Using Bitcoin to Drive Philanthropy – Bitcoin Magazine
This is an opinion piece by Renata Rodrigues, Head of Global Community and Education at Paxful.
Social Change Powered by Bitcoin: Part Two
Bitcoin has real potential as a vehicle for social change.
For philanthropies, bitcoin adds a layer of accountability that fiat donations are unable to replicate. For nonprofits, this makes tracking donations easier and gives people unprecedented insight into how their donations are being used. Using bitcoin for philanthropy offers other benefits. Sending money with Bitcoin involves minimal costs and is much more efficient than most traditional services.
In this two-part series on bitcoin and social good, I’ll highlight how nonprofits are using bitcoin to impact communities around the world. First we covered Raúl Yazdani and Agua x Vida.
Next, we take a look at Yusuf Nessary and the Built With Bitcoin Foundation. To date, the non-profit organization has built and repaired ten schools, seven solar energy projects and over a dozen water and agricultural systems across the globe. Beyond the projects themselves, Nessary also hopes that Bitcoin can restore hope in these communities.
Bitcoinforthe100 is a collection of stories and use cases that prove that Bitcoin is indeed 100% for. Below is a voice embracing Bitcoin for social good.
Bitcoin to Bring Life: Yusuf Nessary, Houston, Texas
Yusuf always felt his calling was to help others, and in July 2014 he started Zam Zam to bring clean, sustainable water to those who needed it most. This led him to meet Ray Youssef, who asked to make a substantial donation in bitcoin. “What is bitcoin? I have no idea what it is,” he laughed as he recalled how he had first reacted to the idea.
Together, Nessary and Youssef launched the Built With Bitcoin Foundation, a non-profit organization that would build everything from schools, water wells and sustainable gardens in emerging communities – all powered by Bitcoin. Later that year, they completed the construction of their very first school in Nyamata, Rwanda. It was a feeling he would never forget. “Here was a school we had built with just Bitcoin,” he said. In just a few months, Nessary’s thoughts on the global economy had completely changed. He saw the power of what bitcoin was capable of doing.
Since 2017, the Built With Bitcoin Foundation has completed a number of additional projects and continues to build within the communities that need it most. To this day, Nessary travels back to each location. He has been able to see lives change and people thrive because of opportunities given to them through bitcoin. “It’s amazing to see,” he said. “I want to legitimize this kind of philanthropy because the power of bitcoin can be used for good. And that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
You can learn more about his story here.
This is a guest post by Renata Rodrigues. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc. or Bitcoin Magazine.
