Merge branch 'bvander/pelican-edits' into 'master'

feat: create a build for the static assets

See merge request grassrootseconomics/pelican-website-ge!2
This commit is contained in:
Blair Vanderlugt 2021-09-21 19:51:19 +00:00
commit 208a371275
806 changed files with 79018 additions and 0 deletions

7
.dockerignore Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
pelican
__pycache__
*.pyc
*.o
output/
node_modules/
.venv/

View File

@ -0,0 +1,915 @@
100-new.html,1631424237959,e8e617e7f114261993d0ddd54ee0efa868ca66e7ba57a81f570ab3eac9081174
2019-data.html,1631424237946,f38f13a3d025b3a380db133b807e5b7c9e88dcab76d316ac83dbcb265b02fd1a
404.html,1631424271453,b7bab6b83fa074653ff28c8d2a64135d3434575f70a12ab3d3ba8080461b9537
2021-mid.html,1631424237893,f27f1c3fe984c10dc449b1b899d09a0d95305d3732a0fa622734e2e652596374
2020-kenyan.html,1631424237913,5975f8199c491452d11b5473a67e9728ac8484384927e905b84126bd0281b1eb
2614-blockchain.html,1631424237963,5f56c1229eb42201081990157d692d54018fdfa376a40ebd8f368492b8af3818
5-kenyan.html,1631424238016,58e52449141a444f0a1edbd8f7457c0afed536495b37080ad1b8fa228725e9aa
300-bob.html,1631424237959,b006fcd7674f8744e273237fa6656d253a77ccbb8360caaa304f1d1625005b8b
african-community.html,1631424238016,d1e48a637cf7da34bffaaf9de93354c2c975fd78b07079b8885f423c81f56fa4
a-new.html,1631424238039,c69c303fd9f40e8aa1b48516a575cdb30c48e851d3a43986c09e867638eb7e06
715-members.html,1631424238003,44e655e454615e72215310e571ce2c16d1e5d5454b3384c8ef1b29bb92c91f04
bangla-committee.html,1631424238063,1d32cb0fbc42007f6cb58403bf237ef12e8f41919ab4ed9ec57f630d9d950431
authors.html,1631424238126,ef086d966e67df0ef891178b6a5a979862819b41f10a5a17782db59f3005b4af
accolades-for.html,1631424238003,6a407eeec5a04f9d9c66b88afee8c2ad4e5a9d6c8aaecc459ff8f75ceaf3fedf
a-wonderful.html,1631424237983,6ae4db8a667ebf9ac953fc8981af4339bfc23f73c78b1b31d197c6037aa0e439
bangla-pesa-charges.html,1631424238059,f3d3e1d7fbcfd1f771946e28902f5ec2f49320d8e2725afacf529a3bd89ca86b
bangla-pesa-market.html,1631424238009,adf51907f65ee0d746bbb8034e8d7bf2c249cb24b4ea7f1751baa8fa913e5a2a
bangla-pesa-anticipating.html,1631424238056,a49117f8e5ac1b792d9048c14ff348c1feb52dc4df4078bf1928c48ad422b1c6
favicon.ico,1629198360575,7d80e02273bf59dd2d62e7f9330a31c492ed80e6baa7d99e9d32d18c8fc84a0c
bangla-pesa-launch.html,1631424238063,f1ebf9dba38fa6d3551f55a9386886ae50a39d3201b31564b8a70f38cdc312ea
bangla-pesa-relaunch.html,1631424238056,e865471369070562181c7e8381eac15e5fbf4e6f6bf81120f7ec493280d75cdf
bangla-pesa-reloaded.html,1631424238053,b00b77288c50aead138d88481c7613b082ff4fc8d75aab999f5908ef93a40158
bangla-pesa-waste.html,1631424238039,b10b1ac20fd771895ea9c978ba9cae0ff49b6cdaa34c2d6ee5d50201592d7070
bangla-pesa-turmoil.html,1631424238059,f7fff33e9ea4e3a01fddb9aff66285bcfb7b32f0332628f0c2f5368d7624d422
bangla-pesa-survey.html,1631424238046,224c913648e837954fdb50dcc8d4cd98857c388f24d6eb7bb20bd9a4a4111af5
bangla-pesa.html,1631424238043,cda9633eb294cbe1c4d07b114538575844f9bd2e550f4074b68aadad577aff58
archives.html,1631424238136,402ec6ec0ec40abf57db2bf02bce8d08cd4961ff976d0d6587478aa361b1ba09
bangla-pesas-fate.html,1631424238059,c8639565885a7f903ab0e8c6e6fffd7befe9e7862eb28c7a309389bef6dfba10
bbn-meeting.html,1631424238066,c05f2b18a9ecb64a4786dbb4003c4b31be4ed955d7ecd13de07a6f479917af44
berkshares-and.html,1631424237986,19476367dbd4eae36e392f836baf7b359e3cc9f5b13ff5f73a43013c2366975b
banking-on.html,1631424237953,8a5bb276be991c49b2364253ed37a6c45d6cd1d82e3fc9ab66ae51e4a3aa61c9
berg-rand.html,1631424238019,24e7afcff9f1cbd9682a3d2312e8856885bd081a380f21cfb0a73952b0c9f7f3
biz-dev.html,1631424237993,66d5daf6dd2328e42f9e2479a0d2df33b5adca88546febb89bc338f025e818e2
blockchain-currencies.html,1631424237939,96f5d9321cff5428ffa45f5f0582b9ed7954ee864cc6ad53a5f1f7e95e549186
blockchain-in.html,1631424237963,bec9b30bf97d1a91eba114e3188c2b093a1eb2e5edc9a0c62a28975c0aba5f8a
blockchain-powered.html,1631424237943,c56d6cf87d869648ff98d54af1bb9e40ebec1f7f85afa996b6a759314e769a4f
blockchain-without.html,1631424237969,e88d2df49ec0fe0f95993a3fc4082c3233f7337f7b2fe0ee7196b260aa151073
borstal-boys.html,1631424238046,da5051cee1cecaea4c4ef96839999a28e794b86507bd70b20f0114f67e5330aa
categories.html,1631424238123,2f8381aa272828b22b127dc9e59910297b7e9a80efc1841fbe99dc7ffd89b253
church-offerings.html,1631424238053,1bcd0adf6fe221bc39e2da09faacb4e73f6c17c18e6d3f5dc47347c90b3e9f4f
celebrating-bernards.html,1631424237963,ecaf968a7b5c99798cbae741efb7e0afd2531ba8eedcba92a92d6d87e0bf97f6
cic-indices.html,1631424237916,c07e99c37cd124b1ad9eadb7174bda0e6cfa092d01015db6e1dcdfc979904682
cic-pilot.html,1631424237939,2ee2e7a9cf11df09ad99b08b357b6f679c4725b529f77417af00cfa5fe8e5111
cic-covid-19.html,1631424237936,4e414c11334d235d898eff9f14a732131f5cefd84ed57eb81928fe8b331c18f9
building-a.html,1631424237936,3bdead68ccc757c8f209daae343d17665613a26cf62813735cc236bb32a5659c
cic-training.html,1631424237926,2c4900985e3ea30d27f25735caffbfa318d19957958e5402c1c386bc609ba68a
community-currencies-cash.html,1631424237959,8423f07040bacd17bb35aa4f2409fa2df9520fdd8973591a84c0e1afcd048f1a
collateral-bonded.html,1631424237929,25b29db7f2ee0984e761593558af5f0c114a659a97652e0e60074c0c12631a2f
claims-currencies.html,1631424237889,b68dd835684e652823703cff02e315cef6939b4ce74857c93b7cf7fd1e540951
community-currencies.html,1631424237909,b0ec0d1c6c046b02ec48fbf40f8884a0594db083a68e50e4e0d7333c19361c4f
community-currency.html,1631424237986,9b05bd89b2b8184dfb0d5bd17ed220ff9b9821e5393495733861ed17442018bc
community-inclusion.html,1631424237943,4306e731f0259a05c6ef664636bf0fc67b65073926f830288c211a9b013a98d4
complementary-currency.html,1631424238069,10f6f6fbd46c7ff87154a2281dc41f4b12b92928822d977959f4c6e3ece11a46
covid-19-blockchain.html,1631424237933,bee83d93c4d27562ae36c9fb77bccbc4671df94e7817e6160cac5a3a6476ac94
comparative-analysis.html,1631424237943,05adf6c376fe43ffa671bba5630256cf4d2e9fb6d6310810b527694d2d4c04cc
currency-123.html,1631424237933,863ee422e6a5998a45da60963d19cdf9869ea53d8be3e4e5576feaf864c0f933
detergent-accelerator.html,1631424237996,1323ebdc76cd7c5b1acb1302895b8fd4ea1d3290b01d90c10ec50ffbe4ec7263
disrupting-currencies.html,1631424237976,f396dca1841abfe310cb2d71ee503772702ce4e7b7731e552238d1505ed83c86
currency-supply.html,1631424237913,2582e0f35a0dc2678932aa63bd0c741e8879e6546cb9257bfb5d67c6f24f0277
economies-into.html,1631424237949,e51f113437bde0700d6b29911f8e1885b0216be8167f73104f207adbf559459c
education-and.html,1631424238003,7b039675194e9ec73634b7b29b2d1c900d8d0ed08cb3f8290d4b414f2d129dd7
demystifying-currency.html,1631424237933,8728241e4fbe498a97f90fd93c2ea365edeec6becb69d82a73ef72f42be848a7
elections-service.html,1631424238043,9fa12239990070350b87bb82013661834e88ca59d4b481b1de5c6c11c840bcc5
empowering-mothers.html,1631424237983,39a4ac8453a9a9dd2e232ab324af3c5439008ec17cb57bc2f290578c0c0e86eb
ending-our.html,1631424237986,ec24d3ef3a333f9ea4ad41f624de2541afcc306a87c3a212236cdc365cb35ee9
foundational-member.html,1631424237996,b83576e26a9eba93becccb74b58b7351d51b7983d33ea4db78e6a1d7f2eb06ad
enabling-leverage.html,1631424237949,531b4cf6cd288122c78c3828ff1605e815bf7a25f67107aa524cbf7340d6ef9f
faith-based.html,1631424237896,fb8636c3775a950731badb6f8913d3d432e0b0f5b5e7bb547f02ee57e8592854
emmas-duka.html,1631424237889,d4928252da15199eb3844fe677563547e98dd5f5d946231850cc4abcc06e519f
food-forests.html,1631424237919,74f7e857dbfb8b53509deca4eaee06ea1d563b29153d334a2a2e9bc91ace25aa
francis-the.html,1631424238019,c8b565f99f121c411ac181870a938d1de0a5f9b768d88d954ccd233fc784dc8d
gatina-bangla.html,1631424238029,84664600406f85e2be0ba4fb6265284606abb1a3d7f8c2abdf36cba2fa2ae4c9
gatina-business.html,1631424237979,aeab27175a88af3de687b48361963987f62756e65fc2a4d0f27c868b95b3c2a5
gatina-pesa-launch.html,1631424238033,1aa5b3248023d879f7b82914507f799909e699fb5c39ce1267642ead24352be3
gatina-pesa-launched.html,1631424238033,3731df29c8dfccbc97f07de7861367111c1f6d2528fa039760877acf96d80983
gatina-pesa-starting.html,1631424238029,b26c92179f944b0454597d2d2ffc3723931b4a8b173cf4fc2be05324f68082eb
gatina-pesa-and.html,1631424238033,ee17eb3b47f0cb8e0657f51bd9de258647b0a27b10d7bd345be55fe2fc53be6f
gre-for.html,1631424237889,72d889d8e55fd8eda37128ea7e0b8790abdc34736a2cc5cd30aa8d0c7365defe
growing-up.html,1631424238039,4dd1e43d85f03b0ec24d358f91b2c631a409220f055bd8fd94f1a858deb50eed
from-mustard.html,1631424237896,b5aa87ba99b0fca0f6aed420b0102e290dd53be212fb3d6e031274d584b03055
grassroots-economics.html,1631424237899,72b38e60e4af8e492d86efae8e22355439f5c3b4ba070d630c6841f15a3f57aa
happy-mothers.html,1631424237979,721a35e1635c777cccc47ef565b60d79ae1ffcb50e10928143ab09adc6c87cf9
here-we.html,1631424237999,8beb73e53135d1b9ffbd9dfdfc138266587a5792d0f115d530f1954e4815a4e1
hon-paul.html,1631424238033,19762fb9ca9b286a0d5362fd6dda09f7b2e9054ba4d6164c5d337a5ac91a9e56
help-support.html,1631424238043,7aff19fb9c82ee811dac9984cdd24c83ef802e3003e782b9b313addbcec3564d
how-to-host.html,1631424237923,cf4939aeffdaa0787efdaf41ca07c8eaefa62367760052ede8d3c36fcfd82259
index.html,1631424238266,578c9a059f720e7fac4b58d7cf71d1e9646ac9a4b6faacbe6853815251775da0
index10.html,1631424238103,71d4a5694b3f01913e32b631e97ff3738aed55591871d3e51ec68173df5b61cf
how-to.html,1631424237913,4396285389c73bf85cc76ac26434fa709d11e051c8f3dada929c1b155f2e9d5c
index11.html,1631424238103,c89710392b43f291069c2b746112dbf61fd5c020fc1551506f4c13cbbb76f8b7
index12.html,1631424238106,310faa770a635bf4867400953ccedde2e9343db810165955bbdcacc400250750
index13.html,1631424238106,d5b069afbcb6e0adea9cdcf0fb306b422cd663435af0a9115321b45f17e1b7a3
index14.html,1631424238109,50c33a87e3dab316cfa47359ba8db279b271845850e414996758a429db86aa67
index15.html,1631424238109,19b55b71537b9ea8df912e0d515364e7533ae4aaf5fcd064f04fea95febce524
index16.html,1631424238113,54add08a151b45ef19537a8a9be5f12981f92da8c8bee4dfa328018d8e5720d1
index17.html,1631424238113,d93193ce27a54f1115f98f97d611c5c19c66a8ffe47fc58bffcc344dad6f629d
index18.html,1631424238116,b1a30af82fcc021028c6474502629068cfdcd4feea8c38badc656a1a1a13e58c
index2.html,1631424238086,e1de88c2fe827026b44d4edebfb40551cbd58c6b60a493d3675ced691b46bd0a
index3.html,1631424238089,0566cc7020996d22b5150f2dcf19d988b7ec25c79524308c25c5d3a702e7091b
index4.html,1631424238089,bd2b676a303bb31cbbea58c46e87f2efe330c320ebde5a84755271aa1149742b
index5.html,1631424238093,32c5cf365d625cdef277c5f217801e9511ef060d5276b31c1dd319c38c6f23b4
interactive-village.html,1631424237979,6ec02a386dd58b46963d7dab76ef5c4b1119b2120fd94648599b422cddfe544a
index6.html,1631424238093,889c0405fe765cbf60eb0a2d696c61611e0c4d91e9c275dc5a20432b9ebfdc33
index7.html,1631424238096,44e9ff463f9d4f452d0b287e759919e06426272dcd25aa9e66efd737c4dd8b11
index8.html,1631424238096,e952709b7ddb2c070a045ffc4f7cf0e80b745e7d0390c7807e80f395edb7aa86
index9.html,1631424238099,0b6da9d4b3fa6c5c958c51a3da42f6df6190a07ecca848da3411be13df1d3ed2
kakuma-refugee.html,1631424237899,a070840759c83e4f9de727e8018b88a2b0a66f1787d45220f9dd44bb64fb5fee
kangemi-pesa-launch.html,1631424238026,4181c1b8fd2ada15ce5c793a9f5416e4db488d63c8bb9b5b5e97ff831259be5d
kangemi-pesa-launched.html,1631424238026,75699701bd5fb2a51780cbe5e3a5ebeb4c11e4830032bf3e28c440e5ac989667
kilifi-kenya.html,1631424237906,3841f231b1b263e5b8f7b6a9720e5e8d51a55dd288f97fd853699054e4b1b892
kenyan-women.html,1631424237939,e3ddef64ce68c8f4196c3ac07d15d3626c776e10cd3648c3b95778217920d66a
investment-modelling.html,1631424237946,d289f6fc14fcbad4037514242cddd7d783f6830f703b7027886590d3465a86ad
kiberas-lindi-pesa.html,1631424238019,3ecf9eb5b2e5c4a3791393f3144b792496e1f9d56f888a01cf7b87854d2de264
robots.txt,1629201359780,93ac662bbe98635c8eb73a79c2710056191ce741f00a23a87c5592e7e98f4a65
kwaheri-2015.html,1631424238006,acdf9d45cd519f42e83793bfec6368e2cbd91f0c93ac70944b168f990ba33412
lindi-business.html,1631424237979,13bf5702a9e5ed242a44c420967698730be0b2100ce4b971344d4cbc1ba14593
kenyas-food.html,1631424238066,f1114aa12ce32ead7d528023316190d9c67be63d05141c85fa62b9103322cb69
liquidity-risk.html,1631424237999,db1c19426caac002959fdb34a99cf85618f50cf5af1864bde6eb715e4fb06693
lindi-and.html,1631424238016,5a2334a32230fcd5f5291773327438366c77b8477099626f972ab3ce17f6ca28
looking-towards.html,1631424238029,7d43636205e718af695fe84614945606843c50bb1afec73dc3a8af80098ac968
managing-their.html,1631424237929,392fef9d016be06c797b0c311c7b8bcb52d1d76c8075a4f2857bfe3f7a6c1ec8
looking-back.html,1631424237956,60d8a5bbdba613e31b2878b830e2c6b804e7a792f32281b7a5bebc9378159e9f
living-half-way.html,1631424238056,41ed7d13db72ca67fdfa623f0566f30f2db9538a01e60502f6c81c6ad3406c89
margrit-kennedy.html,1631424238049,e95de847ee663044eba95c637ca568f1daae9348340a89a16769aac204c7dd71
mikindani-community.html,1631424238013,fafc670fbc44263b1f18a9003b031794d78f51844df0213e5e9235af8d62dbc1
mangroves-and.html,1631424238003,e441aed0a6cfdb6a5b2481e94f2d8b426ff54127f203ede4fcd1e91f5d6f7261
menstrual-cycles.html,1631424238049,848b575283c8282c321019f9685a899da5c9f47b5532ba911577c80b65aa8b30
motomoto-performing-2012.html,1631424238069,8df256d5a213545ce971c7a6c76eedf7e0d4aab86b9d4b3ce4b87d8886981409
marcianas-struggle.html,1631424238046,7817807a555b9ea7b7137571a26e0e398b9b9f4840561b1ef7082bf4ce213792
motomoto-performing.html,1631424238063,efd1bd58326a8376ae60041e2492beddc85f48cb82f5844998140df398e11800
nairobi-bangla-pesa.html,1631424238036,f1975f6b739e0cb949e9cea7d359e0c882ec4666ab51e06a32882c922ed049bd
nairobi-coordinator.html,1631424237989,c1a40af42c22514e0cd3e2f6f376cbc4697254af95403c9b6eea0000325807a5
motomoto-and.html,1631424238053,7b63219ccf23b650f405368245d56835070d6419cd6f889289635e0ba56965e9
nairobis-1st.html,1631424238013,fbca1f5d1b0e8c55aa86e7ec4f8f1cccc63663c19d26ec82a8e65daffe5e79d2
municipal-basic.html,1631424237906,ecc0c9c8e5aae13fc2199c3f7adf320a02a5f9fd862b31020dfbbcb39a552865
new-bills.html,1631424237996,24fd2ca51c779726459a6e0e35a924ca9fb11dab87aa0a68f8edfda3a5b59e5e
municipal-bonds.html,1631424238016,108b50505a0342664a26813d134a34db328cbab5dbb30ab4cc58264aae22874f
news-from.html,1631424238023,e213106f7309602d3f38b8093c6744df07da34f368cae2dba8df4da82196e52e
ngombeni-pesa-artwork.html,1631424238026,5b67a09e36d413c0f9d919024c5505040bf78a89dd68b1976ad358719bccca51
new-business.html,1631424238023,6a71845b0c828cc19800f3c2f7a77ff8ef1908acfeb5793a9b1147c39c14d439
no-nonsense.html,1631424238056,912612795a3d7dff808ff15aefa199850685c81ba7aceb3d13251ba2f3f1353e
network-integrity.html,1631424237916,3660b7bd3c372c0741b7b7d67bcb0e9e663849dbd88b957f985ec91ab27c7b57
not-your.html,1631424237999,b5b1933699eb4ab99813ccbfc7bd4536340bfe35a1135f5ffb2ef978c0b51d62
panty-distribution.html,1631424238036,06cb3b0ba046a20f9d904b699095465682f8656dc045ad71910525dd30d620e1
one-church.html,1631424237929,9112c96f1915528161581623505cdda74dcb4e7b4620b39b515b6d65c18b519a
permaculture-school.html,1631424238009,a3748c3587826c338b3df76a4044860540758d65382ba9e4f3c8df203f8dc601
post-election.html,1631424237986,f78a71b80c67c2a062e3fa68cb2f125e5f80db987802cd460eb439aed066afd4
progress-in.html,1631424238023,730ea4ec784129562890e9e495401527a8f13b701d187f1d5535e5ab25674870
preliminary-research.html,1631424237996,e05d6f17891234b4d619f21dfff70ba1b1e7ed7ba4b52efd1c32b95b725dc74e
pay-it-forward.html,1631424237886,77a187c43e3485afd6de5445dfc49f0d6b36ccc90a335ef0ec6b286522bce571
proof-of.html,1631424237966,abff99f48f31c73ed56229e60b647f87bd068b434740ecff6d44be9532601460
queen-of.html,1631424237999,4f40bdad05169491a0d6786358ba442b8e807aa9676a72a1a68da862b7239104
recommoning--.html,1631424237926,40c5176415000e645ac8bd59b15ffb2e6dd13527750a39106499c91a2f27615d
recycling-debt.html,1631424237903,469912ded4d0f272049f1be926d411c03ff719de777efacd35a33c9c6e688afe
red-cross-cic.html,1631424237919,85ba54633cfd493af6e14bd7a9d695fb99cdad64ad298451e2c6fd8ee3c1800f
red-cross-impact.html,1631424237953,00df31f885b281502a743b41c000a7691d8359a3e471450b5ea2a029d51974e6
refugee-inclusive.html,1631424237956,81525f57e2e3f3a40978778cc462f65ad5145f24b59a17122d2934d86cace129
refugee-economics.html,1631424237903,2d91fa52199723b8702a8465d128a5aa02901fc0f16ae86280135b23af254064
regenerative-agriculture.html,1631424237913,90a2614c7a78fb8d35f2cefaf5945924f54b7313df6297877b7de453ab731412
registration-and.html,1631424238043,0c462903383815bcd41866537e5dedbcf373f851d255b9a8c6724ce75e2186a8
respect-on.html,1631424238043,68b7669319eb9a882f3e741c523f7ab8b4afc8124923c9460a257896a9f086cd
rural-community.html,1631424237983,c7ee91293e885cca4dcd0e7e204fc7f9966cf4b85997476a1e3f6c459037f56e
roller-derby.html,1631424238039,a7463d17a034a0c05e214d9f8558cbc95212b9c111f957399ff876ee51da0b3c
retreat-and.html,1631424238013,b6234687d3a06fd54be17edf0627af5a2213d5b4677a364bb37934989b7afae8
rural-villages.html,1631424237936,82098a0a865cc0c25e1ac06c92e18cbf1e9ac763a2492c9bbcde6309e8a5663e
rural-sarafu.html,1631424237916,2859370060357c755e3ad2a9f6ae0b264b7a2bf1c1373d990e9d0d298db2f4c2
red-cross.html,1631424237899,ba04b17bbe6618346e8b91d9854b24db5f07cbdae20bb29e59cc99f52b3ac8be
rural-miyani-pesa.html,1631424237993,74107770161831c4a0dc7c3301ee0c6fae50cc56311556a4948144f4c326c7a1
sarafu-cooperative.html,1631424237979,b8804ebed2d72ced32614b08ea7e2e564fbd384df44919adee41b346471e4f08
sarafu-credit-takes.html,1631424238006,e879aa75c8ec8e8cc7059a750e23323a080e3a929135bfbdb9c1bd9e84360eef
school-fees.html,1631424238036,6c4c7dac92c892426b49a03ec87645857aade8b84f017f04b13e795cb38714f6
shrimp-fishing.html,1631424237956,6365144ea5f56bc621bdf2ebbe27fb45da0ac37b771cb008639fabb0debf642d
sarafu-network.html,1631424237923,8415162829f82426e01f643eee439778f9d042356aaade2f9decd74b0f93e6fe
self-funded-regenerative.html,1631424237909,42b4714b5e99516e7965269c315c1f8d86fdb6106647f4daff3de6fea315bac9
smep-oiko-credit.html,1631424238013,b11ec75b3b27a04fdb39d98f1e9b7d6535e05284453b599fe9e1a9c2d6c67f1e
skylife-school.html,1631424237989,100ae4ae49d4682560a90d0f359f9da47d5b4deba33c58cd55a7a336581b138c
social-entrepreneurship.html,1631424237973,24a5b4c4c59807a2b366cf5c90b49c5f089316017778df1b56ef85f23888d7b5
static-vs.html,1631424237909,ca620480264cefbfe4f7639ce1d8bf69d7cc5c36643c66a0bcbf29bad47396f5
super-market-super-currency.html,1631424238006,4d7b9f58daf173521e6a58d00d620cb5435f7d49396d8ccdebdf9214a8cf27ca
smes-the.html,1631424237893,0078f99bfd2fef720ee0753d88972b4dc17bb66901f1940a914e9d5ba50a4c18
sustainable-programs.html,1631424238049,8ed281948f8cdddb143fbf48a149b9102410abbb2eef1e89a1d5de44d533bb3a
supporting-covid-19.html,1631424237936,893715a451838dbd5e53dfdf262cae8eb0001ab0bd554c6454e3339b5c0dc844
strong-communities.html,1631424237916,cf32f7392366f7d31ee5c7733902b269e93930e456fcaec0418e7de628a986d4
supporting-supply.html,1631424237933,27e8d6dba3227043ab8572eacc6c2c2e36b40e90c425b71d28d999ebbd2e9a8c
tiwi-orphans.html,1631424238066,18bbe4dfee8cbf5942d1ca57442031127fed921acf1badb2c27e555ecde7ff15
tags.html,1631424238123,9d25e504d2a78e6966fddd0a5a77cf1f41a8b78097a034a28a10ff0d9364513e
syntropy-in-practice.html,1631424237886,afa77375825d3684fbc292281d0df6d3385b2703db6754484587ec28d44e424b
takaungu-pesa.html,1631424237969,99e96067084d7a67b298fd1d63d8447b362fb0f821e04d2e9b48d0893fb9b0d9
taxation-community.html,1631424237889,1bdacc461e144cfa2a8ae93c90e295ded60f5998ecf4f9909156e2c6803f969c
the-people.html,1631424237953,81061f9c2c957eb53ba4a8f3fa1dfe7c72713d3e8ae9c44e68ba608f90c4a040
trading-the.html,1631424237976,210a2a89ee36117a2306830b93546b3f68bb819cc2d90d5acf2845ec0a628980
un-announcement.html,1631424237973,588c6c86cbcfc914ede77067d16db65ca388b7e554d02040d59008378241ec2a
tree-of.html,1631424237983,7b368159d12081d6e3420d9512eb1d1184e064e29bbdae36cf771a5ec21f097e
university-of.html,1631424238036,d849cc952e47a5bc610b9e998113061ad2faeca235717178a7aa8f598374645c
use-cases.html,1631424237966,4d4aa5b9ca5ca86f54ef331da72b70dd1336bf5127dafc7a249b1c4167c6b80f
universal-basic.html,1631424237993,a715ebcbfc74757661602909867517169e5004e6516fc04c4c070663262cd7b6
wanjala-visits.html,1631424238036,d28fcb3a4d39ccd2968f2a53ad82e08525464545ea44f1a4e2dc86112d6bc759
update-from.html,1631424238019,c93cf09a98a3edc4d11843a91b6126276a49c26602f5ee75cf176cfac0d0505c
when-a.html,1631424237956,ff7c69162befec903492aff46bfca0058843e8be7a980ce71a59f108916a09a9
white-house.html,1631424237976,594f33a4114f866883d3f4d79194e4ad39d51eab381d8d4f74b8e2257aa759e5
who-could.html,1631424238059,958dab8081afdec77d9eb49c4ae1785702f9dbfd0cb4bd033b17c5ecaea0f402
why-robinson.html,1631424237963,42fd12eccf7c9ac665c9e42c55a9ec1dd17b5dd049f4d3ae740e55ebaf5fc007
youth-employment.html,1631424237906,11eb2845af374a481bee66f2cafc89dec9d6148fe335ca6586ffc4eec540ac2b
author/crystal-kigoni.html,1631424238219,fae1b2afdd8449c3f619a70240b288a4fd0db6af6b5aaabfce3cfef845870515
author/amina-godana-and-janet-akinyi-otieno.html,1631424238216,f60d7b26c41ca3c72ca8282aec80ff41bbbd09c08997befaa9c9817a6735d8fb
author/daniel-mukosia.html,1631424238219,ffe88626430ac7fe2e6955aa0f62156033fd04d5d1fbd2855398855a1a9ba227
author/francis-wanjala.html,1631424238219,77916877561f49fd942d6f1d69ebb7091afe0fc502f8e9903eaa751213070bfe
