Please describe your proposed solution
Problem Statement:
Imagine living your life in a country that has had multiple currency failures and a banking system that is . A nation in which you search for a system that can help deal with currency instability and an unreliable banking system. This has been the story of Zimbabwe, to be precise, I have experienced the pain of waking up and all the money you had is rendered valueless. I have lived an unbanked life because you can't trust your country's banking system. This is the story of millions of Zimbabweans.
Zimbabwe has suffered from repeated currency failures, making it an ideal candidate for blockchain solutions and cryptocurrency adoption. The absence of a structured blockchain community and educational infrastructure has limited the potential for blockchain mass adoption. It has also hindered the development of innovative solutions that could leverage cryptocurrency for payments and economic resilience. To help address the above there is need for a robust on the ground Cardano community of like-minded individuals focusing on solutions that are scalable and suitable for mass adoption in Zimbabwe and beyond. The journey begins with educational campaigns and community building. By focusing on university students—who represent Zimbabwe’s future leaders and innovators—this project taps into their sharp minds and innovative potential to find Cardano-based solutions to Zimbabwe’s financial challenges.
Solution:
This initiative will introduce and grow a Cardano community targeting three leading universities in Zimbabwe, namely: University of Zimbabwe (UZ) in Harare, Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) in Chinhoyi, and National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Bulawayo. This will be done over a 9-month period, we will host educational events, blockchain competitions, and corporate engagement panels to drive development and adoption of Cardano-based solutions.
I believe that blockchain solutions can help solve many of the problems that numerous people are experiencing in terms of banking and finance including those related to currency failure in Zimbabwe. It is from this background that we propose to build an active Cardano community in Zimbabwe. The main objective is to eventually come up with Cardano based solutions that help address the challenges faced by many individuals in numerous places including Zimbabwe. Our initial goal is to educate, reinforce and build a Zimbabwean Cardano community in our journey to developing Cardano's based solutions that will aid many Zimbabweans and other individuals in various nations to deal with various banking and finance related issues.
We aim to create a sustainable community through:
1. Educational Events & Awareness - Which will be held in three rounds:
a. First round of events will introduce blockchain technology and its use cases using Cardano as the main focus. It will also involve some practical demonstration sessions and community formation.
b. Second round of events are meant to reinforce knowledge, and grow the community.
c. The final round of events are meant to develop a think tank for scalable on the ground Cardano solutions for Zimbabwe and beyond.
d. We will focus on raising awareness about career options in blockchain, including development, DeFi, NFTs, business, national and worldwide solutions.
e. Distribute educational materials on blockchain, DeFi, and Cardano solutions.
2. Competitions:
We will hold the competitions during and in between the events such as:
a. Essay competitions (with up to 1,000 ADA in prizes), encouraging students to explore how Cardano solutions can be developed for Zimbabwe.
c. Hold quzzies during the events
b. Conduct weekly trivia sessions after the first event, with 300 ADA awarded to winners.
3. Corporate Engagement:
a. Organise discussions on DeFi and what can be done to work on creating Cardano solutions in Zimbabwean commerce and finance with the corporate world.
b. Focus on Zimbabwe’s potential for cryptocurrency mass adoption in payments, DeFi and the role of NFTs.
4. Online Community Building:
a. Maintain active Whatsapp, Telegram, YouTube, and X accounts, providing continuous education, engagement, and updates.
b. Monthly quizzes and discussions on Cardano use cases, encouraging participation and real-world application.
5. Future Maintenance of the Community:
a. A portion of the funds will be allocated to maintaining the Telegram, WHatsapp, YouTube, and X platforms, creating ongoing content, and facilitating monthly ADA airdrops to encourage continuous participation.
b. Long-term partnerships with university faculties and corporate sponsors to keep the Cardano community active and engaged beyond the project’s 9-month period.
6. Explore decentralized solutions:
The community will be encouraged to envisage and develop solutions that can run on Cardano that address real-world problems in Zimbabwe and rest of the world, using their expertise to propose real-world blockchain applications for secure, decentralised financial systems.
Goals:
We seek to:
1. Raise Blockchain Awareness: We aim to educate Zimbabwean university students on blockchain technology, using Cardano as the only primary case study.
2. Drive Cryptocurrency Adoption: Another goal of ours is to promote Cardano solutions as a possibility for improving Zimbabwe’s financial standing, currency failure, and economic resilience.
3. Empower Students with Career Options: We also want to expose students as much as possible to blockchain career opportunities in development, DeFi, NFTs, and business and educational application
4. Build a Sustainable and Active Community: This project will establish a long-term, engaged Cardano community in Zimbabwe that grows beyond university campuses.
5. Raise Awareness on Cardano Project Funding: We will also educate students on how Cardano can assist in funding and supporting viable blockchain solutions through Project Catalyst.
6. Engage Corporate Stakeholders: We seek to facilitate discussions with businesses to explore integration of Cardano products into their operations.
7. Increase Participation in Cardano programs: We will encourage the community to constantly participate in Cardano online communities such as Town Hall, 45bs, Catalyst Community Review and Cardano Academy.
- We will encourage our community to enroll and go through material at Cardano Academy.