On regular days, Papaya operates as a global entertainment company, engaging millions of people. However, in the past weeks, we found ourselves entertaining hundreds of individuals in a way we hadn't done before. Last week, we hosted the finale of "The Winning Challenge" at our office, a project initiated for families affected by the recent attacks on Israel.

This initiative stemmed from an understanding that, following the recent events, thousands of children have been uprooted from their homes and are currently scattered in hotels across the country without any routine. Through discussions with the affected community leaders, we recognized a significant need for employment for these children, a consistent activity to look forward to, providing them with comfort and relief from the challenges they are forced to confront.

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Therefore, we decided that the best thing we could do is what we do every day - entertain people and provide moments of joy. That’s how “The Winning Challenge” was born, a community tournament platform with daily challenges and prizes built to relieve tension and support these kids through these tough times.

After several weeks of platform development, content creation, packing equipment kits and prize packages, photo shoots, and collaborations with generous and supportive suppliers who joined the effort, we were ready. The activity was hosted by someone who understands a thing or two about facing challenges - Yogev Malka, the winner of Ninja Israel, who went above and beyond to bring joy to these communities.

We launched the activity, which included daily challenges that participants had to complete, with opportunities each day to win prizes. Every day, the prizes were sent to the lucky winners through a courier who delivered them to their location. Throughout the activity, participants shared videos of themselves completing the challenges and receiving prizes to maintain a sense of togetherness.

When the activity concluded, we held a festive finale event in our offices where all the families that gained the highest scores throughout the activity competed for the grand finale prize, a Sony PlayStation 5.

Here are some words from one of the community managers who participated in the activity: "These days, people talk about resilience and the importance of everyone having a safe, permanent space to call 'home,' but right now, there is no safe home and no routine. Therefore, the activity that Papaya created for us - that’s resilience. Children who were uprooted from their homes have a reason to get up in the morning, smile, and feel part of something, not something that ends after a few hours but continues, and that is real resilience!"

Now that this project has come to an end, we can say that the activity we built assisted hundreds of families, but not only them. It also helped us, Papaya employees, dispel tension and shift our thoughts to positive and vital things within the challenging reality we are all experiencing, and we are grateful for this opportunity.

Related article:

https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-774001