docs: add CONTRIBUTING.md guidelines

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+# Contributing to Abhaya
+
+First off, thank you for considering contributing to Abhaya! It's people like you that make it a great tool. 
+
+## Getting Started
+
+### 1. Fork and Clone the Repository
+
+1. **Fork** the repository on GitHub by clicking the "Fork" button in the top right corner.
+2. **Clone** your forked repository to your local machine:
+   ```bash
+   git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/Abhaya.git
+   cd Abhaya
+   ```
+
+### 2. Setup the Project
+
+The project consists of a React Native (Expo) frontend at the root of the repository, and a Node.js + Express backend in the `backend` directory.
+
+#### Frontend Setup (Expo + React Native)
+
+The frontend code is located at the root of the repository.
+
+1. Install dependencies from the root directory:
+   ```bash
+   npm install
+   ```
+2. Start the Expo development server:
+   ```bash
+   npx expo start
+   ```
+
+#### Backend Setup (Node.js + Express)
+
+1. Navigate to the backend directory:
+   ```bash
+   cd backend
+   ```
+2. Install dependencies:
+   ```bash
+   npm install
+   ```
+3. Start the backend development server:
+   ```bash
+   npm run dev
+   ```
+
+#### Environment Variables Setup
+
+Both frontend and backend might require environment variables. 
+1. Look for a `.env.example` file in the root directory (and `backend` directory if one exists).
+2. Create a copy of the `.env.example` file and name it `.env`:
+   ```bash
+   cp .env.example .env
+   ```
+3. Update the `.env` file with the necessary configuration values for your local environment (e.g., API keys, database URLs).
+
+## Development Workflow
+
+### Branch Naming Conventions
+
+Please follow these conventions when creating a new branch:
+
+- `feature/your-feature-name` (For new features)
+- `bugfix/issue-description` (For bug fixes)
+- `docs/what-you-documented` (For documentation updates)
+- `refactor/what-you-refactored` (For code refactoring)
+
+Example:
+```bash
+git checkout -b feature/add-user-login
+```
+
+### Commit Message Guidelines
+
+We use clear and descriptive commit messages. A good commit message should describe what changed and why.
+
+- **feat**: A new feature
+- **fix**: A bug fix
+- **docs**: Documentation only changes
+- **style**: Changes that do not affect the meaning of the code (white-space, formatting, missing semi-colons, etc)
+- **refactor**: A code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature
+- **test**: Adding missing tests or correcting existing tests
+- **chore**: Changes to the build process or auxiliary tools and libraries such as documentation generation
+
+Example:
+```
+feat: add user login screen
+```
+
+### Code Style Standards
+
+- Follow standard JavaScript/React Native practices.
+- Run any linting scripts before committing, if available.
+- Write clean, self-documenting code and add comments where necessary.
+- Ensure consistent formatting across the codebase.
+
+## Submitting a Pull Request
+
+1. **Ensure all tests pass** (if applicable) and your code builds successfully.
+2. **Push your changes** to your fork:
+   ```bash
+   git push origin your-branch-name
+   ```
+3. **Open a Pull Request** from your fork to the main repository.
+4. **Describe your changes** clearly in the PR description, referencing any related issues.
+5. Wait for a review! We will review your changes and might suggest some improvements.
+
+Thank you for contributing!