author/esther-achola.html,1631424238219,6de5a37fdd8e445986ffd6996c7d083ece54cf42e169d4c802acbd085a32b5c0
author/grace-rachmany.html,1631424238223,954ec3de6296e8150fc30cd71ae10ce7201006f5a758b8fe1be08f9ea5bd5101
author/jacky-kowa.html,1631424238223,43b374f3d08968feb54cedccf7a73e8b53dd42cc3b5ade7dfbee20c88d247a90
author/isavary-khabuqwi.html,1631424238223,90fed552aa2574fd96400cd18a0375fb061b6ea065787012f986db5970699812
author/janet-akinyi.html,1631424238223,4aa74783790d207c9785b298a2cb07f5fd8315af213d771758ba2680945836ca
author/lydia-anyango.html,1631424238226,bfe5c68ba34c387f99cd61d9223335c620509271ba72594df929a4a0c614117a
author/james-thiongo.html,1631424238223,ce22885c2c572a278f3d3fa1981891ce263b47d45da6307ef8c44012d9516f89
author/marcelin-munga-petro.html,1631424238226,75a3f22dfd7bb2737277c8833057301cb9034f7a531d13767a6f03ba358a9304
author/marion-cauvet.html,1631424238226,21d051d87c48df437e1d7f7d2283807d45994121b09b96db3fda73c590f2e739
author/marco-bonfanti.html,1631424238226,8cbc6be73f2e8cf0e52125bb07e5955259e6fc4f0f69a8e10392dd732d2f4dec
images/blog/100-new1.webp,1627993780394,022c61798fd39d742285c422487814ddecfc5946ffdbd9735d61e30718ac51b7
images/blog/100-new42.webp,1627993781048,6408db472a287bb0672492919fe3cbd915284f07511c6c5fdf36a4b04b8913b6
images/blog/1st-community1.webp,1627993934323,c7347e8d71e94e4e3547fe319d8ff8fa67f608700d975a7516011bc5376034b3
images/blog/2019-data1.webp,1627993761421,c3cc7d220f0bda1139ae3f3a3cc7dedbc20bca3ba66baaa04b9356f563b79b58
images/blog/2020-kenyan1.webp,1627993735840,b2da818316edfd2a730da8f6cf4e3ac48351c326c0cf58a17089da502034c609
images/blog/2020-kenyan145.webp,1627993736037,605f1690fafd8eaa452c726a61864592ec8e8dc4596c903079ba0521a2271071
images/blog/2020-kenyan51.webp,1627993735897,d0eb82c5f4724ca4705f0793ad3b84b4948dfc3f87b3ac8f018b7353a99b3f17
images/blog/2020-kenyan88.webp,1627993735974,2d2d85f32692eb8444b065f549bd779be5ed9a67b496ec8e329b1debf36468d7
images/blog/2021-mid1.webp,1627993723597,68ec2265d52b88051f703d3586a2b428183cd7bc7414390e4d6faf5401af0d67
images/blog/2021-mid112.webp,1627993723730,e6334f192545572624de261115d38c39fe7f360cc1f3663c5d69d6f3dfebec26
images/blog/2021-mid123.webp,1627993723777,c04a565ac0e76092a956812795fc34126b5264b4bbb5243d4a232c087de5dd53
images/blog/2021-mid144.webp,1627993723813,ea4857e07b6da927af4ecd8a682e4c3f7d39265eaaef88da0abde51bbb3c25fe
images/blog/2021-mid82.webp,1627993723673,0a85b23879ac9cbc996aa1f3eeef9f4ac14663f3009e1f750def5183dc17cd5d
images/blog/2614-blockchain1.webp,1627993800004,d5750f7a54de78a8e37b98b75bc43807c2876a6f360cd290dee96e105c687669
images/blog/2614-blockchain32.webp,1627993800424,2356ef8e08b361ad73d66cf40e05697931d8957fa9b58fd37ac40820f9a3d1d7
images/blog/300-bob1.webp,1627993793371,41b136554c248be87d059c1e84653dffe366424119dab3277466af4d003fb71f
images/blog/5-kenyan1.webp,1627993942923,269de89136be8195038eb1d63f5fcea0c6cb97c969c27955e7de2f9a587a5dd9
images/blog/715-members1.webp,1627993910756,d3bfb5e106802506a0002fa28b901ca30f373d67ff8c0c112931470dc2075775
images/blog/715-members118.webp,1627993912916,b0ec6b1f69c491643f45e997aad0a975ca67d680e1b5484a90119549d26a7c4a
images/blog/715-members54.webp,1627993911316,00ec92018a595836b0a4011a57f0d1efa9b0869b4b84bd8a32d5f3465785e828
images/blog/715-members71.webp,1627993911996,5a04a1c138c27b89f2374cf82b91300e1e362b77b4c792af8afcd9242a2e27a6
images/blog/715-members95.webp,1627993912453,b9ecbca31b3ec69b1e164d9b84244e1a7cba3980975149455fd769c49445b9ff
images/blog/a-wonderful1.webp,1627993867219,2942844c96a8d6d948dc2986b5986c36d52ca63c3cc251ea891892ca55738bb6
images/blog/a-wonderful47.webp,1627993867689,ed61b8b009ee3259db645089ae0c0809d961fdf6d2e971252e0e13a4d7537c9c
images/blog/accolades-for1.webp,1627993908596,346a890cb5ef7aef18512c999edb2b3db57e292180a532fbbb2481dfc2e0979e
images/blog/african-community1.webp,1627993940493,b0e0205175523bfc531bb6f04300dde213399dfbc0fb118b795f6848ce29252d
images/blog/bangla-pesa-charges1.webp,1627994032858,87e39549183eef469aed5635a071aa36fa4e37c1d096496c86f52077942b2275
images/blog/bangla-pesa-charges64.webp,1627994033354,475c21a9d39d3207694c69092d99ea9b5ebc10b92878e95944a2e0b66d09c0c6
images/blog/bangla-pesa-launch1.webp,1627994040154,a022dff6f5120b078593be160c00e46294c1e88ce53d74cafbf9fd0b4c4dfff5
images/blog/bangla-pesa-market1.webp,1628003440437,f7e77abc426699c4aece3b78de41b154349dab10a1778cb5422165c8ee37f41c
images/blog/bangla-pesa-relaunch1.webp,1627994025051,657da88e8dd45855a005cc5b34e9cd6fcb6e4ba67da27ecc0a1ac20017eef4e8
images/blog/bangla-pesa-survey1.webp,1627994010584,94206da14c5a4e39f205524df0b9da957cd298d4e5a28277bf547f5ccc65c0e4
images/blog/bangla-pesa-survey47.webp,1627994011231,37998d2434a493630e419ced1c2128256e17c5648b4797f6fa18936c75eb5f09
images/blog/bangla-pesa-turmoil56.webp,1627994038134,c107c31d2f7bcc6f88429211d198deb98174a75fac820883362eca640ab85d07
images/blog/bangla-pesas-fate1.webp,1627994035568,ad77571ec398fd8f3e25392791b5517a59ddb09990304e98258fb0d45004bd20
images/blog/banking-on1.webp,1627993763881,073f7aecbbeb8e990a47feba4560acdfd82c2fd9f39e8b62f01f7aa62597b07c
images/blog/banking-on51.webp,1627993763927,c7658eccc81787e3134c6d80967a2baa7b4eec2e763965ccbe4645c784f6380b
images/blog/banking-on75.webp,1627993763987,eaaacd481d48a93217dace89260459196ffcb52dbd2a689f30e8b127d749d34e
images/blog/berkshares-and1.webp,1627993875732,91c7843695468e5dbcd68b4cbd23e2283494af2b41a66a536cdee11a0c069be9
images/blog/biz-dev1.webp,1627993881382,786d8678b1edcb14699786605934f30be561aa664bf296d3dd0efe44a11a7a90
images/blog/blockchain-currencies1.webp,1627993755091,cab15e3fe4b4600929bc3af3adaea4aaa0beb7966cb3fa830387767299ef385f
images/blog/blockchain-currencies32.webp,1627993755151,344af23d9e6c52124ad8febb375b23366e640550d40b9959dbf33026f6e051cc
images/blog/blockchain-currencies58.webp,1627993755211,6999e5ae66bba054322f2f09faa7635c0f65bf470d99f7a8f92ac403ec65bc01
images/blog/blockchain-currencies69.webp,1627993755277,e7558c1f922d722b5f2ec706fa443374d0198fb2e69e8d21798c576470aa7d7d
images/blog/blockchain-in1.webp,1627993802318,271d8f69161b6350f00840e787cf6314e3b91aee907750b7889d9ed5d90fa12b
images/blog/blockchain-in38.webp,1627993802935,0a9475a066f6a66803d2d278e20a8c535ae0a3d5ec739d33f6d9bff201dbc2d7
images/blog/blockchain-in52.webp,1627993804141,4da9eeafa617989988522a0f26bdecb5f4e3d63b9e0c7c85d5e4c0830f701829
images/blog/blockchain-in69.webp,1627993805025,bbb62ff805932312ae20fcaffa472e37d2ce91139ade51eb828e1b4557397d1c
images/blog/blockchain-powered1.webp,1627993758707,8f6c961399d5e67714013ab6f2aac111825501cb4e8c108230e264c7fb59ef85
images/blog/blockchain-powered51.webp,1627993758767,d246b6a525e9c92361cccdcfbf181185a65516e211f4c3fb1a869a1d9e1c4216
images/blog/blockchain-powered68.webp,1627993758814,9fa38023e2fc0918228874eb456d1b46404d004b7c5561bad1687a47886d7dbe
images/blog/blockchain-powered79.webp,1627993758877,2b2a6d3d68b066b280f89958bf04b7d6c17a22f81873ef2cc1e67a567706087d
images/blog/blockchain-without1.webp,1627993814278,61f7aa9d5c4a55a5c07abe8333cc4080ef60dd152a9b58b86eb78d55049114cb
images/blog/building-a1.webp,1627993754451,483b8e357cd69bdec13d4dfbebb710702d60c9da675dfdac749b4ce307ee4b3a
images/blog/celebrating-bernards1.webp,1627993795008,e0506d904d610dd7a968a6bba8c685bc4885dc6ef72dc0c6045c569171c83174
images/blog/cic-covid-191.webp,1627993753817,492e4c89c5ad28586f1b6d05c000b015d209906cfeb18898dd82ce89fe6a05a5
images/blog/cic-indices1.webp,1627993740140,796d8aefe85436cb1cd3fb42c74cd9bf8e8299f25b0b509d1bf815f8ee365ce9
images/blog/cic-indices82.webp,1627993740204,17d708196b272bbc66b3b55ecdd05e41520059dc33eb8a71b837c8fec7b18937
images/blog/cic-pilot1.webp,1627993755904,08fc05988bebb921d8e3c8a7c08a8c649a9463a7ce4c1d35039a9ba50f4fdf41
images/blog/cic-pilot42.webp,1627993756024,15b730626a9f1aea59d042069730a38e3a49897d2867fc64f7a28e3cd9576ad1
images/blog/cic-training1.webp,1627993745247,9a1e98fb79a8d731a26b054f5800dbbd4d65db51906ed795019147b12154d399
images/blog/cic-training121.webp,1627993745424,5b799910b0dd3d15776d2a8f1de090937c1cbc62da218374dd8823ee18e64d66
images/blog/cic-training55.webp,1627993745294,20dd89fa823cee446d17023f72972f8a70ab0ef68a458721809186a0777e363b
images/blog/cic-training96.webp,1627993745364,5c956b4814c9d55cac5bfb1a57d691a98cf3e7af06a434cc503acc5a9758989e
images/blog/claims-currencies1.webp,1627993721007,e158aa1115d93e81c23ed6bd00d23bde6beade0b5f919a1ccdebcd64884a2db9
images/blog/claims-currencies124.webp,1627993721047,c3a72f07b7854c8da9ddaf006161329c2bb236b1e6e6760bf677210cb3574460
images/blog/collateral-bonded1.webp,1627993747104,b624c72f926e892527b2dbf311d93d554eae34f94244c2e121c9c97b4ba3cd2b
images/blog/community-currencies-cash1.webp,1627993777204,3c61664e0cc4bc9c2b3cf0fddcf8d3466a5c46baaa5eaaf0eccf9b5a65e941c8
images/blog/community-currencies-cash59.webp,1627993777988,b37e53211255aadcb1563a780f073ab75d33a9dd7143d71fcafc3ed0f2094c4f
images/blog/community-currencies-cash91.webp,1627993778431,5a052a64915e9f52a2eb507559223be3f06f8d76729c4df08674c5d36f4ee5f2
images/blog/community-currencies1.webp,1627993735020,0e9d82bc1793c15a3db129e0697bbde503bbc639a330bede108a39f427e6b698
images/blog/community-currencies105.webp,1627993735214,6464a7b77db5eaa925b48a1ed50d00cf64b7a025ac9d1c00fa8d1bbda31e051b
images/blog/community-currencies33.webp,1627993735067,79f166d7c76e1f86b99b6337ec64430d53c8307b62325ad287b7331f32ab4acd
images/blog/community-currencies56.webp,1627993735114,8a1ef1e88f065f9988bfb3f5b5bf3e384b6b6b0160558342e73d69cd0735b25e
images/blog/community-currencies83.webp,1627993735167,dbf778919613cbc2a11845da29f4fa37b7432ee73e2d9406c82adc455100d9d9
images/blog/community-currency1.webp,1628074512857,48177dd1f44d6351d1ed75367ebb4b07c9294e1c24578885b6a1b48f7c443c1f
images/blog/community-inclusion1.webp,1627993757904,4a86b6c1252e290144f8f7dc62efd8dcec5378ba119151b429ce044bfe4c3aca
images/blog/community-inclusion107.webp,1627993757984,6f1f76a0c435c4ab8aa66112b5b9046bcdc482eede9feac57ef4e8f938c7958d
images/blog/community-inclusion121.webp,1627993758044,c9502890433bc40904443e4078cde7120dcf99757f7a981de4fa6deb342bd515
images/blog/community-inclusion93.webp,1627993757944,e1b8d76eac4075d70d9c608876ead466f4eb75955c3ec8cead595e7fb4b6e4d9
images/blog/comparative-analysis1.webp,1627993757267,a8c87ac7a9adafc96006d52381b2d0a4cb2c7a1928b17da6cae7f47d241769b6
images/blog/complementary-currency1.webp,1627994051615,74e365cd772365b8aaf49be8e836dc8bd1c767a3499359136deb172007df9395
images/blog/covid-19-blockchain1.webp,1627993748587,e004a9c7777887892a840029141cd81181c2263ce0225b1b1a7b8ce32fcddc8f
images/blog/covid-19-blockchain45.webp,1627993748660,39f42191d48b793225f820e2e68e5dae9eacdcc8150027d0833db64ab1c01bae
images/blog/covid-19-blockchain59.webp,1627993748807,625c615166595acf687d9af11fbeaf632e731b2c0afb19c36259ae0b9d1ff800
images/blog/currency-1231.webp,1627993749530,0ac64afc0542be7cf06eed857d203b39e4a87197d40086587988c0b05095d9d5
images/blog/currency-123187.webp,1627993749624,7b8a7ae14e18e7310678608367b1347a0bb95d1ebe4456f6ae0e079171e82aa6
images/blog/currency-123214.webp,1627993749690,f0f037788d547183e0cc227e2c92a46c4a52b55a57b10630c255b81a1d265476
images/blog/currency-123229.webp,1627993749724,5287cf306835212ba911b4f9a98b8a4179cf44eb5ad95ab603ba4735c958eae2
images/blog/currency-123248.webp,1627993749760,7d6cccbb7dc0d5e86d8aace6b64cc5023f314d5148cc38ab6b8287119ee9a7bf
images/blog/currency-123263.webp,1627993749797,13a22834eef8fe582697236459fab4f5a1e57543601048560645a886c561078a
images/blog/currency-12362.webp,1627993749577,97a5790ea0be40d7bafa43db826e0477a4244988893fc1d6ff61034d769bedb2
images/blog/currency-supply1.webp,1627993738157,e8741597f7f185af85fdc5bcdbb200754e2323cc1eb557e5b0d0e55d518c0909
images/blog/currency-supply247.webp,1627993738217,9e5dd0e733e11b5abc1240c5b3f16af13445929c26403ab45a9e659056eee23c
images/blog/demystifying-currency1.webp,1627993751610,078cef5ae5d8193557b0d9a23efd4600cc22a1af3b11113a6b6090fdb2e61f75
images/blog/detergent-accelerator1.webp,1627993896129,f7f292669a1e7f16f01194021ed5581bc766acbd15b4f1a694bebf22c1f7a718
images/blog/disrupting-currencies1.webp,1627993832865,2f63fcc87aa4f8a665710eff6b24765db50dc78be16fc80f966698d5466ae509
images/blog/disrupting-currencies144.webp,1627993836628,7463b9e7f0c874a302b3f6e56afff08c2100a6a3615f6f2e470923e479376aa0
images/blog/disrupting-currencies171.webp,1627993837905,bada5f87f3826b3853f73cfb33cd6107863821244cb771ec1476b3f94d44519b
images/blog/disrupting-currencies57.webp,1627993834592,ecc9e871e7f5bb3ca20cdae32fb98b72b78c7638043c7b18aaa50df280150b6d
images/blog/disrupting-currencies92.webp,1627993835242,007fc4349116487c8a8702e89dc152b50a78791f579f551ca360d1892cb2747f
images/blog/economies-into1.webp,1627993762274,6612ea0ff6fc7483f89488d619304256f145eb03989be6b5d874a4404f9f45f2
images/blog/education-and1.webp,1627993906386,3edcf126c4a7130170ab9d13b1fb91f6b3dc0b004e2caf5143819572257d4ca7
images/blog/emmas-duka1.webp,1627993721667,b02d711a62e8079e822807d3d61cd192af99eea31cf4d5a08e924d141385a5de
images/blog/emmas-duka229.webp,1627993721773,ded896b5f68590d36eef33c71e8e3ead359abc532e79478e566a26f198debb57
images/blog/emmas-duka285.webp,1627993721837,538f29fdb2838133176a216fb585eb77ea6ed44eaf65d33411c8553c94379a93
images/blog/emmas-duka95.webp,1627993721727,2ae2a44b15f940313392b0e4448980133485d8e8d5fedfbcf1e378f9460dd32e
images/blog/empowering-mothers1.webp,1627993859269,2c6001a677e4576dc6304876499625cbf8258c2d43ba8b34f4437eee81060b57
images/blog/empowering-mothers109.webp,1627993860795,467669f0cc7fcf66e850203f229d44fca30be907b070bad901edb7430c815eca
images/blog/empowering-mothers57.webp,1627993859765,8a09e6337168b312f563e0eb400998516d690ed5fa1c6d75514cb4e1df994db4
images/blog/empowering-mothers71.webp,1627993860245,31d84dacccfc5033e57700944a780ae1bf25c9c83206fbf649696dcc7882518c
images/blog/enabling-leverage1.webp,1627993763044,c326e5151afc9ca34e91ca978936fe1902b4ca8084cc36ef85630afaaa3f6437
images/blog/enabling-leverage83.webp,1627993763101,c786444c83a2ebb88ee8044803946e89100baf914e4ab89d41de7af36c75df5b
images/blog/ending-our1.webp,1627993870312,b67bc4424892affb592141eb21d9b801f6178b612a01b430505b2dddcb9ceae8
images/blog/faith-based1.webp,1627993724440,aeabf513fe2010f9078088515ac99b1dc15d4ccbfcda0ae88993fc7caa1a4d23
images/blog/faith-based113.webp,1627993724623,5bfce7258860146997c641055ebd11dd612afc13662252a38a427ec6f3bb8af1
images/blog/faith-based164.webp,1627993724760,bd18a6b210362e74e43909954c22379fe1ca6a22881e7742276cf02a21f91fe0
images/blog/faith-based190.webp,1627993724830,7a3bc7b814a1020e9678edafe423fee3c6dc3f33d5e237f9e5097a79ebce4ef3
images/blog/faith-based80.webp,1627993724573,50752383b4c11667bf336ce588622ec4546f406b6149a2c46b7b1525af649680
images/blog/food-forests1.webp,1627993741644,5f6861e97e369d2dedb64567e1e48ed18b790d1db671de7c32739f1cca394e00
images/blog/food-forests113.webp,1627993741714,821f01e66bd984626aa0d20e4362c8db09eea23b32628944781fb01b3284e544
images/blog/foundational-member1.webp,1627993891166,8663403e1647806ac2f31211ad213a1adcd592d931784f511b527b2ac3080733
images/blog/francis-the1.webp,1627993953857,7cf06fa0e7105cd520979370b3a02169b4b2f1879127614d64637e5d7b3b4d8b
images/blog/from-mustard1.webp,1627993725507,49e1bd52c10462d798ea14fd614373c8085db64738b3e360e02b71b1e0790ca6
images/blog/from-mustard101.webp,1627993725563,c7ed19843afc078140fa69fee3163b1cf2eb8062dd3380ffbd72e14d14bec196
images/blog/from-mustard193.webp,1627993725630,b07ad4d0674802f11e3330fcbeae947fd25e19b0dd8cc26cc5bd2b14b13fca98
images/blog/from-mustard229.webp,1627993725777,097ec4d04db9380670e523e6c26b03e94e592c1ddf74c0d47d4fedf4f822c3ff
images/blog/from-mustard254.webp,1627993725833,46b7fddf2a6a07b8c41e31358dbc3b148c879cdd847aa21b152f9eb8b00e4230
images/blog/from-mustard305.webp,1627993725883,5d5514e2c30f35e478877ba86349533dd0c9a58495e46ee4b5d695166613d160
images/blog/from-mustard358.webp,1627993725950,598320a0995c0d8f8af5516d843b3f155886d9aa97823799b3546600b0503b6e
images/blog/from-mustard391.webp,1627993726003,8b017f8e5b668ab1cbe2996984db885d78e6d884fd7338663fc2d96ff6ff467f
images/blog/from-mustard430.webp,1627993726077,3884ca17e2572e36df90210d55d4b7d3ca095ab7c35e242d970fcf38696f6a9d
images/blog/from-mustard463.webp,1627993726143,b400faae12a2112ee1e8bded73c085baeedb70c745f49a885f167a6453762d63
images/blog/gatina-business1.webp,1627993854422,9c41a63461af4aa14025c1b68e7279556a9cafb3571a5491f13251701595a8ac
images/blog/gatina-pesa-launched1.webp,1627993975964,526d774d6b9b79995835b5787459ffbf85bbd48c63a29338cfd193b4b1702e09
images/blog/gatina-pesa-launched53.webp,1627993976437,17f6b3ea4fa37f884453446da224ac2591b290e9f942adcbc59778a8ea0046b0
images/blog/grassroots-economics1.webp,1627993727797,7d46934e33a7be567d4f7291ce968966f48d8b0614788a8cae7c31750206b473
images/blog/gre-for1.webp,1627993720387,8944f367c281a730ffba0d6b6837dd36af677915b1feb63ad39b2032f9156e59
images/blog/growing-up1.webp,1627993997201,1b337dea41088164818990ffb8d8ab0587d8d860804780f8d765a91b0f977efc
images/blog/happy-mothers1.webp,1627993851005,f6417d02abfb71bd18aecf17fd48eaf71f489a1e7695380722bcc08c3a55761c
images/blog/happy-mothers47.webp,1627993851635,1526598b2e1fdd8fa35a60099d6fc162a5718d0cf3145f8f71de2f42e8cce455
images/blog/here-we1.webp,1627993903766,b732e429e58bd88fb1cca3750c3e343aa4bf68c514660af37d55a3f728957392
images/blog/how-to-host1.webp,1627993743857,f100dacb8ee80789702654f97eb3ac09df91c58e6ae16018a8b06e126d46c8aa
images/blog/how-to1.webp,1628087891531,3e181a51efaa698c36134fa53231b7f1c32907e08e63cf60eb3d3b0eb4e1d61e
images/blog/interactive-village1.webp,1627993845382,192e277800af86d5b72c4b326816a1b190dea4831043c1bbc7a929343a70a32a
images/blog/investment-modelling1.webp,1627993760044,1cb59a049460025a1853a94c39669ea7c47644485ea0ceffe50877da1482c616
images/blog/investment-modelling158.webp,1627993760171,3fd9ce88a5cd3f45af546c8304dc8bff7a32905caca089aa58f9d0056e87c5b6
images/blog/investment-modelling192.webp,1627993760301,fab5938fafa018b074c26c941a84b83685b298646a8946cefa772a7513bb6744
images/blog/investment-modelling68.webp,1627993760077,4db6bd006dc222fe8367cee1dd6c64f04148dd7ad89aa26765520094f6525f63
images/blog/investment-modelling88.webp,1627993760121,2800a30a9d5fb2c977c82316f6764f64f5cd5e8c9039b50d4997f1ea0b65ef89
images/blog/kakuma-refugee1.webp,1627993728453,7a3f617e0990956aa4b9ad632332c046b69828d7741517ff38359b1ff768d8ba
images/blog/kakuma-refugee50.webp,1627993728503,cfb9e1928d7146f050c8c3b5fbbdb7f670cf00adad24fe9fb627cb2730baf2e0
images/blog/kakuma-refugee64.webp,1627993728580,27980afb3e1032518ef5f6f2ca8c3c9049b54081c37d69bb8d183febacc1ec93
images/blog/kangemi-pesa-launch1.webp,1627993968820,240d45c85aae2efe4557d4d4c9e47943ebd5ef9e0a5dd1bff01184e1d1b5d1b0
images/blog/kangemi-pesa-launch53.webp,1627993969363,8b22e528f65844a38d986281319ef7c38728a8187c559fb8a8f890f4f87422dc
images/blog/kangemi-pesa-launched1.webp,1627993966720,9bfc23cf830b165592e0a07dc9addafdcc71215a9781caea715ec419770dbdf1
images/blog/kenyan-women1.webp,1627993756657,f3ce72f1e19d6edf84ea7c036f672ef7b05a79a9a82dbe2a0bc484a77040a03c
images/blog/kenyas-food1.webp,1627994047268,8be485e857cf52a627159fb54370827f4a6aaa3c21c0d04ed71b40d4fd7d0839
images/blog/kiberas-lindi-pesa1.jpg,1628091355382,fe2f3e2b6309866b6fa9b041fa628a58b6c45dd66997ff1fa49e362d5ed26bf0
images/blog/kilifi-kenya1.webp,1627993731177,c9d617e620f81275e3b448dc76d50eed6d840580d38045f76b15b04de948aee1
images/blog/kilifi-kenya125.webp,1627993731384,9326206b7313f261b5167e5656d9bd0306c96544642073a6498dcce8320f759b
images/blog/kilifi-kenya49.webp,1627993731220,e3670e27f66864a31a3877f5944bb7440b6b4fa2310d8ae7540b17e9b373d77f
images/blog/kilifi-kenya81.webp,1627993731274,25bae6abbba3b533af39934e02132cf8959f363b9e5aeb8c726f41296538401e
images/blog/kilifi-kenya96.webp,1627993731327,5d3e160f6c08d8f3c817a5fb141254f8a197733f109b116bbfb9b1ea7baa6598
images/blog/kwaheri-20151.jpg,1628091789654,7fd98e883abecea3c65b528dda481ec904646c388c056a0807240480012bde83
images/blog/lindi-and1.webp,1627993938643,31e55591eaf27aa226b25030e71f20d1905e015c16149bb695f483ce25fe07fe
images/blog/lindi-business1.webp,1627993856499,1641460cadfd9dd9d485b217a7db597e5f21f50588bada997b56a597b12da600
images/blog/looking-back1.webp,1627993766577,ffd58711b2d14266df2275f7f1bd50e62c9f3d060b7a770f8c1c4b828588c0c2
images/blog/looking-back26.webp,1627993767171,ffd58711b2d14266df2275f7f1bd50e62c9f3d060b7a770f8c1c4b828588c0c2
images/blog/managing-their1.webp,1627993747717,14ea24d5d44de2709d66c9af7a458a84aa29921a93f66e2805b26b026efc5140
images/blog/managing-their103.webp,1627993747800,4924ed99abee02bd47c928858f95aea030613e4d75f2156205c609b7676e1c24
images/blog/managing-their135.webp,1627993747864,df62cf474146a898e8a7fd76c0db79efd0a1f7130c214965cce52054e800c346
images/blog/managing-their169.webp,1627993747927,c517fae75ccd5a0ca77ffb84f874f05dabf4388abbfbbe3ff6dde8a03d384278
images/blog/managing-their203.webp,1627993747977,73e974611e9d8a49903e35dd016b422482033244526c5e655240731403bbc974
images/blog/managing-their28.webp,1627993747757,4d27127d204d41f04edf8f96176b3b98c74f4786dcc6ad560fdeceee4fe4ee58
images/blog/mangroves-and1.webp,1627993914973,38f05b17d874cbef2057aa4b8c734e9f8e860cc424becdaa661e2a8f4009d89b
