Initial Venezuela goals surpassed, here’s why we want to reach higher!
In what will be out biggest outreach in Venezuela, we want to focus purely on the people there we can help. This is our 3rd time giving to the people in Venezuela, and I’m sure it won’t be our last!
I’m going to go in to a little bit more detail about what I see happening, how the funds will be spent and more.
I want to start by thanking Arcane Bear for all the input so far, and although we have slightly different goals and vision, we wish the team all the best and are excited to see their future blossom and their incredible impact they are going to have on the world.
Another thank you needs to be said to Monkeycoin exchange, as well as the generous contributions from jsnip4’s Realist News, support from Crypto Mug Investors, CryptoPulse Podcast and all the other people who have both contributed financially as well as spreading the message about the good we are going to be doing.
I also especially want to thank the community for their generous donations so far! I am truly humbled by the support received for this initiative, and I am also proud of the positive reaction both from the DigiByte community directly as well as the larger crypto communities encouragement!
What is it we are raising the funds for?
We want to give it all to those who have less, to go to the people in Venezuela, to build them up and assist them in any way we can. We want to focus on sustainable and long-lasting assistance that will allow them to be self-sufficient with any input we stimulate the local town’s / enterprises with.
While the specifics are not completely nailed down, here’s some ideas we are floating around at the moment, for action ideally in late August:
- Bringing internet access back to the city of Adicora to help stimulate the local economy, which would open the city more to international tourism from their renowned Kitesurfing
- Helping the people in Valencia with Casas de Abrigo
- Improving local schools and shelters with water pumps, A/C installations
- Helping shelters with building maintenance, repairs etc
- Ideas around DigiByte merchant uptake, such as food / grocery stores accepting DigiByte and an injection of that DigiByte to promote local adoption
- There are several local foundations that support the poor with food / meals that we are looking in to
- Giving presents to children in December as part of a longer-term initiative
- And many more ideas have been coming in from the community at large!
So, we have a lot to organize in a little time, and the specifics of where the funds go may vary a little depending on where we can get contractors to help with construction or similar things.
Who has access to the wallet with these funds?
I still am the only one who has access to the wallet.
I believe I have proven to look after funds well with the DigiByte Development Bounties, and the funds from our two previous initiatives for Venezuela.
I am not taking a single cent, Satoshi or DigiByte from this, and am donating my own time and DGB. We want to reassure you the current funds contributed are safe and being well-managed.
If you are at all uncomfortable with this, please don’t feel any pressure to donate.
To clarify: There has been a return of 30,000DGB to a user who accidentally sent “Max” from their wallet. They contacted me within 2 minutes of the funds being sent and we returned it to the source address, minus the intended donation of 1000DGB.
How much will you spend on overheads / admin for this?
As little as possible, ideally none!
My intention for this initiative is not to generate any surplus funds, not to take any, but to use it all to assist the people of Venezuela.
Who is going to help on the ground in Venezuela?
We have been receiving some incredible input from the team over at Monkeycoin exchange who are so passionate about Venezuela!
There has been solid guidance on where the greatest impact could be had, opportunities, local contacts and more.
We are also looking at potentially sending a couple of people who are going to have their flights covered by a 3rd party, who can help with further administration, documenting the impact we have, and generally helping out in any way possible.
I only have a little to donate, is it even worth it?
Yes, absolutely! Even just 150DGB is the equivalent of a months wages in some areas, so even a small donation can go a long way.
What are the priorities when it comes to choosing what will be funded?
We want to help as many people as possible, where our contributions will have the greatest impact.
We also want to diversify where we do this, so it might look different from location to location.
When are you planning on stopping receiving funds and going over to Venezuela?
Firstly, I won’t be visiting myself. Flights are too expensive and I don’t want to be taking anything from this myself, so I’m staying put here in New Zealand.
However, we plan on stopping funds around the middle of August so we can get things happening there in Venezuela.
Any additional donations that come after that time will still be directed in their entirety towards this initiative, so if there are any late arrivals we’ll still be supporting Venezuela completely with it through one means or another!
What is the position of the DigiByte Foundation on this work?
Firstly, this initiative is something that I have been pursuing myself personally, and this is not something that is a “DigiByte Foundation sponsored” initiative. As we are a decentralized blockchain, anybody is welcome to contribute to work done with DigiByte in any way they see fit, which is what is being done here.
That said, I’ve had a lot of positive feedback, guidance, and input from basically all of the DigiByte Foundation members individually and there has been no hesitation on anybody’s behalf. This is a hugely positive opportunity and they are behind it 100%!
Is anybody taking a cut of the funds along the way? A % stake?
No, none whatsoever, myself included. I won’t be on the receiving end of anything.
Where funds are given to somebody who is not immediately in need in Venezuela, I will recount this after the fact, along with an amount, and reasoning to why it was needed.
For example if we need to pay for flights to send somebody over there, I’ll confirm how much was spent on that and why, and any spending will be kept to a minimum (Economy class etc IF it happened).
Is this just a once-off event?
This is most certainly going to be on-going. Although we may try to do things in “batches”, as this is our 3rd main initiative, we want to keep supporting the people of Venezuela on an on-going basis where possible!
With this in mind, if you are part of the DigiByte community in Venezuela and you are able to help out with any organizing, education etc then I would love to hear from you.
Please contact me either on Twitter, or on Telegram (@Chilling_Silence) if you can assist.
So what now?
Keep spreading the word!
The more people who know of this, the better, especially if they are able to give to the cause.
We are still accepting contributions here: DCJSNfGsamNYcbZs5HxJPQLpfNtiVAzK1M
However, I want to reiterate that this is a positive opportunity that we have here and I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in it becoming a political statement, discussions around the economy, or any involvement of national ICOs. We have no intention of replacing their monetary system, but are open to places where DigiByte can supplement peoples lives. I’m interested in the beautiful nation of Venezuela, their resilient people, and how we can help their incredible nation!
Where spreading the message, I want to also encourage the community at large to keep this perspective in mind too. We’re all well aware of what is going on in the country, but we need to ensure we remain focused on the positive future that we are helping bring about here.
