When war broke out in Ukraine three years ago, Canadian Mikhail Kelim and his wife Vera were "inundated with calls and messages from people I knew, and I also made myself available to offer support," Vera tells the CBC.
"There were people in bomb shelters and train stations waiting for evacuation, and they could not receive help because of their situation."
That's when the Russian-Canadian couple decided to create an app to help those in crisis.
Faino is a free psychological support chatbot on Telegram that was launched in 24 days with the support of leading psychologists, developers, designers, and translators from around the world.
Initially, the app was intended for people struggling with war-related stress, but the benefits it provided were quickly grasped by the population at large, Mikhail says.
"We found that Faino was helping people with issues that we did not foresee initially," he says.
"For example, it has assisted people prior to exams, interviews, or speeches, and also helps people calm down if they are having an argument."
Some users even rely on Faino's help to sleep better after a difficult day, he says.
Faino has also provided key psychological support to over 8,000 people affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and expanded the
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