images/blog/marcianas-struggle1.webp,1627994013271,412f7db8a1d32f5c70ba4e63e1788d0c6d4515c1c32b9451ae729080daec27e0
images/blog/mikindani-community1.webp,1627993927106,e2881f796af1c2aee28410a4aeb24c9945c25bfdb5114f08d83f6e6fccf603ed
images/blog/municipal-basic1.webp,1627993732744,a8f6a05a34a873167ada6ac16749deca87d22b38b11a28ee3fdf06079ae6caac
images/blog/municipal-basic47.webp,1627993732817,39d93d79a403e2497bac6fbb2634ce7b4fa1364e577d213846f930fcd5596689
images/blog/municipal-bonds1.webp,1627993946490,4e515a2cdf2f19b6cfedad32d929bdddf89f54a25480d305a2bb489e664fe678
images/blog/municipal-bonds18.webp,1627993946293,4e515a2cdf2f19b6cfedad32d929bdddf89f54a25480d305a2bb489e664fe678
images/blog/nairobi-coordinator1.webp,1628109913958,7106c8e380ef6de210a4b5beff8e911c055277641d36f3f7708031bba9e5a720
images/blog/nairobis-1st1.webp,1627993929376,d37a619f0b97fadce509d36c75625348de397f2ac50c7fc186ee62c84f95c1b5
images/blog/network-integrity1.webp,1627993740857,7a8fed42ca97ce9dfc4f53811c5294b89cf5eca6a514a7e8ae617145bec73e2c
images/blog/network-integrity257.webp,1627993740944,24553fd60000d97a3fcabfd681bef90aa200021ad5b61853688c40a0727f4cc9
images/blog/network-integrity337.webp,1627993740980,06ecc53f25b5065cc1cec887884aa4cb9bf2870c49ca3dd7848c679b028c55a4
images/blog/network-integrity355.webp,1627993741020,87e9958133ce74a5e4fd661a8215cfe6a1601c358ebf2643557aaaf3b768b8f3
images/blog/network-integrity75.webp,1627993740907,ba3fa1b0d978eeba4effc05549edf5fe11ea97cf6d0117f346e9163328bad6fd
images/blog/new-bills1.webp,1627993893312,b6ab01bc1cc51c3497ce0b8c13f99ebe365396f7d8165ca2e98c3660b46d9663
images/blog/new-bills32.webp,1627993893909,b027af2a28f2b9d1da9959ca4de20cf8ad27ada93a42c1fe6dc7108b4a2a48ed
images/blog/new-business1.webp,1627993960087,3822d28358a5a1701f297db517a4c2d00235bf6cd199d8ec75c9ad6d6f172254
images/blog/news-from1.webp,1627993958093,25aa08663a4bd57806063fc0177322944160447d97c8898a32ba2feb53e19a10
images/blog/ngombeni-pesa-artwork1.webp,1627993962897,38abb70edb740daa854f642c764d83e58ddf3f267057066e3f600b0b4dbf25fd
images/blog/ngombeni-pesa-artwork41.webp,1627993963913,2762c5d384ada67d672c6bcf12f244733dc890959df6bd61e789e6ed6df66b4d
images/blog/not-your1.webp,1627993898663,2f0f9fb08eafb13810e557dddf3bb7190f9737947a3420efb7cfb2fe7dd03597
images/blog/one-church1.webp,1627993746094,dcf4f12564e4d999e23b32bd30c5efcd9e2779c79ec4c33451805b3717032b2e
images/blog/one-church47.webp,1627993746160,072fd2a2f33b4655bc7cf30d7a87535359dd9929bd3ec6c8127e5b4074e34207
images/blog/one-church88.webp,1627993746230,749a17666476a2b79c96e7c03ee5727ef62c968aa3ce17363346af4d4e4795af
images/blog/pay-it-forward1.webp,1629201885931,2ac265b38798e5acd1022f115cf1e3b3ea8c3530f68c0175693352412f6b7803
images/blog/pay-it-forward2.webp,1629202057976,caaa2a8da3cd8a2252d30b6957d17437374603cc05ec780204441e9cc32618f8
images/blog/pay-it-forward3.webp,1629202620227,d8bb68dfa37dc378278e370a1351914e797f5aba33e82eaf7ed48dfe1f6bfda6
images/blog/permaculture-school1.webp,1627993925073,d130f0e2347623702b88ee6827b295d13d245dd5964b51b65b44f26b03260961
images/blog/post-election1.webp,1628170758823,490a8e23b176c288d9d47a9a31b4cdbe03a74237a02f12ee0656d19ebb6e70dc
images/blog/preliminary-research1.webp,1627993887656,c819205f2c0bf825d98b6fa27c823590ff3ef507b381fb992477129ca6b3a10d
images/blog/preliminary-research131.webp,1627993888089,316ca6a8593312b053d2f302c807e1ad285f64f07a09a25dbd7501ed2d28ed04
images/blog/preliminary-research145.webp,1627993888502,7c48565328a27f292f51cb31b8b8d4084bb0ff3cea0d09bc16d368ed864bc099
images/blog/progress-in1.webp,1627993955987,0fd9919581fc403fa4d8edff939b2ebaeb586d26608e52f7cbbe072ca2a84d21
images/blog/proof-of1.webp,1627993810395,39b0b324311c0efe5c18cd78c674519f25abe187172401e6cceba280f06c7438
images/blog/proof-of120.webp,1627993811851,13076346ffb5480247ef48d5aea4d74f73db154081dd57a89523e97ddb8f0312
images/blog/proof-of42.webp,1627993810838,f2ce57deb236a2c36821b6f0b1d1cf314e2460bbede10a7a48c7b07772fa44a3
images/blog/proof-of82.webp,1627993811348,50c792bd20338032fdb0851f806d770e9623b1de1beb621d1946cdb7f488399e
images/blog/recommoning--1.webp,1627993744530,cd1740eda7bebe3dfcecb9a89a2ee0ad3d5366d7c3cf158d6e11c895f0bf1968
images/blog/recycling-debt1.webp,1627993729273,29fcd05f152def02331dfc6ff56f229d1558c968b941b50ccfa5a4defcc36779
images/blog/recycling-debt129.webp,1627993729327,e310b587a38d6d348399442689766e05fd9986a34afabc352efa92416da37a7e
images/blog/red-cross-cic1.webp,1627993742350,c2341a482ec873f2b3b56522577af8d27aac227e91aaf6c9213a1d0388de9fdb
images/blog/red-cross-impact1.webp,1627993765907,2ef253399d786f41f88b011b8787cd7720bbaf414e3d9e167a04e67f5f6f2824
images/blog/red-cross1.webp,1627993726813,e980df91b2b2b1cf7e31da3abfda5318ce382c9f2f164e5fd29960c99e821059
images/blog/red-cross115.webp,1627993726960,0d412f9111c89ebd7913730a0a76e4d330267c4a36bc99c77f869330110ac1e3
images/blog/red-cross138.webp,1627993742454,6e606805d7da493b9965d60536a066d2f0fa3c1cfc4f2c4c58e93412f330d308
images/blog/red-cross141.webp,1627993727017,9ef495f2fe9bffda95706203bac5d550867b420ae585c4294245380e14ac0bb1
images/blog/red-cross185.webp,1627993727060,b0d7eaf1a584a5dfc926e84486d45eb0fd8532e730efafeaaa8152c83c0a3955
images/blog/red-cross275.webp,1627993727103,c6875597c03149cd5a7e632d013130d867302f0ea387c55d731a84d1d1def10e
images/blog/red-cross317.webp,1627993727150,014ba2f735a40546034fedb48187d2d10334d28e53d69721f1a7261fb4c5ecd1
images/blog/red-cross339.webp,1627993727190,c8a703310615ef652b228af59b272b7bfdea9819b67877aed630f14e5f3d7b63
images/blog/red-cross67.webp,1627993765954,148cef0196c117861bf008c87640be203fc53db07ac2100a57c43c743c5867eb
images/blog/red-cross83.webp,1627993765991,c2aad9c8bc13319c9887f2b05d40cd135fb8855d14be87f9f6eca5e0233dd4de
images/blog/red-cross93.webp,1627993726890,50433d2cc589d823e5c7ac7772c76a6644dcd4b655542d4eb47d9e49ae0caedc
images/blog/red-cross97.webp,1627993742410,e3cf2675963877dd160799220cc1b00a583808a18fbe7efb001d1018c6096dc6
images/blog/refugee-economics1.webp,1627993729974,c0a4fffa5eef3c8e98426c59ad56b8c5fc99d10e77a8267e7ef5a188bcc85256
images/blog/refugee-economics61.webp,1627993730020,d70b34d157e685c2bb6fcb06f2e77ac49063b1821792913df67fb0b57f2cc1fc
images/blog/refugee-economics86.webp,1627993730534,00cad2f3936a0e1c8ab169ef0a6da07f240aef8ab3cb065f2f126a438dcbb466
images/blog/refugee-inclusive1.webp,1627993767814,b9386cb2e27cbd70c18716ff84f0ed8ac1267b6e91b5788282252e618251f391
images/blog/refugee-inclusive64.webp,1627993767871,b86984e056bcc0be45ab9bb1e68eaf05492dff852f9de7c2c5af76c200e818bb
images/blog/regenerative-agriculture1.webp,1627993736674,8742e2720aebc0bae43dd1c59e2820788567c4bd1f15665ecadaaa02e4490ca0
images/blog/regenerative-agriculture103.webp,1627993736770,6cf2cae81a8a136df4a5a2dcf72336ab338219bcb145fe7645cc63d0a0dec1d6
images/blog/regenerative-agriculture70.webp,1627993736717,708eaf491a431216e884c99ddd95585e2f9d974112aa12818ccc24b8a5a1fbed
images/blog/retreat-and1.webp,1627993931866,bca5bad05214189326569ef20a47ce7d6bd8bd4ad0373ba983edb7a918c723c4
images/blog/rural-community1.webp,1628174924687,1e0cfc778ffaadf854e142c746a4c6ad2e5708e30c1b9e1054b41020ba609125
images/blog/rural-community34.webp,1627993864655,553dbaa860ad7b4e4960bc22012ff69f6e19488a69644a115d261e7df995476b
images/blog/rural-miyani-pesa1.webp,1628175089643,9e8c3c977fa8df1c064d3f33238ab3eb1593b5c18039b27afa75dca015109b08
images/blog/rural-sarafu1.webp,1627993739497,fcde889edc3af470682106ba25cc4ac14519c797e3fdde0d0b8069f597873e23
images/blog/rural-villages1.webp,1627993753074,492e4c89c5ad28586f1b6d05c000b015d209906cfeb18898dd82ce89fe6a05a5
images/blog/rural-villages38.webp,1627993753120,431869b4b0287a5b5b828ba294ac8c511809d1b2e17a53148e5c24e07a27df9a
images/blog/rural-villages70.webp,1627993753167,ea3b333ee822ae72944a82ca5138fd46588831d993b77b0b1da7dc76cede00f8
images/blog/sarafu-cooperative1.webp,1627993847685,4d9b8c882333dbc798d5776b00367b696f4ca337b4be105b5c591cbcb936699b
images/blog/sarafu-cooperative50.webp,1627993848568,4c611e9825591438f44b987b2b32beccf9f2cde91f08cd5a903066744e51d6b4
images/blog/sarafu-credit-takes1.webp,1628175815179,8e556910deb4bc5629127054f1c94fe481a647f7674d58407581fb569dd6cc8e
images/blog/sarafu-network1.webp,1627993743074,9800ecddb339fa805c84752dc8761bed7cae262358169427440e47db6d4a4057
images/blog/sarafu-network31.webp,1627993743117,67f6e3120af31e20dcbd9e907f65dc6b831c7c27b97b6a471906a358b163aa14
images/blog/sarafu-network42.webp,1627993743204,9b029376882ff6ec29e909f4182e0333ce09866a1a57c354f0c26388218e0d2c
images/blog/school-fees1.webp,1627993989144,afed1d7df0d257259de5a6fff760f7a62dcc842f8bcd9c7fcdb4a6d0e8d95a31
images/blog/self-funded-regenerative1.webp,1627993734247,a69d33e01e5055cca529a63992bd6b2ac6ffb8f0a080d590af91814f9804f812
images/blog/self-funded-regenerative48.webp,1627993734314,852f2d7a98e2ac3a970842ce4ee2d292389d454d278920652062720061cbb81a
images/blog/self-funded-regenerative73.webp,1627993734380,fb6a8a8e54867755ae119f31ce2317a53caee83d65e2accffbc3ed8b0079d38c
images/blog/shrimp-fishing1.webp,1627993774957,4a8250d6705b2ff61deb93e5cb443c1c581bb2b422b4a731cb8fc7f62d74df5a
images/blog/skylife-school1.webp,1627993877736,7bb3d1d28b103602cc7a3758fcd8e9d15d7a161538adfafd7d947b40e27ddb0f
images/blog/smep-oiko-credit1.webp,1627993936393,957eb3b694df5753036ad31f5503dfa5e92c18569cabca0da0f932a444179666
images/blog/smes-the1.webp,1627993722990,b14285fef55e152bd8aadba1d76e651872812f5a4e5a02f97d9bc5f5d43f6693
images/blog/social-entrepreneurship1.webp,1627993825458,16cfadc354a7f3232cbb1e2a9540f5a62a6dafcd4c9645e21f61eb397e31b395
images/blog/social-entrepreneurship105.webp,1627993829405,b719863f4078971b567c667766b954911f5a6676f16c1864509a7b22eb13e347
images/blog/social-entrepreneurship140.webp,1627993830375,73ed88cd9a7bd721f3d39365f973c8fc9c058c8181ab3d97d1ae189f59d5526d
images/blog/social-entrepreneurship52.webp,1627993826822,26cb7d17bc9a81c8ef5b67eebd218e0fbef8293c42c749c4ab9ad3488370ac4d
images/blog/social-entrepreneurship81.webp,1627993827872,30a626ccf3b18ca7af01130f24a2cdce930c4d6456fb8e761586482f99fc06c1
images/blog/static-vs1.webp,1627993733500,58d3854cfe778caf51a1359100c83baf20380b3e8a7e55aff1fff4f90091b2f7
images/blog/static-vs61.webp,1627993733547,58ba12a270f81d14fa3e3c82c83a04f8b422b4ff6239446acf3beae0c43f7443
images/blog/static-vs93.webp,1627993733590,f2991384178f19aad3e4ad4d755aaf47c1bedeb056adac8565ebcb96bfbb1055
images/blog/strong-communities1.webp,1627993738850,481dd6d0b90c38785609bb4da0976598c9db30e529583bd39954f51643eddc54
images/blog/super-market-super-currency1.webp,1627993917226,ab02f79e1b4714d7e368dd4604f08fd806ae3367ee588e9e7d1a9fb0401dfdf4
images/blog/supporting-covid-191.webp,1627993752240,9444b96ec026e91c774eb23da4c7b9b2b4dfe1d46a6b897083afa1270fbca6e6
images/blog/supporting-covid-1938.webp,1627993752304,20444d76f86993c05a62f6381f26a668eb6ce2b5ac10833ced0b966a9b01bc8a
images/blog/supporting-covid-1961.webp,1627993752450,f373a121eae6745e31f4d5d3f3ab4ebe5487132c238bab3db5852cc77d3cc2c0
images/blog/supporting-supply1.webp,1627993750977,6f8f84003950f330289a10784c120c6bcca3eb12017b92948940e9e88fe0da1b
images/blog/syntropy-in-practice1.webp,1629203340634,1bfbcb1a6e12b7d1c08aa2e1577cec4d721d7ac311b9f3369a30e55846c68a84
images/blog/syntropy-in-practice2.webp,1629203473579,3cf93c0466264e90eccde78bd80a12f6df0b19f5cdc70d3c6847570cb74e7d2b
images/blog/syntropy-in-practice3.webp,1629203871278,47abe1f17679e1bcc911af652aa5906938638d5ebba4b88716306d8ca1debdfe
images/blog/takaungu-pesa1.webp,1627993816478,c6f8602007683b19c8abfa9a7453ae8fad562961abb004ab98db7eaa360f56c7
images/blog/takaungu-pesa47.webp,1627993817138,f4781226af31578de33bc1e7946384180648678a86ca45fb86a9e0a42704e9d1
images/blog/taxation-community1.webp,1627993719673,d0ca074085af2c97d9636c3e6671754c5994014a91b30ffbe5bc082980ca9c89
images/blog/taxation-community70.webp,1627993719713,90e268d4494048bc451e4afcbdea38f24750a97e31d8db8867eef6a2601aad60
images/blog/the-people1.webp,1627993764784,fc1afeadda275a7d5ee800eba498afa12db9f16a9598fb7684bf985e46a6d210
images/blog/the-people126.webp,1627993765007,9a6635da55084153b641ec2b7056e8dedacdf81bd9eb5f7e2fef0229e2a04203
images/blog/the-people146.webp,1627993765067,2eaf344781185dd787a33c7042d904e7d446ab069a2e17d09540da08d81d5e5c
images/blog/the-people190.webp,1627993765141,7d838c730c6ac69e7b178f6323ca58749ea98daf329e5e3d17445662db9dab1e
images/blog/the-people207.webp,1627993765201,99e8203709ffc3edf3084a148e0512da85daeed2ec418acc6ef8235a7f59ca5a
images/blog/the-people224.webp,1627993765257,8658221a2c4923f2a8bdbddbfddb9a1a8d5619c33c6f2ab8124016d788f0125d
images/blog/the-people42.webp,1627993764844,71a7e9fc753808905a17cbc77e8fe5bfb1ba09bbd9afcb0917501aac602ff199
images/blog/the-people77.webp,1627993764884,7a08fadc15506a73c4e9186c94f48a794cc9f2d24f62e0b97beb01ef2220b417
images/blog/the-people97.webp,1627993764961,c85217c1da14f16b4467c261044a0eecef6a779883c2fc8996b4e2029f1443cc
images/blog/tiwi-orphans1.webp,1627994049721,a247c4abb8e4626162fb24f12ede7a0a86c44424bf81196c66a2e4dedf7abeca
images/blog/trading-the1.webp,1627993840265,b84d81c058a0cb647cf4406c1a6e7f63b04bee2a88e34418e7ba012b4d74f230
images/blog/trading-the96.webp,1627993840835,a026d4dd498caeeba9280ace8200b00d630aa38ba87a7c9c00a20b541f4a2a76
images/blog/tree-of1.webp,1627993862422,adc6679d018e52cb656c47991dbe732e177c28191b0c609d9b73b25b24b413e9
images/blog/un-announcement1.webp,1627993819555,c3f4e88d79b8ab86cfa0ed707eabd7297604590c40f87bc8a69413923bbde86e
images/blog/un-announcement107.webp,1627993822805,dbe5128d58b824e325304fd99f05d862f3be79e152d2ce3c28323e91e2f79fa5
images/blog/un-announcement50.webp,1627993820141,2bafb943c3b632c404da893142e357ee2550a100eff829e09f3129f0e927f370
images/blog/un-announcement78.webp,1627993821258,7ffe0f03600f1f628566529ab19a0e3f8c651c629d08b3d0c90d65fdf6fe2176
images/blog/universal-basic1.webp,1627993883679,f035ad3d79a2af8b666c125083ee514a33fa5e6e88784db559b36c77a9735895
images/blog/universal-basic68.webp,1627993884136,7394ab5e79f5561dd8f93de6a15f6f669c95c80219366e44fc56f9a9ea7f1690
images/blog/update-from1.webp,1627993950240,add469fcbb0eee4d3b0c88905c57899e178168f4b6f9b845c8f4a516fd18c8f0
images/blog/use-cases24.webp,1627993807498,e1a2245e9266cb785c7c6ef5765dff1f170457e70c85ba6f9032bfbb1117152d
images/blog/use-cases44.webp,1627993808195,a865be67bbc78a0955bfa986fa297f2e5d8c3be6d56f9fc7542cef5c342e7b44
images/blog/when-a1.webp,1627993769494,3a23ea3bebe459e6210bb45a840c36a11d4353e93b03ddc784d9aabf536d86e1
images/blog/when-a117.webp,1627993772794,e3272a3bdd208247388f77be7a78dfa9b260040c8b39c1865be23a6078fd3fab
images/blog/when-a74.webp,1627993770431,0ad6da912ae37871cf569e9369baaedaa6787d16380f5b29f83c0c6263cd9a06
images/blog/when-a97.webp,1627993771617,7611119d18b755b54632f9b1880d9d739a2ffc04ec55744da5b9392e3c857ff3
images/blog/white-house1.webp,1627993842792,709d3abed54d728eccc31642e9f2465b26a76237d5a39e9734b682854833a08b
images/blog/why-robinson1.webp,1627993797881,65aa61518b29e984fbf1467d542b8f28889624e146050bbaaa3c41f76810d6f5
images/blog/women-powered1.webp,1627993782528,a36258f6d655e844a0bf659d2b58cadb769f821fc03a0d15170ffa714d6ea76f
images/blog/women-powered124.webp,1627993785554,abe8de07ba544d2efdd32745f6e9387cf04a7e719fae20338968f4a4b3c87b60
images/blog/women-powered139.webp,1627993786401,bf32b1c777408ed687ff6577bd093cb7ee4219015545a4a07b609a734b22ab5c
images/blog/women-powered160.webp,1627993787078,8df8ae046d853bfead634fb0e37754fdbd33bb7d5fe7075ad09f5870e4b30f46
images/blog/women-powered197.webp,1627993787674,31b8ab3356c7b7cee8b52172fc9d499feb798359ab300cd6e76af1f5ea37d2f4
images/blog/women-powered220.webp,1627993788354,141349bb738c001a9cd0fd74e1aa2e7dcdab201273252196f58969d96592615b
images/blog/women-powered244.webp,1627993789024,b39470dabb3b5d8521c76ae67061b215d47a042479e4e219a927805b78a12661
images/blog/women-powered262.webp,1627993789881,b3930e411fd3fac52aae362d11fea3deef4258baa38f6b64727d811f28c072bc
images/blog/women-powered296.webp,1627993790894,b727b4468e674646a92cb59a1a680beb962723b2101802d5f03762f29f03630a
images/blog/women-powered311.webp,1627993791421,9373570ec1cec9a55c3eb6ffca421f466aa9138e5c9bd25aca2ea6b7185744bf
images/blog/women-powered57.webp,1627993783078,4df93b47ad125de427668f8f1b89b2875cd3c501cf4704418c784eca7be2ff63
images/blog/women-powered78.webp,1627993783681,dfa389111365ce61e0234227862820e42f22e2260b152ed7156a9e4275c4fc20
images/blog/women-powered96.webp,1627993784824,f352f51350db10c8a122e622d00739c208e013aafc6677948be802331d2f54df
images/blog/youth-employment1.webp,1627993732000,6e434ebf139abbe29ad0445865e4ef5242bbefdb9d191ce10ca23c695e4c9904
images/blog/youth-employment33.webp,1627993732050,f813a5cec48a453f3457abe795e6f2979e795b99a5019f3286ef3f6744539738
images/blog/youth-employment57.webp,1627993732097,e33c1b7ec4f28fb364620df628eced0bec6c4a70adde4c64d7711a785dd917e6
author/lynda-chalker.html,1631424238226,b1406032585ba58f7f231d0b21bc40a869d4461792f8301dbfed69d89adfa119
author/muthoni-kiguru.html,1631424238229,d33bcb812497b9b195f780809ff1a3c1905dcdfcf77b594fab432c7ac720390a
author/paulina-june.html,1631424238229,329cf05b54bd48d7016746e220da32029d101465b6a1e70646d38162382b5878
author/rebeccamqamelo.html,1631424238229,4c654f1a59d51738d2dd40dd91fd84169a2ed7811e9a1ce6aef783a7175ef3ca
author/robin-gerbaux.html,1631424238233,0664b5c954fc9c27413c94e2105a401f9d64f9a23e0694b27dfa9d522cac8421
author/ruth-njau-antony-ngoka-will-ruddick.html,1631424238233,c094e38dd3feccdd4d357221f2978cf93be76d0837f4b84fc13af2e13c318846
author/morgan-richards.html,1631424238229,db8cee3dcecaffada5da91056fb330f478d3783a43307806e763cfa602c8dc8b
author/ruth-mwangi.html,1631424238233,f799b8359a39c6889776438488acfe00d13b0852fd48419bc2f35b2473097d5f
author/shaila-agha-and-janet-treezer.html,1631424238236,407d8fb9cc43599fa829a4582189da7eeb9a979cf624fb2105ffbe08a2caab18
author/ruth-njau-antony-ngoka.html,1631424238233,901f666fcb4d4ca74320444494ed311b0991edd16fe981068eb9555478636d39
author/ruth-njau.html,1631424238233,0af74fae53ad431e41b7ebcd9ac504f872f9ca008113fe427cc3cc54871fec61
author/sowelu-avanzo.html,1631424238236,cc613fde9bb8130a56a80d368366e05476e4d4817140178597fc3e876d648b57
author/steve-okuku.html,1631424238236,7525ab172e85e366595363e942482c0d0f7f45351bc2e6389a1a411a9af0f743
author/shaila-agha.html,1631424238236,cfb4bf4c28b6eec116773aced0caa3ce9c603251c6bdac11a43e8cf9dc3e2585
author/thibaud-dezyn.html,1631424238236,e4282392178b755200acb50d6f219ee126df54dd6a6c60e60912d371feede8c1
author/tatianarubianogoubert.html,1631424238236,371b3a2247eaa173107dbe2aff543c0b02db6509c60f2f20d216dbe85bdff0fb
author/wilfred-chibwara.html,1631424238239,2982abd734b66e2323f7d7deda1daba53cfb9478e9ced8ed67e9d15d02c04a09
author/will-ruddick11.html,1631424238249,4b684f8fc91840367ce60588e00c02cafe697bb640c72c7e82a9ed05678b2dbd
author/will-ruddick.html,1631424238239,7ffe248517f10a5ff0b2fd94c86251977ac9d7ee5f729c1682135be847e6f9bc
author/will-ruddick2.html,1631424238239,3994b1104e690aa3c4f5f82519b2610fa1aa6efc670f6d663c428b1f6f751859
author/will-ruddick5.html,1631424238243,5e9b4eabaa0553a411b76d6fe110af362990ecb46f4c51bdcb801cebac6dc0b8
author/will-ruddick3.html,1631424238243,99ba492fa0c1ae2e1f9950c878c7c1ca9b6dfddd9a70cbe29220185abe4b25e6
author/will-ruddick4.html,1631424238243,4ebff66224c0aa4096017b0c696612535921cb5cab84772cf8b48a6f4e293d11
author/will-ruddick8.html,1631424238246,8193c7466cc2f33b9533811feac0ead3a2d4f050de32c35e8822fdce0d45002f
author/will-ruddick9.html,1631424238249,3bec06c2f8e9168102d77c8ac669e406b44defa66b2c1a901fda36c0d2ec610e
women-powered.html,1631424237959,28048afd85c35f9d169523c70d60ba59aa28ffee4e3bcc09785378cd4d9908b8
author/antony-ngoka.html,1631424238216,54423f6a48330aaaa128ad5d30798d5cd2de209bb5e56e47f556dbaaff10bce5
author/caroline-dama.html,1631424238219,f19f7ef48ad49e2114e2be1a3de9e33a5fb627d5979aba1fe6c6ccb4fbfb7672
category/blog.html,1631424238193,845361857d21a40f35f668b6570388fba6a2619efee52c74915b3b7403d2c733
category/blog10.html,1631424238206,15d03d49e24c4072d07be9137d78f1338f68384a784c15ba1a9c781e3cdc284c
category/blog11.html,1631424238206,bedb2337a70e03ff4c42b3e58c72bd6d5bd53d42a1cfcd2b58057648235f07a8
author/will-ruddick10.html,1631424238249,08bc1b688a3ae3eee09cd1441fadebf0c3203a8c4e846006c94dbdcb34e7fdd7
author/will-ruddick6.html,1631424238246,1188f7ff5c0c7105c04d7897bcbf1f0bd10c5fa6faec86f13f1fbb967b31f1e0
author/will-ruddick7.html,1631424238246,debb7d49475bdb60482c4ebfca7fc22d367bbd581e602208dc8fd8c7ef0b03ad
category/blog12.html,1631424238209,35b866581f8aa240ed77c0814a51c256b998a820298467355ac6aacee4762a50
category/blog14.html,1631424238209,507fde05b54748db9e83892b3c474edaf86eed55138675e8025a1e83c8a23c36
category/blog15.html,1631424238213,e67e5fb4e8fc933d04bc2fd3585e18611ddc3f700c545103a2cd43d3ec06aee9
category/blog16.html,1631424238213,af9768d6282892785ed209c1a3187211550e023e87b095e744a1c866541529ec
category/blog17.html,1631424238213,8745083eeea51a14a1addc126803d808d9b0e31298ce746684ca25624b5f4411
category/blog18.html,1631424238216,d480d02ce367e1e8f74d27221117b07bbc1e8aa7500c9d69b6bfd5e41c9e05b8
