No goal is more noble than helping the children in need around the world. Children bear the brunt of conflict, climate phenomena and poverty. They are also the future of human kind, so making sure they have all the resources needed to succeed, is probably the best way there is to build a better future. However, aid delivery to this highly vulnerable yet crucial segment of the world population, is mired in corruption, political strife and the interests of greedy parties. Fortunately, the world of cryptocurrency can offer a solution, and UNICEF, the UN body in charge of delivering aid to children, is jumping on the cryptocurrency bandwagon.
UNICEF Ventures and Smart Contracts
Besides the transparency that cryptocurrencies bring to international aid endeavors, they can also reduce the cost of aid delivery and can help the efforts be more practical. In a world in which internet access is becoming ubiquitous, it makes sense for an agency like UNICEF to consider cryptocurrencies, especially of they have smart contracts to back them up. This is precisely what UNICEF Ventures is interested in.
Singularity Hub
[https://singularityhub.com/2017/09/03/the-united-nations-and-the-ethereum-blockchain/?utm_content=buffer3465c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=googleplus-su&utm_campaign=buffer]
recently reported that this branch, which is “dedicated to improving the organization’s ability to move funds”, is considering the technology.
UN Aid Agencies Paving the Way for UNICEF
The same article on Singularity Hub shows how other UN aid agencies are already using cryptocurrencies and smart contract platforms to deliver aid to those in need. The article sustains that the UN’s World Food Program already delivered Ethereum-powered food vouchers to Syrian refugees in Jordan.
These vouchers help the UN with the following:
- They keep aid delivery costs low because less personnel are required to deliver the aid.
- Improves transparency, because aid can be verifiably delivered to the people in need.
- Reduces corruption, because no one can ‘massage numbers’ on a public, open blockchain.
Children Could Benefit Twice from Cryptocurrency-Powered Aid Delivery
In the case of UNICEF, there might be some additional benefits to delivering cryptocurrency-powered aid to children. Most children in need of aid have poor access to education. Some of them have no access to formal education for long periods of time, which perpetuates poverty. If children get aid in the form of cryptocurrency, or on the back of a smart contract, it gives UNICEF a unique opportunity to educate them about this new technology. This can spark their imagination in many ways, and can at least show them a skill that can become critical in the future.
UNICEF’s Unique Opportunity
Therefore, if UNICEF launches its own ICO, and it structures it properly, it could multiply the benefits it delivers to the children it takes care of. There is no doubt that this effort would require a deep-rooted change in the way the organization works and a change in its relationship with its donors, but this is a great opportunity that UNICEF should take advantage of. ICO markets are hot, and UNICEF might find a new crop of donors among philanthropic cryptocurrency enthusiasts, who would like to see a brighter future ahead, for those on which the future of the world depends.
You love crypto & eSports? We want to get to know you.
Please join us here: https://facebook.com/esportsdotcom/
Telegram: t.me/esportsERT
