[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.
PROBLEM TO SOLVE:
It's no secret that Cardano is recognized as a blockchain with a strong focus on Africa, and formally stated as such in Cardano's strategic goals. However, as other blockchain protocols recognize the potential of crypto in Africa, without concrete sustained action, Cardano risks losing a potential trillion in market share of the African market to other blockchains within the coming years.
APPROACH:
To successfully reach Cardano goals for Africa, internet accessibility is the key.
Yet more than half of the African population have not access or can't afford internet costs.
This is where our solution comes in.
SOLUTION:
The primary purpose of the Box Lokole Numeique is to minimize the amount of data that is required to be transferred over an available internet connection which thereby reduces cost of bandwidth on users and allows them to combine monetary resources to achieve better economies of scale when purchasing bandwidth.
The users will need devices that can run a web browser to connect to Lokole server and run locally hosted webmail and web apps which are actually offline, so all server or database calls are free. Regularly the Lokole will call the cloud to sync mail files, database changes or web app source code updates using a compressed and encrypted SSH tunnel with appropriate authentication.
When Lokole device is turned on either by its internal battery pack or external power, it creates a WIFI network which expands to 30 meters radian. Using any WIFI capable device, such as iPad, smart phone, laptop user connects to Box Lokole Numerique network. Once connected, user opens web browser and type box.lan on the address bar. When user presses enter, the home page displays on the screen the menu of the contents in the box, such as titles of the educational materials. For the purposed of this project, the main contents will be Cardano Ecosystem information and education.
Therefore, Cardano Catalyst Ecosystem has a lot of educational videos, audio and digital documents which most of the African population cannot access due to lack of internet impairments, as mentioned here above.
We plan to build 100 Box Lokole Numeriques, loaded with Cardano ecosystem information, educational, seminars, conferences digital materials, which will be available to the Cardano Catalyst club across Africa to acquire.
[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?
Box Lokole Numerique is an Offline Portable Web and Email Network server which runs on a single board computer to provide an Internet experience when offline in remote regions of developing countries around the world where data costs are prohibitive to the low income population. Locally host webmail and web-apps will connect regularly to the central cloud server and send/receive compressed and encrypted data package for relay or routing. Ease of use and minimal training is key to they success of deployment in areas without technical admin skills.
BENEFITS TO CARDANO ECHOSYSTEM:
Accessibility:
Box Lokole Numerique is the appropriate and right tool to Grow Cardano in Africa. Because it resolves 3 problems: internet connection, power consumption and infrastructure space for more than 60% of the unconnected African population.
Education and information:
Cardano Catalysts community is creating a lot of online education, learning, information and training video materials on Cardano Ecosystem which need Box Lokole Numerique to help spread all these materials to the far end of Africa where people have difficulties to access internet or have slow internet and no electricity.
Addressing internet accessibility infrastructure and education will:
- Increase new Africa-based users onboarded onto Cardano (wallets, platform sign-ups).
- Increase new Africa-based Catalyst members (proposers, voters, CAs).
- Increase new African projects.
- Bring African developers onboarded.
- Encourage local impact (measurable through user activity and reach).
- Encourage the formation of local partnerships.
In fact Box Lokole Numerique is already implemented in Kinshasa in the DRC with the fund from fund7 (Lokole Education Centre in DR Congo (ideascale.com)). The operation and results are very successful!
[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?
The most efficient way to properly measure the success of our project is to consult the users of the Box Lokole Numerique device and email app themselves. Mainly because our service is a general-purpose tool that can positively impact the life of people in many ways. So our assessment will be:
(1) Through our GitHub page: <https://github.com/ascoderu/lokole/issues>
(2) Check stats of our Lokole web app users Lokole Status Dashboard (ascoderu.ca) (How many account created? How many are actively used? etc.). So that we can measure the number of people using the Box Lokole Numerique and infer the increase in the number of people using ICTs/emails in remote areas of the most impoverished places in Africa.
(3) In order to clearly understand the direct cause-effect relationship between our Lokole access and positive social impact, we will conduct a digital email-survey Home | Lokole, among our Lokole users. In this way, we can learn and deeply understand how our solution has improved their lives in health, education, economy and social matters with Cardano ecosystem information. Note that no one could conduct such surveys without our technology enabling us to distribute the survey efficiently via email!
(4) We will keep in regular communication with the Cardano club representatives that are running the Box Lokole Numerique club in order to see the economics of this business-model and the positive impact for the local community. (How many people are using the service on any given day? Why do people go to the club?
[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?
I will share the output of the project through interviews, conferences and the following social media and website accounts.