pages/contact-us.html,1631424238269,58d2501ad048e36420a2e0020324d1928f746321b95ceb8704f24154b0b9fb29
category/blog9.html,1631424238203,893fb1c0af6a7dae3bf5e12af220d05cb95ed80dc4bdf4301994740923513fc4
pages/dashboard.html,1631424238306,9d1683e9d9ff2631921aacbc27f63a17de95c01019f03f83a821eb934e1ab235
pages/food-forests.html,1631424238286,8eaa8abd939686027df76ff4e639f844855f36fc8fd71e3522c92c62ceab6c3d
pages/mooc.html,1631424238266,b231399401002d4a08cdd14470e3be70794dce37e27d0553ef8e7e8127de3b23
pages/how-it-works.html,1631424238286,2cfac3baa195323d82a8706a39229dc9c0cd241b6e83f709a19656ed96fffd82
pages/get-involved.html,1631424238299,c6ec380adbfa2d3539a1890dee8fa5f6db7ecb9db3d556a27936f19e82465e63
tag/agroforestry.html,1631424238139,f97f0b2126f89e3ec5ab42b4c174322911042efc03f750334e2b3ac912bfbbb9
tag/aid.html,1631424238186,a120ab597e63d3470fc7a133172ed3fcfc35facb323f824d8bd758421a10ea65
pages/sarafu-network.html,1631424238289,b13441dfb1267804d2d0d028cf85fe45fdd4f2c4b6ffb5b81af5e0b78bd19208
tag/algorithm.html,1631424238179,7e6c6bf89354a297d0e4cd6903c861ec441248282993a6faaff7f86c2f9b4ea0
tag/blockchain.html,1631424238183,4ed4752a1d021a27c18c8b0721b6efccad5bcc473466b2591f95f167e28dcff3
pages/research.html,1631424238293,3ae09f4e3b7bc8b7efc5fe429c804092e30786f537066668ef5ec5177b79d4b7
tag/cdc.html,1631424238189,2ddbaffbd7e08949e8527d7076ef1c53b7649d15ade98148150a4f1fa41bf6d3
tag/basic-income.html,1631424238166,a27b1febb99cecf8afb740def140830bf7b14e63fc396cbe573d0d7e85a66392
tag/cic-index.html,1631424238186,7ea2e2df8a6f10951076e3882b215625a1674d65a1ac5af6fbb14e380dea9ffd
tag/church.html,1631424238153,75253b468a415bfc8500366851aeb58cbc63f592edc9f0ce0e1ed7e2c1a5631c
tag/cic.html,1631424238146,36d854afbd69de253dc9a9e86b1f6efd9562ed9081c12db80759d77661957af7
tag/claim.html,1631424238149,a6ac86fec407a5d048492acff1548252357874f80377f4617cb4112fa1e8acf2
tag/community.html,1631424238176,fdad0cc2c06c0ebe67cb79f3e1dd93b2a5964914d42b0570c987b228ee9c485a
tag/community-currency.html,1631424238153,1f9cb37ef3b958a8942d203ce4eb618bc6ab82ece77fd4acd12b23af055c58ed
tag/curadao.html,1631424238189,8de15db3a99d49c4dbf804bc1f7f89f410f3df3e20ea8f9b5a2166ee9ba2d070
tag/csr.html,1631424238149,a097106d820576d08b5433775ebd66903c3ebdb1eee16b1fcce62babacbab191
tag/data.html,1631424238146,72603512334496dcea5ecc63e562722e28bce2ec24c681d0f5d320496b7eae7b
tag/currency-death-cycle.html,1631424238189,e602827c63f16b86763d0c0daea2897e09f55a36e84f8b85f79df9eda075c931
tag/debt.html,1631424238159,583b67cd47d256efb94df13ce2081daefe640d9cee6580e0ed7df34b4c12b40b
category/blog4.html,1631424238199,e49bc45e09e2c89e0376e9e448eb96b691fad58e1d8569e75538221e47d87bc2
category/blog6.html,1631424238199,4be66614a1ec19abca56699eabf92b8b59973bc4d07172b410fa93ff21cac54b
category/blog5.html,1631424238199,b37cf0c5f53cc78f777fbba08f1a546721e92e7732e1209ad713e631c01b3811
category/blog3.html,1631424238196,a11196d3d2335729693459b57d77add628e2fde4651aea405bb3b98d638d38cc
category/blog2.html,1631424238196,4789931626bf8aa7ef9f9452b17d075b5b6e5456c4baf1acf730436c9c52aa9d
category/blog7.html,1631424238203,ffa84cd82cdd635840faccc179d9c229c561e17c559adf6f14bf00e1d2af9f7c
tag/defaulters.html,1631424238159,b1776774731e3ef87866d93bb3bcc083154f10c2bb6448d30fb914c28b91e428
category/blog8.html,1631424238203,501f1ed7b3c63a2396300e4ec1ba6a68df2bcdc5a46d00d27cd3cca3e4e76309
pages/media.html,1631424238303,db46573b30d5810fc685f54f9d1397ddba56d43ebfe29eb3bcb87e7905c492b9
tag/commons.html,1631424238183,e04bb39591387a76e6e4242d2c39c782efaf3c3155b9ccb3cccc99bb979d64c1
tag/defi.html,1631424238169,13781b59747e34035c0337ef0ff951b057c108862d9b93d05a17b73c4a808534
tag/demurrage.html,1631424238143,f4ee204de422eef76c4c81ffa0cd07fbfbf9a4fd20bc18183de7774d043a951c
tag/dex.html,1631424238173,ea3ca1fe22d64c100f18712fa50216e73e1bfbf53854154cd935fe54cb3612c9
tag/covid.html,1631424238156,b36d79ca311e362d388e9a78fe7ae6a656c11fbbb714861cf6eae873b24f55d0
pages/about-us.html,1631424238279,16607082b373e55f4ee086bdc4e4fce7a11ede04d0138d5c2ae89b005f655c8b
category/blog13.html,1631424238209,73ff5b8ed1a7dc08cdd223bff48b460fb88a3a1273908c2a0fd587b2fe2fe096
pages/terms-and-conditions.html,1631424238309,84a673799029feb3cf779c7ba63863141f6b82f2236e2f3d08c432f8ddad31bf
tag/debtors.html,1631424238163,f3a95b7e12a44f5468599af901b04bc8c9364ed20de6fe947560913c4ba1a1f6
tag/directors.html,1631424238156,84ece652c0e4761b130b829b38a411b5da6727fe2023ff1a517a2493a0617bbc
tag/elderly.html,1631424238166,8dd2062b4ff6a19b4fe2a5a82d6079616a8df6d2876216bcfb38fe00287f72ab
tag/excahnge.html,1631424238173,898f48565b3d08df03f2ef831f6bc529146f0957b35de097282765d51943f07b
tag/faith.html,1631424238153,98694c8779c51a4ed445d5f4b1ac607637142676e953ffac079d7e8fec273acd
tag/fish.html,1631424238183,b212077bd553ca92244a30dfb5b7b70ddfe3213c9007a14b8f9ce7eed6881606
tag/food-forest.html,1631424238173,5efecb33bc3b0ba40d62e40b3c44513af502c05ce9c3b974e45d42d71b6869d4
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-grid.css,1624386336000,e1ec0986cb4638d0c16c0328ee5b8dc0916c00ef19764b19e5ae1bd9e1f73144
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-grid.css.map,1624386336000,9eecf2ca808b6d87f005f720931bb22d8df3957e3d198cee8b0fa246c8147d96
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-grid.min.css,1624386336000,f43dec937c24beeaac6bfd761c9bdfe07805e007642e742b424d1f1a058a5039
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-grid.min.css.map,1624386336000,aa8163ea39e3e18210f0603553d7825187042a426c5829e1ae9e35092ec4d705
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-grid.rtl.css,1624386336000,d0700d7796afbafaf478aa174cf8a1723d008dd3d20300da1f6b6446ca564229
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-grid.rtl.css.map,1624386336000,1a55c843cd4bb175099c883cd60e661f03546c135a3a65151d34b8626e479e10
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-grid.rtl.min.css,1624386336000,809267ff5d235dbaf571fc8971cc5a60459b9c8172d9b4cb35406efcd2d814a2
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-grid.rtl.min.css.map,1624386336000,06a859519373ad3377ec44b1b3da5ecc17dc6fb60d135b68cbebe46d4fae4b61
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-reboot.css,1624386336000,02b14d5bb66ed017bd5f9e8d5a1cef9f15746d3289280b9563da0de155118ed8
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-reboot.css.map,1624386336000,999f14cc2c559d626b9bd4fccc0c01ebf2613ec899c24fba71be26219af5b2a4
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-reboot.min.css,1624386336000,e9bd8ea41bb4d4963601834c9354c2b68c6796317046d950e04e8630f26315de
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-reboot.min.css.map,1624386336000,103436c131e4189c0ab4ff495a5220c10801023690147573cb0c3a958e0ece97
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-reboot.rtl.css,1624386336000,1c72001c191c78ab6de9c5198a1f0b3cfa1285c801c2d789938c74dcb8788d15
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-reboot.rtl.css.map,1624386336000,568982b3c415dbcf20864df6cd9c6d9315e1383eacb94654e993480e822af761
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-reboot.rtl.min.css,1624386336000,f2c0c0b1629734b5cae4aa551bf714c8e141103d74a546a8e0c1485995a84721
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-reboot.rtl.min.css.map,1624386336000,b0cd5a672b0f08412fab09ac4dc85c0c78d19ee803c3973e60cfe23bde12b6c7
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-utilities.css,1624386336000,d53585bc114020144acd729a50c6eb337b3a497213a5257dc23e9951f7f842e8
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-utilities.css.map,1624386336000,481bcd49650ede96bb888cbc08b8c07025cc909807b4a06d5584b383de2aedaf
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-utilities.min.css,1624386336000,7985d0e94c7fd01f6959b5c37c67024eec7d1b4d6d554e2ae88f0fb17d9bac64
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-utilities.min.css.map,1624386336000,6e311e401a6fd0c1f37374dd1f1b1ab61d085f299535d7a94bb93ba45c770096
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-utilities.rtl.css,1624386336000,ab51ce20b1cc4b17025d938361a7cb9c6bad99f0735b0e918718858bb489090f
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-utilities.rtl.css.map,1624386336000,7466f1d469a597e83f6340e714e821b25b1f72afbfb4add6b3cd0811afa94532
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-utilities.rtl.min.css,1624386336000,37e54f3770c491f416af15c9abf77801f275c2d4ed71895dcd2001d6c74c2bf5
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap-utilities.rtl.min.css.map,1624386336000,bb0fbcff482274fbdba4f4b8c696e99ca9caff339ed18afe8ffe9ec380313ce4
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap.css,1624386336000,dd24fda31fd2cbbd3055f7e2ec447c4962dc1a19a71117100074d1e25345a3f0
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap.css.map,1624386336000,08e54bd3cedc3fb348edaaaac04c4abcad216ce779718d43a4f86fa5f9b79887
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap.min.css,1624386336000,b0fb49d162a769e783f1704d1db3fd58ea1b6c747bfc39ed0fff86fa984266a6
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap.min.css.map,1624386336000,bff2e5253811f8cd0140514f5217c7b06c6cbed105d695998c45b1fd6dc11db4
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap.rtl.css,1624386336000,9622fc721b8bbe4f71f177ca8de1043aab356a9b4ac7e5e374deefa7994693a4
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap.rtl.css.map,1624386336000,dfc47cc7573981364cc7eb7541994bcaa797266814e90cd306371077b2f4a37d
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap.rtl.min.css,1624386336000,53905607228df70d9d6f8082762d304b13350b73d7f792355ad2640416d4fe6a
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/css/bootstrap.rtl.min.css.map,1624386336000,2caa73bb103c98f7e1f0ab6c0752e60589d98e4addf77ed8d1e97d6372902ff8
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.js,1624386336000,78c33be2fc4d38eea95f44c9b76c45098f66eb7d69824c4d543f2f461977bb18
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.js.map,1624386336000,186cc0db6e5228dee9d71e53f307a6c2bebb7851447ab0cdd97d456531c43554
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js,1624386336000,82bfa4b4df4dd23bfbba7c06841c53d4114aa73c6bab153832edd397662ba3df
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js.map,1624386336000,f96033b58c478c14428dd1b9805121ea15766168e748aa1a965646a338eebc7f
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/js/bootstrap.esm.js,1624386336000,77b4beb4864c9f9b9d757be92525f3ec9edf72471c9210ace2c0f413e7b31fcf
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/js/bootstrap.esm.js.map,1624386336000,e007a816de0264627204dbfd227503b07aaeb46d573fb6ad91b7ade839a5f348
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/js/bootstrap.esm.min.js,1624386336000,037b18b3b2ebdb3966734ee5bcc5c477272097971f75789f051a7475cd4be96b
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/js/bootstrap.esm.min.js.map,1624386336000,b5980bae8a525f6aff354b99ebe6a13154247f6f44cd787a0793540dee5f3664
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/js/bootstrap.js,1624386336000,6ed257f6edf6a5eb3759e4e3f9e8bb31da2ed9705835178fa4c73beadbe88d48
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/js/bootstrap.js.map,1624386336000,47431823caaa6d88fe47b824ca4c470180b483513851c2c6d7a9015734b8439d
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/js/bootstrap.min.js,1624386336000,1b4dd9033d8d24f91873ef64ae020142a91f74d39e36673661ae2cd480b13e0d
theme/bootstrap-5.0.2-dist/js/bootstrap.min.js.map,1624386336000,894f0f08d9be480f2347f6422e55e354c152fb1f2a0c27edfb31f18f16e9faa4
theme/css/about-us.css,1624452557541,3da5cb7db3129584240657e374ac20f1f38b7114b32baf968b07a064052a7dba
theme/css/article-styles.css,1628001804251,931558972c05d852495009d0b98fc256d4fa543dd25d50a12ebc00ba34c655a5
theme/css/contactpage.css,1627378717422,dc201b61ec3020dcbfd813f3788b121d75b464d8ba65197fe8388e08f584fd43
theme/css/dashboard.css,1627315716001,1fef85ed69fb55e8a106b70c746b37a56bb46a32dab3e0538f862a835882e6e0
theme/css/food-forest.css,1625134377254,5f0530a3c5d13657c673ed867a7ba929f9777f09a66f6ba87ff83e17e80c721c
theme/css/get-involved.css,1626314890775,c6b3e970909f9d830255b569d93d08e449768a6559a5c1e4ce003b9ea5109322
theme/css/home-styles.css,1622044815122,60ab9a4d1c4542899bd4496cedf4c2065bb07e811775a4821c7a72cf054d8c9b
theme/css/howitworks.css,1628186062182,47cb847d93e7914b59b7f572103e3251d5bf6cda67be1be0e6db7d63680e9555
theme/css/index-styles.css,1629196616652,6cadebfd498610be70ecabfad7c81bdeb2850df3d73b8dbacd4b2a9afbcb167f
theme/css/mediacss.css,1627295083457,81668b662cd255ca24d5378c48e5c5c05f7fdf8c8953c7777ad26babb712b588
theme/css/moocstyles.css,1627319084259,744fec9c4427c588d3ccf3131c27bc73c4f043949ddfe937d572a6c9630f061a
theme/css/research.css,1626707135637,93f2f5786b5fa5bcbdecba0675c015ac01d09ff4282ac80e0790872969dd20f2
theme/css/sarafu-net.css,1625149801652,ea2f03d091564cf6558c9c62f3081464f6b3d180353635f7a3a5b43e1e827de9
theme/css/style.css,1622040735599,2b6376d63d8d3c7cb31ab09af321cb68c0d66e8bec7964900267e62266cd63af
theme/css/terms-and-cond.css,1628255807115,7e7c2ea055047f309822d8b0886360d64a65f3a0bf893eea8f4ebf99d80debfd
theme/datasets/POA_sarafu_tx_and_users_all_pub_2018-201.zip,1626319395475,9656a18a2fa0d4abf3cc385687aad9bf10c8b3637f43a3900e2b30e271708382
theme/datasets/Sarafu_xdai_data_July_13_2021.zip,1626316940144,8c7ba351048495305d3bdee8f0acf89ca1878ca6ab4fd645691b6dec321aa040
theme/icons/Grassroots-Economics-logo-med2.png,1620114181582,769d50bfeaacab64c1390d9bf0a34e2d41f365684a32797ca7bd609829d248da
theme/images/Grassroots-Economics-logo-med2.png,1620114181582,769d50bfeaacab64c1390d9bf0a34e2d41f365684a32797ca7bd609829d248da
theme/images/ge-logo-resizeimage.png,1620293944798,8445eeb3dee5f50a9a3ef4a3e6ed56640dbdd85f7c7bc5038a4c53f3b41c2a1a
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/3d-classes.jpeg,1623252457316,47c4637ca7a9b677052525e5c183a17dd1b77ae64d418dbc1eab57c5a3bbf7c6
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/aboutus-img1.webp,1622535660606,9fb6bae616840104292e7157dcc214a37eea43edbda2a22cb9e4c70e3e701d5c
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/carousel3.webp,1623246988825,e4f2e43c207d7a90f798de0ba6c8efc4dfd1178d54df2586c4d0513eff854bdd
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/carousel4.webp,1623248936945,94dc584d2c5bbf1fec754916c93b31818fd9b048f49114df27962462b0ec1729
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/carousel5.webp,1623251015734,6969488123a722c31131b61b165407b1fa8480367a838d8bc3b0fa1f56789a8f
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/gatina-pesa.webp,1623166161922,671caca27164c2fc53cca1288e064e2edbabf2460cf43a4a8e46c5ec7f905d58
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/green-leaf-temp-removebg-preview.png,1625150226494,15e0745437498b0c12c1bb610f0356b69da07a310687cd31088828435e804ff2
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img1.webp,1623333389493,be4ede1ec219025fb2a1236a820439733be0c9f472a872fb5233f286b3efcd35
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img10.webp,1623337738602,91b014e3d828b425836eea402fd0130b4849c8ba6564b95856814d53a913a155
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img11.webp,1623337756226,ec09aa032685eb29c74e84837f9a02f745e6b27355320aadd4b7660a5053d50a
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img12.webp,1623337767996,3f9c14af5f9baee91f7476107b8f89664ce3f6f6b181d5c940b4f47c63d1ef84
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img13.webp,1623337784456,84415173cef85a76cfae826e09638c7edbe5ac876e3142972f23d030da13929b
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img14.webp,1623337793849,9c57c65f027966d40c81844c2285eecc34761d5e55fa93eb78c53be5f5cc5a6a
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img15.webp,1623337805870,d5646dbed01d5205645b1aaa567c3362e0bdbf6c5f98684cc10667253c62a832
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img16.webp,1623337821883,457f1876bcbde4f3bace3d7ee784106d6481b5ea1fff2cf95700430e86bdbb82
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img18.webp,1623337849267,745e8312149b28f2f56daef3c81e1bf62c0224ec56181acc65193c513008c900
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img2.webp,1623333430217,c96a26ae81c74075f6fb31676c084b93278ab81e1bba10aea205dfa48a99d753
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img3.webp,1623333457597,a660b014c1f2e82bef76fbc586b40cb0dbcd6b12e7d6044f6cca0db122940b30
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img4.webp,1623336917028,baf21f8dd79a86d278cce9ad17f54f1f0442b7363570de65cba3aff2840f4cdb
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img5.webp,1623336931341,35c91846e8f2344fd1ab8a692c75c4ccc2ea5d4bd7023e17e7084ec79f74cd62
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img6.webp,1623337024429,8be91202322323f232851142b804e1d263d3bc2ea66123ce9f0993b8da8621a5
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img7.webp,1623337054903,96aedd1342fe373ce615ad617029bb3cd8011a7fd4848b76bade1156576aa488
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img8.webp,1623337071303,34299b5d88ff86e357c6d1740eb7fb69c23b52139b50ce35d2cb81e7fe86fe4a
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/grid-img9.webp,1623337088907,c38aca4ece837415cb771fb98eb6267b5f4a330e6a80e4788b46915034a055ee
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/howitworks-img1.webp,1624265405498,c9ac11b6010c7b8d210a4b96cfc0b364b14eac2b53ccf819d4f84f3b5a63c6aa
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/leaf-temp.jpeg,1623163438545,c805c639e29c500229aa898c2d0d712584b952b43c8cedd5a9c1714ef420f069
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-blockscience.webp,1623603202177,731b6101212f63dd6a55408b336a52eb1d43555d980a2f55b9a2d53f37eceafd
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-c.webp,1623603183677,321b23c209c7cf1b2a942db98898ce3b8ffa8d4d825e4bf516d0453e942bae5a
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-commons.webp,1623603141660,0932d6c4012e45c7830bf349987dabba8c64baa9c6e0117a36fc62d0bb154daf
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-courtofarms.webp,1623603058952,ae2d2ec3ec1ec5bba5ef291827e546aef75d92acb63d0f67f0980c5efe90b96f
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-da-redcross.webp,1623603029028,591a64f4a384d9e06c66fa967faeba75be5533e4ccf65aa4185948977ece367b
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-forge.webp,1623603108469,93fcc5638fe6ac13cf94697521ede33d26ee408abff58f9e442bc448e82d38d9
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-green-world.webp,1623603167477,b31f96038dc9510706b55b6e9659f7c48193ed27680b5279fedac8bb9ef34440
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-iflas.webp,1623603225708,e9be9a1b4a869ebcbace26d26848e4253de7ccb10f3279f3da177be27336eb85
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-lush.webp,1623603002865,4fe76713d275f008e0631d1fb492bd801b4adf313021a330172533cbabd0f8fb
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-redcross.webp,1623603246068,51139271fb1cb7e8219827680f218c9f6fe3ea4529b16fce0de9c77e1e91c765
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-rotary.webp,1623603121099,0865465564dfc3979e892b1d06835644447f732b7e800ec1cb2d8447adb7ee57
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-schumacher.webp,1623603259228,1194448e7ceedff65fa075796f266cb7da00f751ee670b9b40b491d21444c694
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-segal.webp,1623602973304,d7b20b66cf6240c3a6be0698c9617f50639dbf353e7f2c7041f40b7f3ff7e6e2
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-stichting.webp,1623602935774,3d61bf43a65e3b687dadcfae845d639f01654ef6ec9b1005506d9e58a1bf307b
theme/images/aboutus-imgs/spons-tridos.webp,1623603013311,6435e00085340cfea3d7de3ba9751707b7111107e97db6407e803b1afcd7233b
theme/images/base-imgs/facebook.webp,1622038185098,87773101e18c8fc7eb6ca73fd64bb218d40b7356fab17314e5b0a46a5f221e9b
theme/images/base-imgs/twitter.webp,1622038200221,f7b845a3bafce7bf30f8d207f71e56d8a182ece79f28ec2d3db875c5b3c0cdac
theme/images/base-imgs/whatsaap.webp,1622038152904,4c882bc46b7662ca0b004fd6e0e8800ead8c17ff28b94960fe7b527128a87716
theme/images/base-imgs/youtube.webp,1622038215878,776c20df1021fcb723504b0c60e6036e05d047d2581eb698b253823289d325ec
theme/images/dashboard/dash1.webp,1627314245738,6613d87f645702c75c440279b2c850f3a069fcb1f0437fa780b618d25f8a2d0c
theme/images/dashboard/dash2.webp,1627315175893,f539d0b4961964e20459b0ba17ac2b28bbe011f9fde89b1c8602e098057f3bd1
theme/images/foodforest-imgs/foodfore-img1.webp,1625130316714,0d848c8bab8d5c4eec8db5d6a80a7773b0608b2f6b4de4d59c6fa88f60af91e5
theme/images/foodforest-imgs/foodfore-img2.webp,1625131687342,baf411bcc94979b532d9df5e0d48b0037b22f9f8ae1c2a04af3e6f5d158f9998
theme/images/foodforest-imgs/foodfore-img3.webp,1625132169534,cb47d8c7143d9ac5533b0c0b5b9e1859275de9c515fbdd56b7b5056f581fe61f
theme/images/foodforest-imgs/shamba-ya-jamii-poster.webp,1625569657382,fe368461ee79d8eca91d04dacd0e10c0a00cb7c16f9d76c4853282b1ab0ba7c8
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/availabeimg1.webp,1625741335295,37cb85c865b82508b6640d7652ab35120b5d980d977884e835b97cfd098e08f4
