We’re covering the Bitcoin For Communities program to highlight the selected projects. They’re taking the El Zonte model and running with it. Grassroots Bitcoin communities are popping up all around the world, and these holidays Galoy and an anonymous donor are distributing 2.1M sats to them. Not only that, the originators, the Bitcoin Beach project itself, is matching the donations for a whooping 4.2M sats total.
Related Reading | By The Numbers: Here’s How Much The Pirate Bay’s Bitcoin Donations Are Worth
At the time of writing, that’s roughly $2K. That might not seem like much to some, but for these humble projects, it’s seed money that will go a long way. Some of them are creating circular economies, so those sats are going to move around quite a bit.
In any case, yesterday we featured the first three projects and explained how Bitcoin for Communities works. It’s time for the second batch. Check out what these people all around the world are doing for Bitcoin and Lightning adoption.
Bitcoin For Communities, Day Four: Human Rights Foundation Bitcoin Development Fund
Inception, this donation will probably become a grant. According to Galoy, the Bitcoin Development Fund “has awarded more than $750,000 across 17 grants and 20+ projects to advance Bitcoin as a financial tool for human rights activists, civil society organizations, and journalists around the world.” It’s an initiative from the Human Rights Foundation, whose Chief Strategy Officer, Alex Gladstein, is a fixture in Bitcoin media.
🌏⚡️🚀 #BitcoinForCommunities Day #4 of 10: @HRF
Today we sent 2.1 million sats to the Human Rights Foundation #Bitcoin Development Fund for supporting projects that make the Bitcoin network more private, decentralized & resilient.
Join us, send sats!https://t.co/UwSKMgqZBk
— Galoy (@GaloyMoney) December 26, 2021
According to their website, the Bitcoin Development Fund wants to strengthen the Bitcoin network so “that it can better serve as a financial tool for human rights activists, civil society organizations, and journalists around the world.” Is this project Bitcoin for Communities material, though? We vote yes.
BTC price chart for 12/29/2021 on Gemini | Source: BTC/USD on TradingView.com
Bitcoin For Communities, Day Five: Bitcoin Beach Brazil
Another attempt at creating a Bitcoin circular economy, Bitcoin Beach Brazil “is an independent movement inspired by Bitcoin Beach in El Zonte. The project provides Bitcoin education and onboarding to citizens of Jericoacoara –– a community largely excluded from the traditional financial system.” Definitely Bitcoin for Communities material.
.@bitcoinbeachbr is an independent movement inspired by @Bitcoinbeach in El Zonte. The project provides #Bitcoin education and onboarding to citizens of Jericoacoara –– a community largely excluded from the traditional financial system.⚡️✊
— Galoy (@GaloyMoney) December 27, 2021
The team behind the project responded, “We are working hard to keep the experiment running, growing and bringing hope to our locals, showing to the world how to use Bitcoin as money, everywhere, even in a small village as Bitcoin Beach did. Thank you very much for your support.” They run their own Lightning node, and nowadays is Brazil’s second-biggest. So far, they’ve onboarded 10 businesses and 120 users approximately.
#BitcoinBeachBR 2021 milestones
✅ Running the 2nd largest BR Lightning Node
✅ +10 businesses accepting BTC +120 users
✅ +30 bitcoiners visited the village
✅ 1 script developed +2 under development
✅ 0.044 BTC received donations
✅ 0.017 BTC spent to make it happen— Praia Bitcoin Brazil ⚡ (@BitcoinBeachBR) December 29, 2021
This project was already featured here at Bitcoinist. They published this comprehensive guide that explains Bitcoin Beach Brazil and provides the resources and information for future Bitcoin for Communities projects to follow in their footsteps. Among many other things, it says:
“From the beginning, Bitcoin has promised to bank the unbanked, and give back the power from the governments and financial institutions to the individual. However, until recently, that promise seemed elusive. Bitcoin Beach Brazil is a movement to ensure that the true potential of Bitcoin is realized and that those who were excluded from the banking system be the main beneficiaries.”
Bitcoin For Communities, Day Six: Bitcoin Jungle In Costa Rica
Pura vida. Another Bitcoin Beach-inspired project, Bitcoin Jungle is located in The Golden Triangle, an area in southwestern Costa Rica. In their thank-you-note, Bitcoin Jungle said “Galoy was gracious enough to donate 2.1 million sats to our cause. We will be using this to fund community outreach and education events throughout January to build our circular economy. The Bitcoin community is the best community!”
Indeed it is. The Bitcoin for Communities program is proof of that
The Bitcoin Jungle Wallet was introduced by the @BitcoinJungleCR team on December 10th at a local feria (farmer’s market) in Dominical, Costa Rica: https://t.co/SoMCBGuUKE
— Galoy (@GaloyMoney) December 28, 2021
That’s not all, Bitcoin Jungle released its own wallet. “Developers used the Galoy open source Bitcoin banking platform to build their own Lightning-enabled Bitcoin wallet. The team even modified the code to enable conversion to the local currency – colones.” About the wallet, Bitcoin Jungle shared through their blog:
“Yesterday in Dominical, a small surfing town on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, we took the simple open source solution that Galoy has created and introduced it live to the community. People took to the wallet as easy as using a pencil for the first time. On our first day, we signed-up well over 60% of all the merchants at the market and scores of Bitcoin, first time users. This was all made possible by the simplicity of the solution on offer.”
In any case, what does this connection between surf and bitcoin mean? A truly remarkable phenomenon that has to be studied, but that’s a topic for another day.
Related Reading | How To Create The Next Bitcoin Beach. A Beginners Guide
Join us next year for the exciting conclusion to the Bitcoin for Communities series. We will feature not three, but four exciting new projects. It’s must-see TV! But, you know… in blog format.
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