For many people, cryptomoney is evil. Between the serial hacks that brighten up this August, the absurd laws prepared by our politicians or the eternal refrain “cryptocurrencies fund terrorism”, in the head of Mr. everyone, Bitcoin = scam. And, yet…
When bitcoin helps education
Yet, many positive initiatives are launched every week. Today, let’s cross the Atlantic and land in Brazil, where Bitcoin can radically change people’s lives.
Known for its exceptional carnival, and its sometimes extreme poverty, the country oscillates between two opposite universes, luxury and misery.
The AfroBit_Lab project was born to help fight against poverty. The goal of the association is to help and educate the Brazilian black population. Developed by the GUETTO Institute, a non-profit institution, the project is conducted in partnership with Paxful, a P2P (peer-to-peer) financing platform.
“Bitcoin is one of the world’s most powerful tools for financial freedom. We are expanding our global commitment to Bitcoin education via AfroBit_lab and revolutionizing the way black people in Brazil can access more tools and resources to thrive.”
Renata Rodrigues, global community and education manager at Paxful
The idea behind this association is to help people with little or no access to traditional financial and banking services to be able to discover and especially use cryptocurrencies.
AfroBit_Lab gave 12 young people the opportunity to learn about cryptos. The NGO offered them 1,300 Brazilian Real, the equivalent of €250. The goal was to help these young people invest in Bitcoin and explain how it works.
Training, culture and cryptocurrency
The association has received over a thousand applications. They are pouring in from the 3 cities where the initiative is setting up: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Salvador. All the applicants will be able to follow the courses offered by the association for free, but only the 12 selected will receive the R$ 1300.
“We are very satisfied with the group we have gathered for this phase of the project. There have been many registrations, with talented and highly qualified people looking for more knowledge. There was one indicator that caught our attention, during the selection phase, in which the applicants’ claims were well below their qualifications. Based on the knowledge of Bitcoin, we realized that there is an opportunity for this black population to become more profitable, to learn how to capitalize, and to be financially independent. This is one of our biggest goals in partnering with Paxful to build AfroBit_Lab.”
Alabê Nunjara, Director of Public Policy and International Relations at the Guetto Institute
Adalberto Dos Santos, is a financial analyst born in Rio das Pegras, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. He sees this initiative as an opportunity for the community.
“I like the idea of sharing financial education knowledge in a simpler language for people on the periphery. I think financial education should be taught in school. We live in a country with an extreme income gap. The poor have no control over their money and are always in debt. It’s good that they learn mechanisms to manage the situation.”
Born in Niterói and raised in São Gonçalo, Bruna Lira is a 20-year-old. She believes that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are a monetary revolution. For her, this training and the use of Bitcoin is a way to make her dreams come true.
“I believe that a project like Afrobit_Lab can change my life by helping me invest in bitcoin and plan well, financially, thinking about the future. I want to buy my house and my car.”
During the classes, they will learn about the theory of blockchain and how Bitcoin works. They will also be offered English language training, courses on data analysis and financial management. After the training period, the students will commit to educating the population in turn, by leading master classes. The goal is to spread knowledge, free of charge.
This kind of initiative, beyond helping the local population, also helps to demonstrate that the ecosystem related to cryptocurrencies is something positive, and that can really change lives. We don’t necessarily realize this in our countries, in which easy access to banks makes us forget that this is not the case in many other parts of the world.