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/availableimg2.webp,1625741384263,745bde95f07d360a0637da75bf4b33e75accf77c4f6dee55e0617dd94fd84e8b
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/availableimg3.webp,1625741396360,3c0c0a1ec90f859ffc383250b042f492988af452007421e1349f4be93a5b556c
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/availableimg4.webp,1625741410547,2305bfe66451e0d7e09819e4dd59fd66162fd9819b13a0b49817b3ee1a16d262
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/back-img2.webp,1625823609401,004d2a9584a00da3795e4c956637363e4597ded67e37505e0f8705a8022b9126
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/calender-img.jpg,1625818580598,c80b9de084616194565f4c94f4e41e69243cf9e599c4cd47efe142f80c25cab7
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/calender-new.png,1625819191872,5ceb0c88db7351368895985297a591e623a8a46d581670fb76461be45b3fe496
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/carousel1.webp,1626090174117,9f88d1614c20d78ad6c49df7fbd1ccce9092cea54e4ed812fa151fdec3151c4a
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/carousel2.webp,1626090199294,dd2aa19a9bdfb04d7b5004c03fd33edc717e345b95ffd69abc376c89ac47a99e
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/carousel3.webp,1626090212951,e233a0db5c297238dc1fa3e4854728492ad89dd9058ceb193f8b4841db5c28d4
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/carousel5.webp,1626090229338,846fd8a7fda5a7aeac84a46dcedac3c7bca0b79bee6226cb04b3220259a0b98e
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/donate-img.webp,1626092047882,1d749a770ec41c5626549ae2fe7621d5ac21589e8de433fb4aa7ccc6493dba5d
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/donate-new-removebg-preview.png,1626316267158,6fb63696f2a69b2b1cc3db5447d2c7609ee19d8e03a07a3cceae7a8e95c9e09b
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/donate-new.jpg,1626316129535,23b3ca27698f891eaf42779db7409c3dfd965c36fe24b9dc8e9ed032e16be93f
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/donate.jpg,1626316033960,a9532674ccdc0068533303a7a4ac3ef412cb30344a26fbad3660968247b55a9c
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/goofy-faces-crop2.jpg,1626087593498,004e0ab470ceea94ea0b0d42ea3e5da445bf83441a26b2b7710c95b2857ddbb6
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/howit-img1.webp,1624265519485,c9ac11b6010c7b8d210a4b96cfc0b364b14eac2b53ccf819d4f84f3b5a63c6aa
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/impact.png,1626313982695,410cf00ed59f61a90e4f6952cadcb49c14edd80660997b12a85f44b8844b4756
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/logo-in-img.png,1625828980476,4a9639feb32c9aeb16f50c26988689de1e747f116ddb93f9736b4eba6828e124
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/mooc-img.webp,1625832331278,c782157fa7004e5a694074c513a44b454da9742b4dda970a101daf9737dd9aeb
theme/images/get-involved-imgs/strong-communities1.webp,1627993738850,481dd6d0b90c38785609bb4da0976598c9db30e529583bd39954f51643eddc54
theme/images/home-imgs/afd.webp,1622023019087,a6ba0de76da8efc2c957575781a5393341669c35771a1922266f7c0394c9c4c7
theme/images/home-imgs/aljazeera.webp,1622022992034,fe25c1a55e1e746b3ecf972f8c974d86f4c223890d541a0af07d8ed31be2dcbb
theme/images/home-imgs/bbc.webp,1622022984687,8de4df8670fe74798f76caa4429acd62237e5263c4a89bfa92e0daa956a7717e
theme/images/home-imgs/bloomberg.webp,1622022973943,9b08b6b902389ee501472ee92898c5a76b8a5b247262359af9a8e07c937bf255
theme/images/home-imgs/doughnut.webp,1622023031858,d611e104c3aa53386493d18efc090a9db1fb995fdba9b7b951d44792c3b6ce2f
theme/images/home-imgs/home-img1.gif,1621431672816,0848ff5a61878281a70019d12a2c46b248294cfa2b79c160d57382a78f463008
theme/images/home-imgs/home-img2.webp,1621855815325,112f4083951bd28677f52fd252a61ffccd3fa7bd8070398ab9620d002309338a
theme/images/home-imgs/home-img3.webp,1621938029763,564c28b981fad63a828b85e98dff212ab3797c54c7ba51118cdefcea92bd5a87
theme/images/home-imgs/home-img4.webp,1621939420806,978ba8df28be88ac23dfc1f75cbf699544dd64d3008d34516528c24caf3e2486
theme/images/home-imgs/home-logo.webp,1621432572302,8a871a8806517efd5997f200273776c50f903af3cce219260be11a16f55b20cc
theme/images/home-imgs/huffpost.webp,1622040960359,720067225f111d1ec3a43fb6967591042e60abe584afa2ecc30cb4d7933fcb92
theme/images/home-imgs/ktb.webp,1622022959103,1041c9bef7ccc07d1651e95d92f2c5ca9a9666aa67c939f5ac8f01644759b19f
theme/images/home-imgs/quartz.webp,1622022944106,360da29de69a04ea6a1a8b00143d161676f58f0aa2254c5bb41f87f8e3f59cfb
theme/images/home-imgs/yes.webp,1622023007681,3bfe43c6705dc1b6de637e20e251207e8f3f5d8570fba81e3260de890921be4d
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/17percent.webp,1624866648057,08c4f52cfec1137ce9b3f41afbd43861a26a7cebfd823fa14201a92e78eb341d
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/37percent.webp,1624866753042,cd3ab0a92d6e1613f25e72636b68c101a178271f870cca336f3fd848cb661b34
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/78percent.webp,1624866799026,4378bbbc56f7bbe6109a64cd5b64ac7fc4b56c5ecdca6210be2a93720b44f04a
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/angel-cartoon-removebg-preview.png,1624865123823,266442f60e440d6112d9c6f5aeffb3ecbc8af73a97ce405c15ad23ee076f10ad
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/angel2-removebg-preview.png,1624956663775,2ff757c8334ec5b4864dcc4ea917b4f41090466a1bb03f0705e135a4ed794c59
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/angel2.png,1624956564384,b1b329eb658c81fe32a617c11bfbd212b4c62c08d574347b0e208d4f782bda24
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/arrow-down1.png,1624974345383,828f7bd24a359028197347dcf65d2a6ebeef188761cb07c48cef9519f7c5b0c9
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/bangla-pesa-launch1.webp,1627994040154,a022dff6f5120b078593be160c00e46294c1e88ce53d74cafbf9fd0b4c4dfff5
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/bangla-pesa-relaunch1.webp,1627994025051,657da88e8dd45855a005cc5b34e9cd6fcb6e4ba67da27ecc0a1ac20017eef4e8
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/books-carton-removebg-preview.png,1624864979910,37a55e71dcaa44fb77c57b680b0f2682c67339810ee7addde3dc01d61a4751f2
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cartimg.gif,1624465661885,cb53c417587f386897d671b75cb9d3d9f5c840ffae749603a6bff5672555d00c
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cic-img1.webp,1624972161131,63efdc9ea781e4784fbe24a16f346c188da59139cc86dff2f5bff60b97d167ed
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cic-img10.webp,1624972247000,ff54ccdee42f1179c922ff55032edef96c829dd41c03e640a45a3c0481a39d91
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cic-img11.webp,1624972255470,2ece206a68495a6584ec8455125575e1a8f00d8a1c8c17ab9a1513e4ca48e768
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cic-img2.webp,1624972172092,ef6a651ec6245d0fc61310f2206c98c5b63b080e1ddd946905d716ca37733180
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cic-img3.webp,1624972182439,71abb4e3a75e4baab84adbcfffa46c7eaa8e382dce1d87e6cb43967d62770ebc
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cic-img4.webp,1624972190275,2642db9b0172b9a6af1f4f73824ed44a8d61889e65b9dc03680aff9bc6e47a5e
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cic-img5.webp,1624972198229,de9e4f3d8d3ab383b0207d32c05821ead09d1fa00407e856d2b201387e40174a
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cic-img6.webp,1624972209219,d366f9a86ecd666f726d0ad204095fbdc12bec1441b5be1f7b974d9751cadda2
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cic-img7.webp,1624972218419,60902d66512b190ae4636169fbff3bca3f39fd83cfb13bd19c026fb2852dd0ce
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cic-img8.webp,1624972227046,ba7e84541f8fd3b0515416a325d7e137bd55ce6fa4bcc9e96131a5661b963a56
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cic-img9.webp,1624972235979,ff54ccdee42f1179c922ff55032edef96c829dd41c03e640a45a3c0481a39d91
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/cic-training1.webp,1627993745247,9a1e98fb79a8d731a26b054f5800dbbd4d65db51906ed795019147b12154d399
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/col1-img.webp,1624863425495,82c79b7c37ab52d19faa346dad1673a1c6e71551aeb9f5e2f916445fb50bc449
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/col2-imgs-removebg-preview.png,1624864349514,b986fea4ef1e202b91a5ef71724f0f5eb7abba3a24248def99a219b05dcfdb85
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/drawing1.webp,1624528854967,86a3bc6a77746425a322fa73358bd9fcf246fcb29b8d8149b7b6747709828ef5
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/empowering-mothers1.webp,1627993859269,2c6001a677e4576dc6304876499625cbf8258c2d43ba8b34f4437eee81060b57
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/foodimg.gif,1624465693926,84c5458cb6b180f23b0cc0bdcbabb51e194fec46b7d92ed2e7d19ebb1d0cc223
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/gatina-business1.webp,1627993854422,9c41a63461af4aa14025c1b68e7279556a9cafb3571a5491f13251701595a8ac
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/home-on-globe.webp,1624610202729,025a4eb728e7dff87c8be4c9fc4169e5635931a2f3aef5d76509f9e8b1328811
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/house-img.gif,1624465675942,40cc24dc026eb4291afe914c5846ac932fcec10de3fd58894ef24b9df158595a
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/howit-img1.webp,1624265519486,c9ac11b6010c7b8d210a4b96cfc0b364b14eac2b53ccf819d4f84f3b5a63c6aa
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/leafimg-removebg-preview.png,1624864648645,3a67011ccd91506b46c3c4c881c262ac338f6a14e0ade04b0bb877a30cdf4e69
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/lindi-business1.webp,1627993856499,1641460cadfd9dd9d485b217a7db597e5f21f50588bada997b56a597b12da600
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/long-torch.gif,1624531067040,9f7b4008b1dfde5afe11f1a6dfd23cc8231dd30302f00d98a6bed3c23c825c3d
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/many-imgs1.gif,1624270588456,0848ff5a61878281a70019d12a2c46b248294cfa2b79c160d57382a78f463008
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/manyimgs-2.webp,1624271185850,5501a00f45c1eb5eb98ecaddac1288d40f58eb4251d74261cb20ca697c12174c
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/manyimgs-3.webp,1624271690977,88a108510b72b69ffe5f3184849470741f0b2de78b8787cb0d5ab4c46706645f
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/manyimgs-4.webp,1624271726521,03a35fe6e9ed08444f2a7a939171de81f752e582ac87b3c5886fbdf902d4ac94
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/manyimgs-5.webp,1624271751994,27ab9978c68cbd91ea1dcfb1fa59cc7c32d84db56801b08d0d54ff4db07b225f
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/manyimgs-6.webp,1624271779791,f1adb95001e129735bf4b9b070ef6aaf85495317a5996510efe6467ff1465de1
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/manyimgs-7.webp,1624271800628,f1adb95001e129735bf4b9b070ef6aaf85495317a5996510efe6467ff1465de1
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/manyimgs-8.webp,1624271871636,8d6af2c4b74927c81b63bce5acf90c41159e60e60b263894f3c33f083c952d65
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/manyimgs1resized.gif,1624270866573,72106d938ef212d7d7bb7b1d0ab19373e6250307bca7af7da472827f27d427df
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/manyimgs9.webp,1624271886963,f1adb95001e129735bf4b9b070ef6aaf85495317a5996510efe6467ff1465de1
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/round-img1.webp,1624447062552,03e99b7cadfa62729e6e026524783893397519fbe881100849b58b387486738b
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/round-img2.webp,1624447079712,dfefd680a1b2ff8a8023889cde60e3eb6167472edb0deb08d1259b660a7e6bac
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/scale.webp,1624974813982,10e2189348b2c55833db395428b8f8297ab44d01ae29c29db9e6f2fae9e08045
theme/images/howitworks-imgs/short-torch.gif,1624611341656,83efedcbfb7081ed05902f95d00e5c7676818bf8d83f6014762d43bf045deaf8
theme/images/media-img/International Monetary Fund Logo.webp,1627212181259,56084a7ae7e1d54f5e2b098bdb3916fb5719520523b35d6bb33d993cb16c11c4
theme/images/media-img/Newsweek-logo-1986.webp,1627214283326,5bbd35c33e301a03ae5b42a97a2006b04d599890e411e2ad0b5dbcf3f952f885
theme/images/media-img/RNZ_logo-NEG-500.webp,1627213303097,a74250aef32e77fddf67290587ae399a397256341e57273c0c6f798ee862ba15
theme/images/media-img/Shado-logo-01.webp,1627213442912,a18c6b64c7a78132cee572b7f96befa5fcc3498bbc7cde0ee9cbb8f182ff8ca5
theme/images/media-img/algezeera.webp,1627215168404,85ee372cb42bbc252f5726cd0a4ef5d67a2e93a738810aaacf7d69fe765f3ce5
theme/images/media-img/bloomberg.webp,1627214378854,8e5adb9a03c7c73eaba457e3e1a01af7e86140733aa5659470f84dbaf97d7e30
theme/images/media-img/blorge.webp,1627217925978,8b498bec8ba7e18cb85fb289c1f1fef1c638e9fc33fb57fef4840d89da6336e3
theme/images/media-img/bookings.webp,1627217396639,d389b5a4ff43bdb1ce76113ec8e2e0534b2f247a1bb6b867326744183cd413bc
theme/images/media-img/christianlogo.webp,1627214851514,222e791c21c7f59c23cbbfbc992844a1f99a26f4cdb189d5eafc51b41b3915d1
theme/images/media-img/cityAM.webp,1627213790897,4b78280a17ee87a4d7416d126bdc21d1df8802bd88e1c92af66a20039fae8674
theme/images/media-img/forbes-logo.webp,1627214062710,5079a1e2a127e74a138c837e7e96dfcd2f85ac691c0121dcc86f42fdd636f199
theme/images/media-img/huffpost.webp,1627217702239,7ee92ad3574a4ded47be83c1b3a2aa8a19171042adb35cfe5c8bd8fcdd73fdf0
theme/images/media-img/ktnews.webp,1627215317573,4c7ce7cf9fbe9929845f0a859412f845049bbaf0fcb33d106b0714d5a078247a
theme/images/media-img/logoDecrypt.webp,1627214479539,e65a485efd67e6371d991e8569dc8b89c83cb30f12ee768dc2605ceca03cfb11
theme/images/media-img/news24.webp,1627214610661,1947b77b13aecf44fe813a17277aec70a47093dd830e35b3f33232a955e84dd1
theme/images/media-img/pdficon.png,1627292067006,f397117a434b81a256ab823356b0caeb05184cc448df98342d899323f643e79a
theme/images/media-img/quartz.webp,1627217868798,769b932d4d297cf313cfc08cd8450a96e05899369e28166d33cf38c0a3a31f4d
theme/images/media-img/radiofra.webp,1627281907796,cad635f63b557209f46c2b2f13d334ce29866025dd71329e452ce4500ad7e189
theme/images/media-img/radiopri.webp,1627281895079,2e49e7dae746f6ac39a5d3c7cffb158a979953db1d55723de3816c83dcddfbb5
theme/images/media-img/red-cross.webp,1627212931525,3a2e37eaeef1fdf58bf4593b93d5c04c8fb584877c09d25ae78a6c0a0b14744b
theme/images/media-img/standarddig.webp,1627214982789,6a5fc7808e28642af025d8aec10b3b17f37f43052da210fcf92b4c7ce1f01e72
theme/images/media-img/thestar.webp,1627217533984,a71bf6b73db43d8bb79696cac5a30bb179adec4b26709df552cfb2a6c18b187b
theme/images/media-img/thomson reuters.webp,1627214196839,4b9abee4c889a3fa1ca18b16d379137d1556770d5305c31e9c8d0814030cfeeb
theme/images/media-img/voa.webp,1627213368381,acf6e83ee6c5c95784432681bffc67bb9f45ee6e92bd6b91fb7dedd459ea3a62
theme/images/media-img/yes.webp,1627214708169,04866ef23fda9e35d159a92b3fcca0f7bc565c4ebee1df01879b0e8055ab2b33
theme/images/mooc-imgs/github-icon.webp,1627317736381,649da3e67696ffef0d5edf6be5df1f8e0912f4ef15d8f9b3edd84d1b6982e0e6
theme/images/mooc-imgs/tube-icon.webp,1627317705378,5d74dea8498069944c3286171af01f3de3bc5eb04ca36c5890a59356c9676011
theme/images/research-imgs/research-img1.webp,1626317948443,c357b788a5cda50c455c6c920854a5225365db7ebe70fdfdd636bbceb6843e09
theme/images/sarafu-imgs/sarafu-img1.webp,1625134977920,2073574e404ce7e369acc8a6403d70c7f2ba8bd2cfe6894cd70d3350d15fea64
theme/images/sarafu-imgs/sarafu-img2.webp,1625146179532,2163e56d15bfc189d89424b7ba634c9e368847f829f8a277a0ac7c7f78b52eae
theme/images/sarafu-imgs/sarafu-img3.webp,1625146647868,5ecf0fe7b17ce58ece05852e74b0e0b8a4183b5708a9be1b3820d481337345eb
theme/images/sarafu-imgs/sarafu-img4.webp,1625147461159,64e1dfe22a30a3c6ecaab5dd921c77671199f48a5fbe3078f91467557228e89c
theme/images/sarafu-imgs/sarafu-img5.webp,1625147758427,3eea16f61b575f645685ac459c4d8610bb9b325efae85d2fdc0368462b9cf3d3
theme/images/sarafu-imgs/sarafu-img6.webp,1625147933639,20b64704f77764692f1a868bd40b134e4ce52ac1d2e87cf6eb08758699e2312b
theme/images/sarafu-imgs/sarafu-img7.webp,1625148968814,58058a0c4f2272b8e327c365318bde6962a109d14b9cc26ac22f302840750827
theme/js/research-js.js,1626691037416,4c56f2796ee03d258bd7cbd2db22be2cd019293e91d0b6808883e86ceb366126
tag/goals.html,1631424238173,047bb9c8edf1f1acb4d439d911f87e19dec3a82d835b4b6d126ffd8cdc64e1d8
tag/holding-fees.html,1631424238143,db5caa29e0456378768a1b09770bf5fb3db3c5530716fe03bb286f3d11dcd642
tag/food-security.html,1631424238176,bc13df5aaf772258f815703ec23506d3ab19ed76a38eea0d7e3da79538f5f474
tag/humanitarian.html,1631424238186,a596bc4136df02435b84cdb1be61c425b745e9a514a4d567675e365a81986988
tag/impact-claims.html,1631424238146,00740987bbd73cf7da668adf470771e7f91346b92056ee79e901f6e2f303de32
tag/index.html,1631424238186,627ec8f6d703a75421c13f2fd44984d4f6de90abd81dce46305438151c3cd321
tag/kenya.html,1631424238166,5fa92bf50270ac3f4ddca319d2a32d03c26527211c835d9c3185df434a76be31
tag/kakuma.html,1631424238163,1eff69ec7cc7e45d2888216f124f9b9d72a412203fcac50a93c2204f7a791609
tag/kisauni.html,1631424238156,b3e9b6466ce2ca0a9c1d63f5eafab06e9a6f2c1e896d411fa077709db009863a
tag/kilifi.html,1631424238163,caf8badc6f67a1511d8c2f9a413a5c66c7345205b748699982996e4ae1aadb60
tag/kwale.html,1631424238173,626f9a6f9acdd1e39198d600a514b166e5ab4e72e323b451176cc76d6f98b8f1
tag/lenders.html,1631424238159,d3436e4bdcaeb13480f272cb004fd2746f641dbe910e3c6a57cf6541c271c14f
tag/liquidity.html,1631424238169,0fff71cc400c1f1fe9c94db0d5a6deb891108795f92ab2fa358a963dcd29e24e
tag/mission.html,1631424238159,9edcda5ebb7f109788f4fa9cba65c4ccacd3e81ca975eded167a589cdfe50961
tag/mbi.html,1631424238169,e72764bc04eebeb130c4b0dd20772e2208fd2b59ca96fd6aa7164d31eed9efe3
tag/modeling.html,1631424238179,4a7a15ef5ef87146be1537b5573366ce17849d45f3bc4280b63a2722f928a0c9
tag/municiple.html,1631424238166,6ec6e36f4c6e659a2489086e09d62582f5d47e6bf24ff80bd3fb59e6fa81da91
tag/nyanza.html,1631424238179,339e50db772cf3a2ef49b6a1f02154fa5aeae820d553ac60aaae977ef1fd8973
tag/network.html,1631424238176,b6efbdbfb0ece8d50fcf807ad782e45d86ee0aa5c6be73e15da09939f6be5b00
tag/organization.html,1631424238156,91b82ba307791d0132257f9beb47eaf3c7bacb58f8837dea467efdcb925b36ba
tag/red-cross.html,1631424238156,05f5ee4eac68acf3770fa632cba040f80ea9f120d3144804fdeb4652fa42e804
tag/pools.html,1631424238169,915dbf90827d6f25c03b85ad93a4a778c1aee2efb17566d10f464cddce5d567e
tag/redistribution.html,1631424238179,4644821991b5f50ed6173e45cf919599900077e363bab50f33c5a13e57b4c490
tag/refugee.html,1631424238163,8e1c737b1147bb41956f854acf8a088b1258827e76994f30cd52d913f7efca72
tag/report.html,1631424238173,4114bda5df1e0ef01736f0fb2dc98830bba079dbcd22982718b87f75ce84d102
tag/regen.html,1631424238169,ae3eb321c8a8a0c608434214fbc272584a7115a73a53ce903e2c8f2a31c696d2
tag/rural.html,1631424238183,e40e92e7314eec869f7d6bc47d34a0b19fe8e46533e73654a1e401a555e530d4
tag/results.html,1631424238193,4b8fe911bc19f596ce9adc88decae7eeea76a98470cb42c2dede3bc91e8f533a
tag/sdgs.html,1631424238183,062cf2351de6a16342ca59e6101bb25687023c65e26ae63599d1925f24706722
tag/siaya.html,1631424238179,cc48b44a22e72918304c0fbdc079b4d1c095b59d889a9b701318990227975fce
tag/sotos.html,1631424238189,9fcc581e56e42eaf817d489d425c30117efbe0a753e2063aa1a7a63728106677
tag/markets.html,1631424238183,b1a29e17f84b098382d587253e645c729b8a47a1ac891386d3377ea802563d98
tag/state-of-trust-on-state.html,1631424238189,c93c3375016800dccf69a0041f35dfc9cba2298c72bfb2ac6f4990c9b556b408
tag/staff.html,1631424238159,b4a8c976082a229f37675437a6a7d0a59a5680075e16ce0f505d14b096efb778
tag/supply.html,1631424238179,f4a4f4129b8df2b526ab8d2743b2c5a321b337dedb9ef0d394ece99aa48151d8
tag/network-token.html,1631424238189,579761bae5c3383822ca3e8a6f4c53cc673f4a146977afc770767fd52baad377
tag/support.html,1631424238176,35be9f2b0082c2f0bbd46736f942694abc412994a6e96466db4b050674731a25
tag/survey.html,1631424238193,1f57b142b77431e196f0a242c9f57b45d50d88acd48a2264b90ca38d808e5cc6
tag/syntropic.html,1631424238139,1f711e0b11324f964de79395c8e83f79696a337c5f68f19a9885051c8191252f
tag/testimonial.html,1631424238143,232310228c40525c9450046cf3b07300fc0f62007bc8067e64bc67dbeedf20c0
tag/taxation.html,1631424238143,c570aa7ac82ee8cee1b1ce0d35e4362d3e4f279294ece729422971b65d411bfe
tag/sarafu.html,1631424238163,afae6926c670d4d19265cc11d012e02216de81885bf7c85762d1f4002b28bdd4
tag/sme.html,1631424238149,db0b7839b0986cabeb6288168617b83f3353a97b3ba5cbc3842846e1aba13bfc
tag/trust.html,1631424238186,1681db98de07a159f361a0f6666d2b56b50d231a6db64a72ed6c23ad0d908dd0
tag/ubi.html,1631424238166,f30d4fcbf9ad40ccb5eecba18d80688335c461c41690203e6fc25c2497724c4b
tag/update.html,1631424238153,2fdd965925d5a69cc14445a8ce4e78b84e63811c456f422ed43707a7c1185bab
tag/vulnerable.html,1631424238176,5974b8d2c50771cffd15b1db3bec944cae0c699fd952107ec1558ae6f2b623a8
tag/tax.html,1631424238143,4830ba03171ce8478d8be27436bcd931c36bdb2d7334828ae0144e8222a6b3d0
tag/youth.html,1631424238166,2bbc9413f28716fee7bb7c1f0fa4ea4de2ae1c4a597334155f4d5d33124fdec0

