs across different countries.
ENAE Business School in Murcia, Spain, hosts a Digital Hub equipped by YMCA Europe through the HP-supported project framework. Building on this cooperation, YMCA Europe and ENAE also created internship opportunities that allow students to apply their skills within YMCA organisations.
José García, a Spanish software developer, was among the students who travelled to Malta through this partnership. His placement gave José the opportunity to strengthen his technical skills in a real working environment, while providing YMCA Malta with additional capacity to address a specific organisational challenge.
Starting with the Needs of YMCA Malta
Before developing the solution, José visited YMCA Malta’s facilities and worked with staff to understand their daily routines and reporting requirements. He found that important operational information was spread across spreadsheets and physical records, requiring staff to enter similar data several times.
Based on these needs, José developed a centralised web application for YMCA Malta’s shelters and drop-in centres. The platform brings daily processes together through features such as QR-based access passes, medication dose tracking and the import of existing Excel records.
Role-based access allows operators, local administrators and managers to use the functions relevant to their responsibilities. An Impact Dashboard will also help YMCA Malta monitor admissions, beneficiary recurrence and lengths of stay, while producing anonymised data for reporting.
Technology Designed for Daily Use
The application was developed and tested using HP devices available through the project’s digital infrastructure. This allowed the platform to be tested in the same working environment in which it will be used.
Because staff members have different levels of digital experience, the interface was designed to be clear and practical. At the same time, the system includes encryption, secure access controls and other safeguards for handling sensitive information.
The application has now reached its final beta-testing phase. Feedback from YMCA Malta supervisors Anthony and Etienne has helped refine practical features, including missed-dose alerts, touchscreen signatures for medication dispensation and the identification of duplicate resident records.
The final phase also includes a staff user manual and hands-on training. This will help operators, administrators and managers use the platform confidently and follow appropriate data-protection practices.
This initiative is more than the story of an intern developing an application. It shows a connected pathway from digital access to practical community impact.
The HP project framework supported the technological environment, YMCA Europe connected the partners and created the internship opportunity, ENAE contributed student talent, and YMCA Malta brought the local knowledge and operational need.
Once fully tested and deployed, the platform is expected to reduce repetitive administrative work, improve reporting and help YMCA Malta staff spend more time supporting the people and communities they serve.