Channel content - YouTube Studio
(99+) Nzola Swasisa | LinkedIn
(99+) Ascoderu: Company Page Admin | LinkedIn
[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?
We are a very strong team, Group of Open Source developers, software engineers, coders and electronic technicians using Python, Microsoft Azure, Flask, GitHub, & RPi with full of knowledge, committed to manage and deliver a project with high levels of accountability.
Proof:
We were funded in Cardano Fund7 round, we completed and deliver successfully the output of our project within the proposed time line. Check it here Lokole Education Centre in DR Congo (ideascale.com)
[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?
The main goal of this proposal is to provide Cardano Ecosystem with a product that will offer more use cases to the Cardano ecosystem that is high impact and drive more adoption, especially in Africa.
The most efficient way to properly validate the impact of our project is to check the followings:
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How many new Africa-based users came onboarded onto Cardano (wallets, platform sign-ups).
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How many new Africa-based Catalyst members came onboard (proposers, voters, CAs).
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How many new African projects are produced.
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How many African developers onboarded.
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Local impact encouraged (measurable through user activity and reach).
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The formation of local partnerships.
[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.
We propose to build 100 Box Lokole Numeriques within 6 months.
They will be given free of charge to any Cardano Catalyst community member as a sample
First 3 months:
- Ordering and purchasing and gathering parts.
- Pre-Assembly planning and prep
- Cardano digital contents collection
Last 3 months:
- Assembly of the Box Lokole Numerique.
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Software download, scripts and install.
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Fit cases together.
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Place information labels and stickers.
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Testing and Debugging
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Delivery ready
[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.
We will produce 100 offline/online sever devices to make them available for Cardano catalysts communities who are impaired by the internet connection to be able access Cardano digital education contents. Such as videos, audio and documents.
We plan to accomplish these deliveries within 6 months from the time we receive funding.
[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.
Each Lokole box costs $ 601.29 x 100 units = $ 60,129
Details:
MATERIALS COST:
1- Raspberrypi 4, 8GB ———– $ 200
2 - Li - Polymer Battery Hat —— 30
3 - Raspberypi power supply —– 20
4 - Raspberrypi Case ———–– 30
5 - Raspberrypi SD card 512 GB – 60
6 - Logo Sticker —————— 3
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Materials ——————— $ 343
Production/Manufacturing costs $ 57.86
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Total Product + Manufacturing cost $400.86
50% Markup $200.43
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Single Lokole Digital Box Sales Price $601.29
[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?
Nzolantima Swasisa (Nzola) , and I was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Because of my passion for technology, at a young age I started taking electronics communications courses. Since then, I built an entire academic and working career in the field. For 19 years I worked for the Christian organization Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) in 6 different countries; DRC, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique. Now employed by the Canadian National Defense Department.
While working at MAF, I became aware of the lack of telecommunication infrastructures in rural communities and I begun to refurbish old radio communications to help establish new communication systems.
In the late 90’s, I started implementing a radio email system which consisted of sending emails via radio waves. When cell phones then became popular in Africa, I decided to build an offline mobile email server. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nzola-swasisa-11806534/
Laura Barluzzi is a self-taught developer and passionate advocate for positive change and justice with a MSc in International Development. Laura has dedicated 10 years of her life supporting local and international NGOs. Before supporting Ascoderu, she is a Software Engineer at AdBlock. https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-barluzzi/
Clemens Wolff is a full-stack software developer who spent much of his life in Togo, Mali and Zambia and is now based in Miami-Fort Lauderdale Arear, USA. He honed his software chops working on large-scale projects at Amazon, Microsoft, at Noom Inc. and on open-source projects such as the sharing platform yunity. Clemens now drives the development of all technical aspects of Ascoderu's projects. https://www.linkedin.com/in/clemens-wolff/
Shaun Bathgate is a Senior Software Engineer at Atreides Caseri Inc.
Full-stack software engineer with experience in product development and automation technologies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/s-bathgate/
[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?
The representation value for money of our project for the Cardano ecosystem will be positive and explosive like bush fire.
How?:
Just think about this; not being connected to internet in today's world means, missing out life's important learning experience. Can you imagine more than 40% of the African populations is not connected to the internet. Yet, Cardano's main communications and activities are digital. This makes Cardano ecosystem adoption very difficult?
This is the reason of our project, Box Lokole Numerique to bridge digital divide. Box Lokole Numerique is capable and ready made to bring Cardano digital ecosystem to all Africans, even those without internet or electricity at a very affordable and sustainable way.
Can you imagine the amount of value the Box Lokole Numerique will bring to Cardano ecosystem???
I hove to you have the answer…Thanks you!