5
.firebaserc Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
{
"projects": {
"default": "grassroots-try"
}
}

View File

@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
# This file was auto-generated by the Firebase CLI
# https://github.com/firebase/firebase-tools
name: Deploy to Firebase Hosting on merge
'on':
push:
branches:
- Ida/pelican
jobs:
build_and_deploy:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v2
- uses: FirebaseExtended/action-hosting-deploy@v0
with:
repoToken: '${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}'
firebaseServiceAccount: '${{ secrets.FIREBASE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_GRASSROOTS_TRY }}'
channelId: live
projectId: grassroots-try

View File

@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
# This file was auto-generated by the Firebase CLI
# https://github.com/firebase/firebase-tools
name: Deploy to Firebase Hosting on PR
'on': pull_request
jobs:
build_and_preview:
if: '${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name == github.repository }}'
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v2
- run: npm ci && npm run build
- uses: FirebaseExtended/action-hosting-deploy@v0
with:
repoToken: '${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}'
firebaseServiceAccount: '${{ secrets.FIREBASE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_GRASSROOTS_TRY }}'
projectId: grassroots-try

7
.gitignore vendored Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
pelican
__pycache__
*.pyc
*.o
output/
node_modules/
.venv/

18
.gitlab-ci.yml Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
stages:
- build
- test
- deploy
image: docker:19.03.12
before_script:
- docker info
- docker login -u gitlab-ci-token -p $CI_JOB_TOKEN $CI_REGISTRY
build:
stage: build
tags:
- integration
script:
- docker build -t $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:${TAG:-latest} .
- docker push $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:${TAG:-latest}

8
.idea/.gitignore vendored Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
# Default ignored files
/shelf/
/workspace.xml
# Datasource local storage ignored files
/dataSources/
/dataSources.local.xml
# Editor-based HTTP Client requests
/httpRequests/

View File

@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<module type="PYTHON_MODULE" version="4">
<component name="NewModuleRootManager">
<content url="file://$MODULE_DIR$">
<excludeFolder url="file://$MODULE_DIR$/pelican" />
</content>
<orderEntry type="jdk" jdkName="Python 3.9 (grassroots-pelican)" jdkType="Python SDK" />
<orderEntry type="sourceFolder" forTests="false" />
</component>
<component name="TemplatesService">
<option name="TEMPLATE_FOLDERS">
<list>
<option value="$MODULE_DIR$/pelican/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pelican/tools/templates" />
</list>
</option>
</component>
</module>

View File

@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
<component name="InspectionProjectProfileManager">
<profile version="1.0">
<option name="myName" value="Project Default" />
<inspection_tool class="PyPackageRequirementsInspection" enabled="true" level="WARNING" enabled_by_default="true">
<option name="ignoredPackages">
<value>
<list size="2">
<item index="0" class="java.lang.String" itemvalue="confini" />
<item index="1" class="java.lang.String" itemvalue="cic-base" />
</list>
</value>
</option>
</inspection_tool>
</profile>
</component>

View File

@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
<component name="InspectionProjectProfileManager">
<settings>
<option name="USE_PROJECT_PROFILE" value="false" />
<version value="1.0" />
</settings>
</component>

4
.idea/misc.xml Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project version="4">
<component name="ProjectRootManager" version="2" project-jdk-name="Python 3.9 (grassroots-pelican)" project-jdk-type="Python SDK" />
</project>

8
.idea/modules.xml Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project version="4">
<component name="ProjectModuleManager">
<modules>
<module fileurl="file://$PROJECT_DIR$/.idea/grassroots-pelican.iml" filepath="$PROJECT_DIR$/.idea/grassroots-pelican.iml" />
</modules>
</component>
</project>

6
.idea/vcs.xml Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project version="4">
<component name="VcsDirectoryMappings">
<mapping directory="$PROJECT_DIR$" vcs="Git" />
</component>
</project>

21
Dockerfile Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
FROM python:3.9.7-slim-buster as build
WORKDIR /app
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install make
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
COPY . .
RUN make publish
FROM openresty/openresty:buster-fat
COPY --from=build /app/output /var/www/pelican/output/
EXPOSE 80
COPY nginx.conf /etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf

72
Makefile Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
PY?=python3
PELICAN?=pelican
PELICANOPTS=
BASEDIR=$(CURDIR)
INPUTDIR=$(BASEDIR)/content
OUTPUTDIR=$(BASEDIR)/output
CONFFILE=$(BASEDIR)/pelicanconf.py
PUBLISHCONF=$(BASEDIR)/publishconf.py
DEBUG ?= 0
ifeq ($(DEBUG), 1)
PELICANOPTS += -D
endif
RELATIVE ?= 0
ifeq ($(RELATIVE), 1)
PELICANOPTS += --relative-urls
endif
SERVER ?= "0.0.0.0"
PORT ?= 0
ifneq ($(PORT), 0)
PELICANOPTS += -p $(PORT)
endif
help:
@echo 'Makefile for a pelican Web site '
@echo ' '
@echo 'Usage: '
@echo ' make html (re)generate the web site '
@echo ' make clean remove the generated files '
@echo ' make regenerate regenerate files upon modification '
@echo ' make publish generate using production settings '
@echo ' make serve [PORT=8000] serve site at http://localhost:8000'
@echo ' make serve-global [SERVER=0.0.0.0] serve (as root) to $(SERVER):80 '
@echo ' make devserver [PORT=8000] serve and regenerate together '
@echo ' make devserver-global regenerate and serve on 0.0.0.0 '
@echo ' '
@echo 'Set the DEBUG variable to 1 to enable debugging, e.g. make DEBUG=1 html '
@echo 'Set the RELATIVE variable to 1 to enable relative urls '
@echo ' '
html:
"$(PELICAN)" "$(INPUTDIR)" -o "$(OUTPUTDIR)" -s "$(CONFFILE)" $(PELICANOPTS)
clean:
[ ! -d "$(OUTPUTDIR)" ] || rm -rf "$(OUTPUTDIR)"
regenerate:
"$(PELICAN)" -r "$(INPUTDIR)" -o "$(OUTPUTDIR)" -s "$(CONFFILE)" $(PELICANOPTS)
serve:
"$(PELICAN)" -l "$(INPUTDIR)" -o "$(OUTPUTDIR)" -s "$(CONFFILE)" $(PELICANOPTS)
serve-global:
"$(PELICAN)" -l "$(INPUTDIR)" -o "$(OUTPUTDIR)" -s "$(CONFFILE)" $(PELICANOPTS) -b $(SERVER)
devserver:
"$(PELICAN)" -lr "$(INPUTDIR)" -o "$(OUTPUTDIR)" -s "$(CONFFILE)" $(PELICANOPTS)
devserver-global:
$(PELICAN) -lr $(INPUTDIR) -o $(OUTPUTDIR) -s $(CONFFILE) $(PELICANOPTS) -b 0.0.0.0
publish:
"$(PELICAN)" "$(INPUTDIR)" -o "$(OUTPUTDIR)" -s "$(PUBLISHCONF)" $(PELICANOPTS)
.PHONY: html help clean regenerate serve serve-global devserver publish

19
README.md Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
# GRASSROOTS NEW STATIC WEBSITE
A static website built with pelican.
## INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO BUILD
```angular2html
python3 -m venv env
source env/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
make devserver
```
## With Docker
docker build -t ge-blog .
docker run -p 8000:80 ge-blog

View File

@ -0,0 +1,218 @@
:title: "Living Half-Way" Former Sex Worker Speaks out
:author: Esther Achola
:date: Oct 14, 2013
:slug: living-half-way
:summary: Where should I start? I was in the industry for years. The main reason myself and most girls start sex work is because of poverty. I was...
Where should I start? I was in the industry for years. The main reason myself and most girls start sex work is because of poverty. I was an orphan at a young age. I had to drop out of school to support my 5 siblings. When I reached 18 years old, I had no other way. I started working at a salon, but the income was too little. At the end month I would get 1,000 KSH a month. So, I just woke up one day and took a bus to Nairobi. I didn't know what I was going to do. I was young.
I stayed in a guest house when I got to Nairobi and met a Rwandan girl. She would leave at night and come back the next day at 6am with lots of money. More than I had ever seen. I was wondering where she got this money. And she showed me.
We just went to a bar in Westlands, a wealthy part of Nairobi. Girls just sat there, every age and type, even university girls. You just sit there, and if someone comes and likes, you start negotiating on a price. It was a very popular place called Bavaraia owned by a German man.
This was the only way out of poverty for me. I had no degree, no experience. I was straight from school. So when you sit with other girls, you find a lot of reasons why they are pushed into sex work. There are many paying for university fees day by day through sex work.
It was very risky. You don't know who you are going with. They buy a few drinks and they often don't want to stay at the guest house to have sex, so you have to go to their place. One girl was taken, and we didn't see her for two days. We didn't know what happened. Was she now rich or dead? After a few days, we found out she was nearly dead. The client, after finishing with her, left her in the forest and she was attacked.
Many of these girls have STIs like HIV, but can't tell anyone. Sometimes you think you have just one client, but then find a whole house full of men, and they rape you or start using objects inside you. But these girls are desperate. They have sick family members and have no other option. You are living half way. You don't know what can happen tomorrow.
You can't work on the streets in Nairobi, because you can be taken by the municipal council. They grab you in a small white pickup, and they take your money and force you to have sex with them so you don't go to prison. You have to do what you have to do to save yourself. Once the municipal has had its way with you, you have to start over at anytime of the day and you get more and more desperate. So women gang together in safer places like hostels and brothels that charge you on commission.
If you get a client in a brothel, the manager takes at least half the money. Clients call in, then come inspect the girls, then pick one. Because of the high commission, most girls seek to do it on their own in more risky situations.
I eventually came back to Mombasa to see my siblings, and I found out I was pregnant.
I was forced to stay out of sex work. But as soon as I had the child, I went back to FSW in Mombasa, even before my son was one year old. I had to leave him alone in the house and lock the door.
That is when I met a rich German man. He just spotted me in a bar. Because I was still breast feeding, he was very attracted to my large breasts. We went to his place. After taking a shower I tried to hide it, but he saw my milk coming out. He asked me, “Do you have a small child?” I said “He is four months.”
Then he just gave me money and didn't do anything to me. He gave me enough money for a months worth of food and rent, packed for me some food from his fridge and dropped me off at home and gave me his number and told me to call if I needed anything.
I paid rent and bought food and stayed with my son for a whole month and didn't go out. That was the longest time I had been with my son.
I lost the number of the German man and he never came back. So, I started going back out.
This is when I met another white man at a club called Tembo owned by a German. He was a Netherlander, a young boy, 28. When we went back to his hotel he asked me “why are you doing this, you are so beautiful?” and I told him about my son. I told him everything.
That is when he said he won't pay me for sex, but would help me with my son. But I didn't trust him. I knew he was so drunk, that I could steal what he had. By good luck, he blacked out, but I was afraid to steal the money. I couldn't sleep, so I just waited. When he finally woke up, he gave me some money and asked for my number. I gave him my neighbors number because I didn't have a phone.
That next day he called me in the afternoon. He was in the taxi coming to the place where I was living. I was in a small room in Mtwapa outside Mombasa. He came and he stayed for two weeks in my place. I had nothing but a mattress. He bought for me a stove, plates, cups and other things. So that was it.
Then he left and promised to take me back to Netherlands. He bought me a phone, but it was lost. And I never heard from him again.
Then I met another German man that was teaching salsa. So I started practicing and dancing at the hotel. He would pay us to do shows at hotels. But the money was too little, and he was forcing us to sleep with him. So I left and went back to sex work.
But I knew I wanted a way out. A friend tried to recruit me for working with a non-profit NGO called ICRH. But because I was older then than most girls, I was excluded. I gave up, and started doing some work at a cyber-cafe at about one dollar a day.
But then one day the NGO made an exception and allowed me into their program.
We were 150 girls they interviewed. After the interview we were to get a letter if we were accepted. After one week I got my letter. I was excited, but hesitant, feeling like 'let's see what is next?'
In a few months I was chosen as the group leader of 40 sex workers. I don't know what they saw in me. After that first experience I never stopped. I sought out trainings, more and more: counseling, business, entrepreneurship, computer skills, family planning, STIs (HIV and Malaria prevention), and as a paralegal.
This changed everything.
Today: I am supporting my children. I am voice to reckon with. I've been an advocate for hundreds of women. I have gone to court to defend women who have been raped.
I've been asked to consult with international organizations. I've mobilized over 420 vulnerable women for counseling, HIV trainings, and reproductive health, sexual violence.
The Rwandan girl that brought me into sex work died from HIV. I've lost so many friends in the process. Sadly there are few organizations trying to reach the tens of thousands of sex workers in an industry here that is still growing rapidly. There are gaps that need to be filled. While the work being done is wonderful, it is not enough. Hard core sex workers are generally not affected by any of these ongoing programs.
NGOs are only dealing with younger sex workers. Yet sex work doesn't have an age limit. The older sex workers who have been doing it for 20-40 years are often the ones getting the younger girls into the industry. They know the sex work industry in and out, and targeting them is one of the ways we can really help.
There is no simple solution. We must understand the reality of what is going on and have real alternatives in place. I don't kid myself that any of this is easy, but this is my life's work to be there to help women just like myself.
`#femalesexworker <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/femalesexworker>`_
#femalesexworker

