by Jenna Bloom ’21

There’s no denying that times like these are overwhelming, stressful, and unprecedented. Mental health is at stake, and everything on the news just seems to be negative. It’s hard to take a step back and appreciate the small wins. To combat this, thehappyarc.com is a new website sharing the positive stats of COVID-19, including recovery numbers, happy news, and tips on staying positive during the pandemic.

The website, developed by a husband and wife duo Azhdar Gasimzade and Ulkar Akhundzada, is dedicated to bringing some happiness to the world in these crazy times. They noticed that “all the other trackers lacked emphasis on the recoveries and not enough people were talking about the good news around the world.” When you first open the website, there’s a bright, cheerful design and an animation of a rainbow at the top of the screen. Gasimzade and Akhundzada told The Warrior that “the rainbow has been adopted as a sign of hope during COVID times, and we hoped to give people a glimpse of the rainbow during the rainy days too.” 

They have marketed and advertised the website on social media, and said the feedback has been amazing. They receive “messages from people every day about how the site is helping them cope with all the negative news,” which really “tears [them] up to read the heartwarming messages.” Their Tik Tok account, @thehappyarc, has gained a lot of attention, with 4.5k followers and over 100k total likes across all of their videos.

All of the data on the website is pulled from a variety of sources, including the World Health Organization, Johns Hopkins and various government resources. They use an API that consolidates the data and puts it on the site. 

Making a website is definitely not easy. Gasimzade and Akhundzada explained that the initial coding and design took them about 10 days to complete. The duo planned it together, and Akhundzada made it, working into the late night after their toddler’s bedtime. After the launch, they have continued adding and making improvements.

Their advice to anyone struggling to stay positive during this pandemic is to “stay connected with friends and family, find new things to do around the house, and read happy news to stay positive.” Thehappyarc.com has given them a way to help others, stay busy by coding, and brought them closer to so many people who feel the same way that they do. 

Bookmark this website on your computer, as it is hard to stay positive right now. Remind yourself that there is so much light in the world, no matter how tough and unfair things may seem. Thehappyarc.com is a great and needed example of the importance of positivity.