54
content/blog/100-new.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
:title: 100+ new Blockchain Wallets in One Day Fighting Rural Food Insecurity
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Apr 10, 2019
:slug: 100-new
:summary: Rural communities are adopting blockchain based community currencies at an astounding pace! 100+ new users in one day represents nearly...
.. image:: images/blog/100-new1.webp
Rural communities are adopting blockchain based community currencies at an astounding pace! 100+ new users in one day represents nearly half the heads of households in one village. Women are the main users and have been leading their communities in using the blockchain as much as 4 times a day for their basic needs water, food, school and fuel. With nearly 2,000 blockchain wallets created in underserved communities so far in Kenya and over 11,000 transactions using feature phones with no internet - the excitement is tangible. **Something very fundamental about these economies is starting to change.**
The Miyani community, categorized as food insecure for over 10 years has had every development intervention thrown at it by dozens of NGOs including WFP and Red Cross. A group of farmers in Miyani began developing methodology and using Community Currencies in late 2018 and have grown their network to cover their entire village (showing tremendous change to food consumption and collective work for food security) and have spread into all their neighboring villages.
So far 2 new Community Currencies have started in the nearby regional markets of Mnyenzeni and Mkayeni and as more and more communities adopt these currencies local groups will be able to create their own creating a decentralized economic network. This is enabling people to trade their goods and services even when there is no National Currency. Farmers are able to get community support for preparing their lands for rains and women are able to send their kids to school and support one another without scarce Kenyan Shillings.
.. image:: images/blog/100-new42.webp
In the past, traditional aid organizations and development programs have failed to address the fundamental problems plaguing the economic infrastructure of marginalized communities across the world. Pumping typical aid into these economies often exacerbates unsustainable food systems and market dynamics by reinforcing the existing economic structure. The bulk of the aid flows out of the community too quickly to provide lasting impact and key resources & community members remain largely underutilized.
These communities have developed a scalable solution based on blockchain enabled community currencies which has been shown to incentivize resilient local markets and promote regional food security. **We are proud to be part of this story and are excited to see where these indigenous solutions lead us!**
`#foodsecuity <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/foodsecuity>`_ `#development <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/development>`_ `#communitycurrencies <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/communitycurrencies>`_ `#aid <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/aid>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
:title: 2019 Data Release - 92k Kenyan blockchain translations
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jan 3, 2020
:slug: 2019-data
:summary: With every transaction being logged anonymously on a public blockchain we have unprecedented insight into what living below the poverty...
.. image:: images/blog/2019-data1.webp
With every transaction being logged anonymously on a public `blockchain <http://blockscout.com/poa/core/>`_ we have unprecedented insight into what living below the poverty line means in rural and urban Kenya.
All the anonymous data from 2019 is freely available on `github <http://github.com/GrassrootsEconomics/TransactionDatasets>`_ : with 92,223 transactions of 7,630 users. Pulling out what represents distribution and redemption of community currencies we are left with roughly 168,000 USD of trade between Sarafu users. The voucher redemption cost was a total of 12,000 USD of Sarafu purchased from local hubs and savings groups by donors and then re-injected into the system. We've been blessed with all walks of researchers this year from anthropology, network science, economics and more - if you know someone interested in helping with research please let them know about this dataset!
**What does this mean?**
7,630 people living below the poverty line were each given 400 digital vouchers (~$4 USD) with a variable exchange rate to Kenyan Shillings. With little training - generally word of mouth - all kinds of people used these vouchers as a medium of exchange. Backstopping this trade was savings groups (generally 25 women) who would collect the vouchers as part of their own savings and loan repayment schemes and could cash out a limited supply 50% of their voucher balances per month. This financial guarantee was enough to give the surrounding markets confidence (building a social guarantee) and trade over 5x the entire amount of Sarafu in circulation.
Giving cash is often more direct and more effective than other types of aid. But with Community Inclusion Currencies like Sarafu we `leverage <http://www.grassrootseconomics.org/single-post/Enabling-Leverage>`_ limited cash donations into variable rate vouchers. Farmers, teachers, fishermen and so on are accepting being paid in Sarafu (which is actually broken into 12 different community specific currencies), not because they would prefer it over Kenyan shillings but rather because there aren't enough Kenyan shillings to go around. Communities are using Sarafu to fill the gap and support each other
That's not all - in 2019 Grassroots Economics provided phone support and training across Kenya and began planning with Red Cross on disseminating this training to other marginalized areas such in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. We also began working with `sempo.ai <http://sempo.ai>`_ on building an open source platform for Community Inclusion Currencies which can be used by anyone.
`#data <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/data>`_ `#sataset <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/sataset>`_ `#research <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/research>`_ `#transactiondata <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/transactiondata>`_ `#blockchain <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/blockchain>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
:title: 2020 Kenyan CICs in Review
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jan 2
:slug: 2020-kenyan
:summary: Were extremely excited about using CICs for developing support networks for vulnerable communities and households, and especially food syst
:tags: report,goals
.. image:: images/blog/2020-kenyan1.webp
Brief Historical Overview
*********************************
Starting in 2010 Grassroots Economics worked with local communities to issue vouchers aka Community Currencies (CCs) as a medium of exchange with the belief that CCs could enable communities to develop a source of local credit based on productive capacity and local values, while creating a monetary system better suited to eradicate poverty and the multiple indicators of deprivation targeted by the UNs Sustainable Development Goals. After working with over a dozen communities by 2018 we began to support communities in digitizing their CCs.
2020 Survival Mode
***********************
Starting in 2020 we embarked on the huge task of developing, refining and modularizing `open source <https://gitlab.com/grassrootseconomics/cic-docs>`_ infrastructure that would enable communities to issue and manage their own Community Inclusion Currencies (CICs). CICs are blockchain contracts that enable a community to issue a digital voucher against claims of future production and create a possibility of conversion between that voucher to other similar vouchers.
.. image:: images/blog/2020-kenyan51.webp
With support from DOEN.nl, Innovation Norway and the Red Cross we grew our Kenyan support teams to 12 and our software development team to 5 people. While our teams have worked all year on supporting existing users and developing these systems (to be launched in January), all the existing CCs over the years were replaced with a single Basic Income token called Sarafu as a stop-gap while we continued technology development.
Due to `COVID and Red Cross involvement <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/post/covid-19-cic-response-500x>`_ the usage of Sarafu bloomed from around 1,000 users to reach over 41,700 users and 263 Million Sarafu (roughly 2.5 Million USD equivalent) have traded hands in over 335,000 transactions between users with feature phones (no internet). Sarafu is issued to new users and also recollected as a holding fee each month and redistributed to users. The total supply was based on population projections in targeted areas and has been as a bootstrapping mechanism for introducing the concept of community currency. In 2021 communities will be creating again their own CICs and can choose to use Sarafu as a way to connect their CICs to others. Note that Sarafu and CIC circulation data is anonymous and used to target humanitarian support such as cash transfer programs. Read more about `Sarafu Network <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/sarafu-network>`_ and check out the `data dashboard <https://dashboard.sarafu.network/>`_ and research `here <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/research>`_.
.. image:: images/blog/2020-kenyan88.webp
Using CCs to support the development and maintenance of communal farms has been one of the core concepts of our work since we started implementing in rural areas in 2014 where the CC is a promise against future production of the farm and can be used to buy food after each harvest. In 2020 we began integrating Syntropic Agroforestry into demo farms which utilizes, bio-intensive mixed-crop planting, mulching on-site, and successional growth and rotations. These techniques have enabled us enter traditional maize farms and convert them into regenerative agriculture plots. These farms aka Food Forests create productive capacity and a foundation for resilient food systems. The CCs help organize the labor and care for these communal structures.
Overall 2020 has taught us that a free medium of exchange that can be used in vulnerable communities is extremely important especially during times of crisis. ... 2020 We're glad it's over!
2021 Goals
Were extremely excited about using CICs for developing support networks for vulnerable communities and households, and especially food systems. With hardened software and materials, well be able more and more to support other organizations to develop, copy and use the CIC infrastructure. A few more goals are shown below:
* Develop Training Materials
* Support Food Forest creation
* Enable communities to create their own interconnected tokens (January) (no connection to Kenyan Shillings)
* Develop web-based non-custodial systems (wallets and token creation interfaces)
* Develop the blockchain contracts for the Sarafu token to act as a type of UBI / Dividend
* Document and enable more interoperability with other protocols, APIs chat bots, market places
* Develop Voting systems for governance and tax redistribution
* Develop Standard Operating Procedures for humanitarian organizations.
* Develop different reserve pools (network tokens (Sarafu), stable tokens, carbon credits).
* Develop parametric triggers for aid injection
* Develop an SDG Impact Index related to CIC transaction data (categories, gender .. )
Keep reading for the brave techies:
.. image:: images/blog/2020-kenyan145.webp
The open-source infrastructure allows for both custodial and non-custodial systems where users can define and write contracts (which act as programmable currencies) onto a blockchain - such as `bloxberg.org <http://bloxberg.org>`_ - and enable those currencies to interact with each other.

106
content/blog/2021-mid.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
:title: 2021 Mid Year CIC Update
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: May 11 2021
:slug: 2021-mid
:summary: We grew from a few thousands users to over 50,000 and have seen roughly 3 Million USD worth of trade between users for basic needs.
:tags: update
Transitions
****************
Below is a summary for the entire country since 2020 till May 2021. At the end of 2019 we were forced off our old digital platform and onto a temporary one where we could only make one digital currency (Sarafu). We also started air-dropping this currency to anyone with a sim card in Kenya while trying all kinds of ways to connect Sarafu to humanitarian work. We grew from a few thousands users to over 50,000 and have seen roughly 3 Million USD worth of trade between users for basic needs - recorded in nearly 400,000 blockchain transactions. While the system has grown we've strive to return to the community based foundations we came from guided by a new director `Shalia Agha. <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/post/grassroots-economics-has-a-new-director-shaila-agha>`_.
Back to Basics
******************
After over a year of sitting in this technical road stop (with only one currency) - all I can say is how much I miss creating community currencies one village at a time! Hopefully this month we will release a fully open source and modular version of our software and by the middle of the year be able to facilitate communities to develop their own community currencies again. The `application process <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KdHyAoVwuookcb2ZZgoNiXBUkKSWQJO9ENQjvkF6luc/edit?usp=sharing>`_ for creating a CIC we've been working on together with community groups, takes some of our current learning and applies them to our older pre-2020 - programs. The basic idea of for a CIC to be a producer credit - or voucher for the goods and services of a well defined group and for that group to define how they will use these credits in community projects.
Foundations in Regeneration
*******************************
2020 was also the year of `Syntropic Agroforestry <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/post/regenerative-mustard-seeds>`_ - where community groups use it as a basis for their local groups would pool together their Sarafu and use it for maintenance and farm inputs, and after circulation in the community for school fees, haircuts, church tithing, etc. ... people can use it again for food from communal farms. This has grown out to 50 acres of such farming! These types of programs that anchor community currency to communal structures we hope to see grow more and more.
Humanitarian Focus
*************************
The Red Cross has just about completed a second pilot of CICs in informal settlements as part of COVID relief and resilience work. GIZ in Cameroon are working on their own CICs and we continue to consult many formal and informal groups on how to setup their own CICs digitally or with paper vouchers. Rather than connecting CICs to cash exchange, which creates an incentive to save them, connecting them to vulnerable assistance community asset development has remained the best practice.
Data
********
Below is a summary for the entire country since 2020 based on `research data <http://grassrootseconomics.org/research>`_:
.. image:: images/blog/2021-mid1.webp
Note that while 1 Sarafu is socially pegged to 1 Kenyan Shilling. The actual value of Sarafu compared to the Kenyan shilling will vary based on the user.
.. image:: images/blog/2021-mid82.webp
The above graphic shows COVID starting in April 2020 with increased Sarafu usage, eventually ebbing off by October 2020 - leading toward a more steady state by January 2021. While registrations continue to grow currently via airdropping Sarafu- without strong community anchors that growth isn't sustainable.
Kisauni
************
Zooming in on `Kisauni which started with Red Cross volunteers <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/post/red-cross-and-kisauni-community-currency>`_ early 2021
.. image:: images/blog/2021-mid112.webp
.. image:: images/blog/2021-mid123.webp
Note. Ignore the last data point for the morning the data was sampled.
Working in Kisauni started with the Kenyan Red Cross Cash Transfer Program (CTP)team going through and identifying the vulnerable households along with local leaders and community health volunteers. These 1,500 vulnerable householders were given cash transfers monthly while also being enrolled in CIC (Sarafu) along with their neighbors. Overall over 5,000 people in Kisauni joined the network and have traded basic needs with among each other over 13,000 times over roughly 4 months. These users are currently forming community groups that will support the program long term and also being supported by local industry partners. This is an example of airdropping 100 Sarafu onto vulnerable people in COVID crisis and working with them to form groups. 1,500 vulnerable households received cash aid (with no connection to Sarafu at all) . This cash aid helps but doesn't stay circulating in the community like CIC does. The, over 5000, users in the area form a resilient trade network that is growing daily and will continue supporting the vulnerable long term.
.. image:: images/blog/2021-mid144.webp
Above are the 1,396 CTP users that signed up for CIC so far and how much Sarafu they have spent in various categories. CIC seems to be helping them longer term than we would expect the cash transfer to and it is connecting them into a larger community of support and stable markets.
Despite many doubts, this trial of running a cash transfer program in parallel with airdropped CIC has created significant impacts and continues to grow through the adoption of local stakeholders and community groups.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
:title: 2614 Blockchain Transactions for Basic Needs
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jan 23, 2019
:slug: 2614-blockchain
:summary: In our journey over the last few months building tools for community currencies on the blockchain to support healthy economies, a network...
.. image:: images/blog/2614-blockchain1.webp
In our journey over the last few months building tools for community currencies on the blockchain to support healthy economies, a network of 550 mothers, teachers, clinics, shop keepers and more have reached 2,614 trades among themselves to support each other while living below the poverty line. Over 10,900 USD worth of goods and services have been traded so far representing a significant increase to local trade at a time when Kenyan Shillings are scarce.
.. image:: images/blog/2614-blockchain32.webp
550 users is a relatively small number of businesses, so far, piloting the currencies. As the networks grow we expect to seem much more trade as the year progresses and these networks fill out. Fundamentally this community currency trade shows that the existing fiat based economy only enables a small fraction of the full capacity of people.
Of these transactions we see primarily food being traded. This is only the very beginning, as more and more schools and clinics as well as environmental organizations enroll we expect to see these proportions change. This data is updated live for every single blockchain transaction on `http://www.sarafu.cc <http://www.sarafu.cc>`_
Our formula, *so far* ,for Blockchain Based Community Currencies:
* Bancor Protocol built into the smart contracts enables each community currency to be connected to each other
* The POA blockchain allows us to to cheaply and quickly write transactions to the blockchain
* The `USSD systems via Africastalking <http://africastalking.com/>`_ allow us to make these tokens available to a huge population without smart phones or internet
* Creating an initial supply of tokens relative to the population's daily consumption of food and airdropping it into micro and small businesses, schools and clinics that back the token's value.
* Demurrage or negative interest rates - where if a user is not using their tokens for a period of time a percentage of their balance is automatically sent to a community fund - which redistributes the tokens as a basic income and supports community programs
* Community ambassadors that train and enroll community members and braid them together into trading networks.
As we learn from community usage of these tools - we update and improve these systems and hope all best practices we gather are useful for other organizations and communities seeking to develop healthy economies. Please contact us if you would like to share your experiences, help or know more.

95
content/blog/300-bob.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
:title: 300 Bob - a money story
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Feb 10, 2019
:slug: 300-bob
:summary: This is a story I often tell to being to discuss what money is and what it could be. It is derived from a German tale. One day a Mama...
.. image:: images/blog/300-bob1.webp
*This is a story I often tell to being to discuss what money is and what it could be. It is derived from a German tale.*
`German tale <http://www.denkmal-film.de/inwhatwetrust/>`_
One day a Mama Songa, a woman selling vegetables, is packing up her unsold tomatoes and finds that someone has placed a *300 Bob (Bob is the short form for Shillings in Kenya) note.* She has never seen such a note, but it looks legit. (There are only paper notes in denominations of 50,100,200,500,1000 in Kenya).
She decides to take it to her childs schools where she is late on fees. The headmaster looks at the 300 Bob note and is shocked but finally accepts it as he trusts that he could return it for tomatoes later. He doesnt need tomatoes through, and instead uses it to purchase some flour for the school lunch.
The flour shop owner then realizes he needs tomatoes for dinner the next day and visits Mama Songa to buy 300 Bob of tomatoes. Mama Songa is pleased to see the 300 Bob return to her and decides she should save some money in the bank.
The banker takes one look at the money and rips in half and throws it in the dust bin.
Mama Songa is shocked, “But that 300 Bob bought school fees, flour and tomatoes! It enabled 900 Bob of trade”.
“That is not official money” the banker says in disgust.
Mama Songa shakes her head and realizes that in the end she was at least able to pay for school fees and only lost some tomatoes that were going bad.
*I generally flavor this story with the various goods and services of the community I am working in and finally introduce the idea of a circulating voucher and ask the following questions?*
*What if Mama Songa could create a voucher for her tomatoes that could also be accepted for school fees and flour? What would the rules need to be for printing and distributing such vouchers? How much trade could be unlocked with these in circulation?*
*I often bring up the joke of the construction worker who didnt finish his job and gives the excuse that he ran out of centimeters. If money, in the case of a circulating voucher, is just a record of who owes whom how much, then why should we ever have to run out? Perhaps the paper is expensive to print enter digital vouchers and blockchain security.*
*Finally, I revisit the storys banker;*
Once Mama Songa leaves, the Banker grabs the two halves of the 300 Bob and uses some clear tape to stick them back together and walks over to go buy some flour.
*Where exactly do our shillings come from? What is money? What is official money?*
What is wrong with our society if people don't send their kids to school or eat an evening meal because they are missing pieces of paper?
*What is wrong with our society if people don't send their kids to school or eat an evening meal because they are missing pieces of paper?*
`#justsostories <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/justsostories>`_ `#stories <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/stories>`_ `#story <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/story>`_ `#whatismoney <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/whatismoney>`_ `#voucher <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/voucher>`_

44
content/blog/5-kenyan.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
:title: 5 Kenyan Community Currencies Meet
:author: Ruth Mwangi
:date: Jul 1, 2015
:slug: 5-kenyan
:summary: Saturday, 27th June will remain a day to remember for various Business Networks in Kenya. A total of five Business Networks united by a...
.. image:: images/blog/5-kenyan1.webp
Saturday, 27th June will remain a day to remember for various Business Networks in Kenya.
A total of five Business Networks united by a Community Currency (CC) were represented at a single meeting in Mombasa, hosted by the Bangladesh Business Network. Community Currencies give business communities a way to create their own mutual-credit-clearing (barter exchange) system to build economic resilience and self-fund community development programs.
Present, were committee members of the existing community Currencies in Nairobi (Kangemi-Pesa, launched 3 months ago and Gatina-Pesa, launched 9 months ago) along with 2 of their volunteers; members of the committees about to launch new currencies in Nairobi (Lindi-Pesa) and Mombasa (Ngombeni-Pesa). And of course, the committee, volunteers and members of the Bangladesh Business Network from Mombasa (Bangla-Pesa, launched in 2013) and the founder of Grassroots Economics GE (in charge of the implementation of the CC networks in Africa).
The main objective of this meeting was to share ideas in an interactive setting and come up with ways to enhance trade in the existing businesses on a day-to-day basis. Faulu Kenya, a Micro-finance institution that offers a variety of financial solutions catering to both Retail and SME segments, was also in attendance to explain the terms and conditions of group and Chama loans. These loans would help small business owners within the GE networks expand their businesses. Other activities that took place during these meetings were entertainment from the Bangla-Pesa Volleyball team a youth group that provides garbage collection services to the Bangladesh community - sponsored by the Bangla-Pesa community fund of Bangladesh Business Network. Members of the Gatina and Kangemi-Pesa also got a chance to be part of the planning meeting for the upcoming Ngombeni-Pesa launch which is set to take place in the month August.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
:title: 715 Members and Growing Fast
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: May 7, 2016
:slug: 715-members
:summary: Sarafu-Credit users in five locations around Kenya have increased by over 83% since January 1st. Our Super Markets and Credit Clearing...
.. image:: images/blog/715-members1.webp
Sarafu-Credit users in five locations around Kenya have increased by over 83% since January 1st. Our Super Markets and Credit Clearing Offices in five locations are beginning to develop a strong local presence but it is our users that do the most to grow these networks by simply showing how much their trade is increasing. Below are some recent examples of Sarafu-Credit users in Nairobi and Mombasa:
**Key Examples in Nairobi - by Daniel Mukosia our Nairobi Coordinator**
.. image:: images/blog/715-members54.webp
Dickson Mutashe has been a member of Gatina Business Organization for the last two years. He owns a computer training center at 56 Kawangware. He says he has been using Sarafu-Credit and so far he has been able to buy goods and services from other members who offer different services from his, such as paying tuition for his children. He also offers web surfing, printing, photocopy and playing computer games. He also uses Sarafu-Credit as change to his regular customers who also use the Sarafu-Credit to purchase food stuff such as Mama Mboga. "The circulation of Sarafu-Credit has enabled me to get more customers and increase daily sales." - Dickson Mutashe
.. image:: images/blog/715-members71.webp
Mary Akothe (Mama Mboga) located at Gatina Check point started using Sarafu-Credit early this year. She noticed Sarafu-Credit after realizing that the credit has enabled most of the businesses around her to be able to save the money. She has been actively trading with Sarafu-Credit and says "My business has been improving on a daily basis by increasing sales due to increase of daily customers who have been using Sarafu-Credit backing up the Kenyan shilling to purchase goods and services within the network." She has also been contributing towards chama savings and will be in a position to get loans to expand her business. She has been able to purchase more stock using Sarafu-Credit and this has enabled her business to grow and she is active in recruiting more and more members along her entire supply chain.
**Key Examples in Mombasa - by Lydia Anyango our Mombasa Coordinator**
.. image:: images/blog/715-members95.webp
Kennedy Ongweko of Bangladesh community near Mombasa owns a kinyozi (barber shop) and he has many Sarafu-Credit customers. "I never used to have a lot of children customers but ever since I registered to be in the Business
Network all the mamas in the market bring their children to my knyozi because I accept Sarafu-Credit," he says. In return Kennedy uses Sarafu-Credit to buy food from the market and also pays for repairs with it.
Francisca Ayieko or Teclar as known by many people in Bangladesh community as Teclar uses Sarafu-Credit on a daily basis to sell fresh water. A 20litre gallon of water goes for 5/= and she accepts the full value in 5 Sarafu-Credit (in the form of Bangla-Pesa). She was one of the first traders of BP starting in 2013 and has been active ever since. "Sarafu-Credit (Bangla-Pesa) has been of great help to me because I receive a lot of customers fetching my water," she says. "I also sell a lot of my fish. Sometimes I accept only Sarafu-Credit when one does not have the Kenya shillings at all instead of accepting debts that I have to wait to get repaid", she adds.
.. image:: images/blog/715-members118.webp

48
content/blog/a-new.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
:title: A New Kind of Cash
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jun 12, 2014
:slug: a-new
:summary: “Cash is the enemy of the poor,” wrote Rodger Voorhies, director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations program aimed at improving...
“Cash is the enemy of the poor,” wrote Rodger Voorhies, director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations program aimed at improving financial services to the poor.
While, I have a soft spot for technology - targeting cashas the enemy of the poor is sadly short sighted and self serving coming from the big money behind the Gates foundation.
If all the poor in the world could suddenly switch to using debit cards, or mobile phone money transfer - would we really see a change to current level of inequality? Or would we just see a those who sell the services and hardware making a killing in profits? Turning that concept on 'developed' nations is equally ridiculous - Is cash the problem in Greece or Detroit causing economic devastation?
Whatever the motives for pushing more and more tech solutions, the fundamental problem is definitely not cash, nor is it simply lack of cash - The problem is rooted in failing monetary system that gives private banks `the power to create money in-order to profit off peoples' debt <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04jV1zVROU8>`_ in-order to profit off peoples' debt. What this means on the ground in places like slums in Kenya, is that to get money to grow your business you have to go into debt - which is likely to land you in a lot of trouble at usurious interest rates. People that do end up raising above unstable markets and horrible conditions have little trouble at all accessing financial services for their money.
Promoting savings is the icing on the cake - the financial services promoted by tech giants are really of one main variety, like M-Pesa, they offer money transfer services with middle men raking in huge profits. The financial service that no one seems interested in providing is currency issuance, not transfer. Mainly because it involves empowering communities and less profits rising up the pyramid.
Articles `like this one <http://www.humanosphere.org/social-business/2014/06/bitcoin-for-the-poor-a-no-cash-business-plan-for-the-next-billion/>`_ tout Bitcoin for could work for the poor. Yet Bitcoin has shown the same flaw in `mirroring the inequality of our current failing <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/03/03/forget-the-1-percent-in-the-bitcoin-world-half-the-wealth-belongs-to-the-0-1-percent/>`_ system. Who gets to mine Bitcoins? Who gets to issue credit? Certainly not the poor - unless we change that.
This key financial service can be provided to communities at little cost and doesn't need mobile technology.
With minuscule cost to develop or implement - and zero cost to run and transact Bangla-Pesa, a community currency, has hundreds of 'poor' people trading more than 10,000 shillings of paper/cash Bangla-Pesa daily. This is a currency issued and back by a local community with their own goods and services. It isn't purchased. It isn't mined. It is issued and guaranteed by a local business network and starting to be adopted areas across Kenya.
Perhaps down the road services like Bangla-Pesa could be offered via mobile phone (this really depends on the cost to users) - but the tech aspect is secondary to the innovation of giving communities the key financial service they lack - the ability to issue their own credit not tied to debts in national currency.
Each year we see big businesses and big money trying to push the new tech revolution on the poor - are they simply pushing technology or are they actually interested in ending poverty?

View File

@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
:title: A Wonderful Experience in Miyani
:author: Marion Cauvet
:date: Jan 16, 2018
:slug: a-wonderful
:summary: I am a French researcher involved in an MSc Agricultural Development at the University of Copenhagen. I am very interested in Community...
.. image:: images/blog/a-wonderful1.webp
I am a French researcher involved in an MSc Agricultural Development at the University of Copenhagen. I am very interested in Community Currency, especially regarding their potential to foster sustainable agriculture, food security and endogenous development in developing countries.
In this context, I am currently doing amazing fieldwork in the rural area of Miyani (near Mombasa, Kenya) where a community currency -the Miyani-Pesa (MP) (part of the Sarafu-Credit system)- has been launched last August. Grassroots Economics has, indeed, supported a local agricultural cooperative in (1) investing in a posho mill; (2) launching the MP (which is backed by the milling service) and an inital network of 40 local smallholders.
Objective: The main objective of my research was to examine the current and potential impacts of MP on the agricultural cooperative development, food security and local farmers livelihoods. Methods: (1) transect walk and mapping of the area (territorial resources analysis); (2) semi-structured interviews with 36 MP users regarding users characteristics; MP use, perceived benefits and challenges of the MP); (3) distribution of one hundred food consumption booklets among non-members and members (control and treatment) of the MP (comparison in terms of daily meals and daily food purchases); (4) semi-structured interviews with key informants (Red Cross, Green World Campaign, officials (interests, needs, challenges; perceptions about MP); (5) Workshops with members of the agricultural cooperative (objectives, operations, activities, history, partnerships, benefits and challenges); (6) Workshop and participatory training with the MP members (networking, further actions); (7) direct observation by living fifteen days with a local family and by participating to some activities at the cooperative.
.. image:: images/blog/a-wonderful47.webp
Although the MP is still at an early development stage, 14 out of 36 interviewees mentioned that MP helps them on their daily food purchases by allowing them to buy food or mill their maize even when they experience a lack of Kenyan shillings. More astonishing, 60% of users noticed that they could already buy more diverse food thanks to the MP. Inital analysis of the food consumption booklets shows that in average, the non-users spend 23 Ksh per day per household member for food while the Miyani-pesa users spend 41 Ksh.This is an astonishing difference after only a few months!
Besides, 60% of interviewees also underlined that, by using MP, they could increase their savings in Kenyan Shillings. They would use the savings for paying the school fees, developing their farm and/or increasing their business stocks. For instance, one of the respondents underlined that he saved 300 Ksh (more than a weeks wage for him) since September and could, therefore, invest on his farm by buying one chicken.
Jacob, 44 years and father of 7 children, is both a farmer and a fisherman. Cooperatives committee member, Jacob has been employed at the posho mill since February 2017. In addition of earning 100/150 Kenyan Shillingsper working day, he has daily received 50 MP (equal to 50 Kenyan Shillings) since last September. Jacob expressed his enthusiasm regarding MP (Sarafu-credit). At first, he mentioned that he could make more savings by using Sarafu-credit for his daily purchases. He would use the savings for paying for school fees while using the sarafu-credit for buying more food. He also underlined that he could buy more diverse food thanks to the Sarafu-credit. For instance, he buys more often wheat flour for making “chapatis” or rice and therefore, eats more than three times a week chapatis compared to once per week before; more than three times per week rice compared to twice per week before:
“I DONT HAVE TO EAT UGALI EVERY DAY NOW. I COULD BUY MORE OFTEN RICE, BEANS, WHEAT FLOUR ETC.”
Besides, he underlined that his business as a fisherman has been supported: before, he received 2500 Ksh in a good day; now it earns 3700 Ksh in a good day because of more MP clients. Jacob finally underlined that he expects these benefits to be multiplied when there will be more users, as the program is only a few months old.
It is expected that these impacts would be fostered by scaling up the network of users.
On the other hand, while the MP orientates the local consumption of milling services toward the agricultural cooperative, the latter uses the received MP to support its operational costs by partially remunerating two of its employees at the posho mill in MP. The cooperative has also organized a tree planting event along which the participants were partially paid in MP. In the future, it is expected that the cooperative better systemizes the use of the MP by paying community services such as waste collection, tree planting, water-pound digging etc.
Finally, while the local use of MP is still challenged by it being so new and the size of the users network, there is a strong potential for fostering the local food security, the farmers living standards and the agricultural cooperative.
To conclude, I would like to point out that my fieldwork in Miyani is more than a research project: it is an incredible human experience. I could meet wonderful people who have so openly and nicely welcomed me, as if I was one of them. They allowed me to participate to their daily activities such as cooking, farming or fetching water; are always willing to help me for my research activities; and, the most important it is that we laugh and have fun together although we do not speak the same language! Besides, it is amazing for me that Grassroots Economics has put my research into actions and encouraged me express my theories and ideas for further development. More than that, GE has provided me with the keys to design and implement successful and innovative community currency schemes which have such a potential in terms of food security and sustainable endogenous development. I am now eager and ready to spread this model and thus, participate in “prospering economies built by thriving communities”!
`#miyani <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/miyani>`_ `#agriculture <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/agriculture>`_ `#maize <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/maize>`_ `#research <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/research>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
:title: Accolades for Kenyan Community Currencies
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jun 30, 2016
:slug: accolades-for
:summary: Community Currencies in Kenya have gotten a lot of lime light this month! Ruth Mwangi our Program Director has been honored to visit the...
.. raw:: html
<iframe width="740" height="416" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fPAUFVgtMwM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Community Currencies in Kenya have gotten a lot of lime light this month!
Ruth Mwangi our Program Director has been honored to visit the US ambassador in Kenya and has received a Mandela Washington Fellowship for her work! We're very proud of her and expect her to lead us with newfound ideas and energy. The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of President Obamas Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). President Obama launched YALI in 2010 to support young African leaders as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa.
We are often asked what the benefits of these programs are and as usage continues to grow we like to use current examples to demonstrate the impacts:
Siprosa - a Teacher using Sarafu-Credit in Nairobi - interviewed by Daniel Musioka our Nairobi Coordinator
Siprosa Odanga is a Teacher at Sifa Childrens Centre in Nairobi. She says "Sarafu-Credit has enabled the children in the community to get education and that is promoting education. Children pay their tuition using the Kshs and fill in the missing money with Sarafu-credit." She also receives part of the Salary in Sarafu-Credit. She uses SC to purchase food such as Chips from Rebba Muyeshi who is an Active member. She also purchases goods (Products) from the GBO shop. She says that SC has enabled the children in the community to get education if they lack enough KSHS to pay for tuition. More than 25 parents use SC as part of their tuition fees. 10 teachers use the SC as part of their salaries and to buy food stuff and shop. Sifa Children's Centre receives roughly 1600 SC a month.
Caren and Margaret - Chapati Business Women using Sarafu-Credit in Mombasa - interviewed by Lydia Anyango our Mombasa Coordinator
.. image:: images/blog/accolades-for1.webp
Caren Otaya (left) and Margaret Odera (right) are both members of the Bangladesh Business Network outside Mombasa since 2013. They are both happy with the local Sarafu-Credit (SC) (Bangla-pesa). Caren says, “I am glad that there are a lot of SC users in the community now because we get a lot of customers coming to eat from us. We have thus increased our sales and stock.”. “Also nearly all the people selling at the market and school children come to eat from us. This has made others who sell chapatti and beans like us to register in the network so that they get customers”, says Margaret. Their business has increased by over 50% since joining the network!
What's happening here?
The women above join a local group of schools and businesses that are trying to support each other by co-guaranteeing vouchers that rotate among all the members. Each member joins the network and receive a private credit line from the other members in Sarafu-Credit that is only usable within the network. With over 1000 businesses in these networks, these credits enable a vast amount of underutilized trade to take place by allowing people to back a credit with their goods and services.
`#sarafu <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/sarafu>`_ `#obama <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/obama>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
:title: African Community Currencies Update
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jul 23, 2015
:slug: african-community
:summary: Kenyan Community Currencies Nairobi Gatina-Pesa The Gatina Business Network's members have been saving their Kenyan Shilings together...
.. image:: images/blog/african-community1.webp
Kenyan Community Currencies
Nairobi
* Gatina-Pesa The Gatina Business Network's members have been saving their Kenyan Shilings together since there launch last October and are using it as collateral to self-issue small loans to members. Sub-groups within the Network are also applying for micro-finance loans from SMEP-Oikeo. Information booths about the program are beginning to go up this weekend around Kawangware.
* Kangemi-Pesa The Kangemi Business Network did their first community community Clean-Up with the support of several schools in the area that use the currency.
* Gatina and Kangemi groups are planning a shared market day where people will be invited to temporarily exchange their Kenyan shillings for community currency and shop at a special market for members only. In addition Robin Gerbaux has developed a Directory for both networks to help members find eachother.
* Lindi-Pesa The Lindi Business Network is prepared to launch August 8th in Kibera. With well over 150 businesses already pre-registered, this looks to be the largest launch so far. The currency was printed in Germany with the help of our German partners Nyendo-lernen, and Chiemgauer.
Mombasa
* Bangla-Pesa The Bangladesh Business Network is currently undergoing research from the University of Lyon. They have planned their weekend clean-up and Volleyball match as well as an annual reassessment of membership and issuance of Bangla-Pesa with expiry dates in late August.
* Ng'ombeni-Pesa Prepared to launch August 15th! They are preparing a fashion show as well as a new Mkokoteni trash collection group. Women and youth have been trained by the group as tailors and will showcase their goods at the launch. This currency was also printed in Germany with the help of our German partners Nyendo-lernen, and Chiemgauer.
South African Community Currencies
* Bergrivier - The Brand or Bergrivier-Rand has had it's first month of trading.
* Kokstad - The K'Mali or Kokstad-Rand launched on Mandela's birthday July 18th.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
:title: Bangla Committee Meeting
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Mar 16, 2013
:slug: bangla-committee
:summary: Koru Kenya is working to capacity build the the Bangladesh Business Network (BBN) to create it's own complementary currency. The...
Koru Kenya is working to capacity build the the Bangladesh Business Network (BBN) to create it's own complementary currency. The committee of the met today to work on it's draft constitution, membership registration process and next general meeting.
The meeting was held at St Mary's Secondary school with the attendance of: James Ochieng (Treasurer) representing Mens' Business, Sylvia Osodo (Vice Chairperson) representing Elders' Business, Alfred Sigo (Chairperson) representing Youths' Business, Emma Onyongo (Vice Secretary) representing Womens' Business, Rose Oloo (Secretary) representing Community Health Workers' Business.
After corrections and translations to kiswahili the comittee will meet again on the 23rd to begin work on registration, targeting 200 business. The Committee also decided on a second community for control group data collection to compare to their own called Gana Hola roughly 30 minutes away by foot.
`#bangla <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bangla>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
:title: Bangla-Pesa Anticipating November
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Oct 20, 2013
:slug: bangla-pesa-anticipating
:summary: On May 29th 2013 we were arrested and charged with forgery. On August 23rd 2013 the case against Bangla-Pesa was dropped. A month after...
.. raw:: html
<iframe width="740" height="416" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UaspBGmsdLE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
On May 29th 2013 we were arrested and charged with forgery. On August 23rd 2013 the case against Bangla-Pesa was dropped. A month after acquittal, the Central Bank of Kenya's Currency Department had finally made contact with us to ask us for information about the program (which they received). After nearly two months of misplaced court files, this last week of October we were finally given an `official copy <http://grassrootseconomics.org/sites/koru.or.ke/files/field/image/Bangla-Pesa-Court-Ruling_scan-800.jpg>`_ of the court order to drop the case against us. Receiving this court order signifies the end to prosecution and continuing the program under the guidance, if any, from local authorities and the Central Bank.
When the government decided Bangla-Pesa was illegal, with no prior investigation, they raided our one room office with over 20 police officers. The items taken from our office by police included Bangla-Pesa vouchers and identification stickers for businesses. These items are still being held by the police 5 months later! Given there is no case against us and the matter was investigated by the Director of Public Prosecution holding program materials makes no sense.
The police under OC Banking Fraud Investigations insists that they have the right to continue holding any materials as long as there is still an investigation. These investigations, which resulted in the case being dropped, may still never end we are told. Contrary to the police, the local administrative government officials have been very supportive and as of October there is no authority local, national or police telling us not to relaunch the program.
It seems doubtful that we'll ever receive the Bangla-Pesa and other materials taken from us by police, so, in order for the Bangladesh community to relaunch the program, they are working on a new design for the vouchers, which should be ready by our prospective launch date November 23rd. We look forward to support from many local stakeholders!

View File

@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
:title: Bangla-Pesa Charges Dropped!
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Aug 23, 2013
:slug: bangla-pesa-charges
:summary: THE CASE IS OVER! Today the Director of Public Prosecutions announced that all charges against Bangla-Pesa are hereby dropped! This is a...
THE CASE IS OVER! Today the Director of Public Prosecutions `announced <http://grassrootseconomics.org/files/Bangla-Pesa-DPP-statement-1024.jpg>`_ that all charges against Bangla-Pesa are hereby dropped! This is a huge success for Bangladesh and for poverty reduction programs in Kenya. We are incredibly grateful for the huge amount of support in Kenya and around the world. Without it, this program could have easily been forgotten and the accused held in prison. There is no doubt that we are part of an International Complementary Currency movement that is growing daily!
.. image:: images/blog/bangla-pesa-charges1.webp
**What does this mean for Bangla-Pesa?**
* That there are no laws in Kenya that have been broken by this program.
* Before re-launching the program we are waiting on two things: confiscated Bangla-Pesa to be returned from the Central Bank, and official government recognition of the program.
* Community Meetings will commence next week to get begin the process of putting Bangla-Pesa back to use.
* We are asking for continued support of these programs, as communities around Kenya and East Africa wish to duplicate the successes of Bangladesh.
* With the support raised so far via Indiegogo we hope to finalize all legal matters and relaunch the program with detailed monitoring and evaluation over the coming years.
Why is Bangla-Pesa so important? As a poverty reduction program, Bangla-Pesa points in a new direction for community development by fundamentally re-thinking our means of exchange and how it issued. It gives those living in dire conditions the ability to create their own means of exchange and stabilize their own economy.
.. image:: images/blog/bangla-pesa-charges64.webp
`Watch News coverage on YouTube <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_agUT3PvNI&list=PLPUExzwZAUpZgrTqH55aAV2tjlohT_qlD&index=6>`_
`Read in English News <http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Opinion+and+Analysis/Move+on+Bangla+Pesa+unwise/-/539548/1968688/-/71gdv1/-/index.html>`_
`Read in Swahili News <http://www.swahilihub.com/habari/HABARI+ZA+MAHAKAMANI/-/1333066/1965446/-/p2stju/-/index.html>`_
`Read the letter from the DPP. <http://grassrootseconomics.org/files/Bangla-Pesa-DPP-statement-1024.jpg>`_
`#complementary currencies <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/complementarycurrencies>`_ `#bangla <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bangla>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
:title: Bangla-Pesa Launch
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: May 11, 2013
:slug: bangla-pesa-launch
:summary: Today's launch of Bangla-Pesa was a great start to an empowering community process! 137 local business owners attended. Of the 137 local...
.. image:: images/blog/bangla-pesa-launch1.webp
Today's launch of Bangla-Pesa was a great start to an empowering community process!
137 local business owners attended. Of the 137 local business owners that attended, 56 members completed their registration and backing process and created 400 credits each. At least 150 pending registrations will be completed in the next week.
Prior to the launch, members of the business network processed through Bangladesh, led in song by the Bangladesh Business Network (BBN) Committee, and following the Bangla-Pesa basket, which was escorted by local security officials.
During the launch, the Alpha and Omega youth group performed a drama detailing the uses of Bangla-Pesa and debunking community concerns about this relatively novel approach to community development. The dramas left people laughing, clapping, and better informed. Afterwards Will Ruddick presented the some results of the baseline data collection, helping members of the Bangla Business Network understand the size, seasonal and weekly fluctuations, and gender inequalities in the economy. Members also listened to speeches by the Committee Chairman and Josephat Kioko, who talked about the benefits of a Eco-Pesa, the predecessor to Bangla-Pesa used in Kongowea, Kenya. Then, the Bangladesh Businesses Network's constitution was read and discussed in detail. Members of the Network asked pointed questions about issues like voting rules, tribal equity in leadership, clearly communicating their understanding and investment in the Network.
Finally, members possessing completed registration forms, with 4 co-signers and the approval of the BBN's committee, received 400 Bangla-Pesa and a marketing sticker for their shops. 200 Bangla-Pesa was returned by each member as their registration fee. This registration fee will go toward community activities such as trash collection and health care, after an initial three month period to first strengthen the network's use of Bangla-Pesa.
The meeting ended with a hearty meal and a strong commitment to and excitement about using Bangla-Pesa. Koru-Kenya's monitoring and evaluation team, led by Morgan Richards, will perform surveys over the next weeks and months to determine the extent of Bangla-Pesa used, any problems that need addressing, and how the community has benefited from the use of Bangla-Pesa. And, in 3 months, the Business Network will have their next General Meeting to discuss further changes to their operating rules.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
:title: Bangla-Pesa Market, Shoes and Permaculture
:author: Lydia Anyango
:date: Dec 8, 2015
:slug: bangla-pesa-market
:summary: Finally! The Bangladesh Business Network Market Day was a big success. Bangla-Pesa members gathered together to sell their goods and...
.. image:: images/blog/bangla-pesa-market1.webp
Finally! The Bangladesh Business Network Market Day was a big success. Bangla-Pesa members gathered together to sell their goods and invited the general public to take part. At first people were hesitant to bring their goods but after realizing that clients were coming, vendors went back to add more goods as what they had brought had all been sold out. The Master of Ceremony at the event did a great job by ensuring that the event remains fun and active. There were 27 buyers who attended the market event and bought from more than one person. All the goods sold on this day were worth 3,310 BP and was paid back with the equivalent amount in Kenyan Shillings. Some of the Band Pesa used by buyers were earned through emerging as winners in the competitions held during the event.
Nthoki Ndindu one of the vendors says, “I hope this continues every month because I have met new customers and they have said that they will be coming to buy things from my kibanda. This day has given me the opportunity to advertise my business.”
Frank Goya one of the market clients says, “I have never had the opportunity to buy something with Bangla Pesa but today I have. I feel happy about this and at least I now know that it is just like Kenyan shillings”.
All went well on the event apart from one thing that I noted; It is important to have a first aid kit just in any case minor accidents occur like when one is peeling a fruit using a knife. Also in every market there is a mad man. Some people just have to create conflicts out of nothing so it is advisable to have security around. I had to assign 3 youths from the community to help maintain peace in the event.
This is Francis Odengeya. He is a cobbler in Bangladesh and a member of the Bangla Business Network. He registered as a member in 2013 and has not stopped using Bangla Pesa ever since. His customers bring him Bangla Pesa for him to repair their shoes. His common price for shoe repair is Khs. 10. For this he accepts 5 Bangla-Pesa and 5 Kenyan Shillings. “I take this amount because I dont need to buy stock often, I mostly use materials that I get from old scrape shoes to repair shoes,” he says. “I eat chapatis and buy omena with the Bangla Pesa I collect from my customers.”
Permaculture report from Caroline Dama
Our work to help create food gardens around schools using Bangla-Pesa is still in progress. With the swales done the schools have been concentrating on adding dry grass and manure to have some fertile soil ready by January also the dry grass will act as a cover to ensure when it rains the soil stays moist so we could bring in some soil friendly organisms like millipedes, earth worms among others.
The schools are closing for the holidays so we spent the past week capacity building the children on how to build and maintain a nursery bed, why we need one, how to collect wildings from trees that are already in their environment, seed collection and agroforestry. We envision that by the time the schools open they will be able to hit the ground running. We have not done more as we are worried about the holidays and security especially of sprouting seedlings from nursery beds. Otherwise we are confident that we are laying the foundation through capacity building.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
:title: Bangla-Pesa Relaunch
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Nov 23, 2013
:slug: bangla-pesa-relaunch
:summary: Bangla-Pesa was officially relaunched today in partnership with the Kenyan Government. Represented by Hon. Badi Twalib Minister of...
Bangla-Pesa was officially relaunched today in partnership with the Kenyan Government. Represented by Hon. Badi Twalib Minister of Parliament, Ward Representatives, the Speaker for the County Assembly, Women's Representative, the Chief of Police (OCS) and the Mombasa County Secretary. Other guests included Human Rights representatives from Muhuri, the artist Carol Opondo and many others. There was a unanimous request from government representatives to replicate these programs to other areas in the County.
.. image:: images/blog/bangla-pesa-relaunch1.webp
After waiting for 6 months since members of the program were arrested, the community danced, sang, performed dramas and and recited poetry. The team is extremely happy about the turn of events. On the Matatu home from the event I was happy to overhear some women talking about the program as a means of poverty reduction and it's complementary nature to the Kenyan Shilling to create local stability. Traditional Peke Dancing.Chief of Police (OCS) that once arrested us - now endorsing the Bangla-Pesa.Registration for the program will being afresh next week. Thanks for everyone's help making this event happen!
`#bangla <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bangla>`_ `#relaunch <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/relaunch>`_ `#complementarycurrencies <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/complementarycurrencies>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
:title: Bangla-Pesa Reloaded
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Dec 10, 2013
:slug: bangla-pesa-reloaded
:summary: We've been waiting since May 29th 2013 for this and it is finally here. Bangla-Pesa is back moving through the community. We've...
We've been waiting since May 29th 2013 for this and it is finally here. Bangla-Pesa is back moving through the community. We've re-registered from scratch 100 members so far, since the official relaunch. The newly designed Bangla-Pesa just arrived in the mail today (to replace those that the police took and refused to return) - featuring a shiny hologram. Our team has also been working around the clock to reestablish a set of baseline data so we can gauge the programs impact. Registration and allocation of Bangla-Pesa will continue over December and we hope to see a positive shift in January's market stability.
January is when schools fees are due. These fees generally empty the community of scare national currency - so we hope to see and measure (via our M&E Specialist, Morgan Richards) Bangla-Pesa starting to fill this gap by allowing the business community to trade their underutilized goods and services.
We're also happy to have the support of several churches that will be accepting tithing in Bangla-Pesa and using it for community services. There is a strong sense of community building and the beginning of something beautiful.
We are also happy to congratulate Caroline Dama and welcome her back home after representing the team and winning the top innovations in Africa award in Paris last week.
`#bangla <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bangla>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
:title: Bangla-Pesa Survey Results February 2014
:author: Morgan Richards
:date: Feb 14, 2014
:slug: bangla-pesa-survey
:summary: Bangla-Pesa Follow-up Survey - February 2014 Results Two months since our re-launch in late November. Bangla-Pesa Re-IntroducedResilience...
Bangla-Pesa Follow-up Survey - February 2014 Results Two months since our re-launch in late November. Bangla-Pesa Re-IntroducedResilience and ingenuity are trademarks of impoverished communities here in Kenya. When we first introduced Bangla-Pesa it had a few ups and downs, but now it is being used in ways we had never imagined. We recently completed a follow-up survey asking members of the business network who are using Bangla-Pesa about how they are spending it, how they are making sales with it, and how it is impacting their business. The survey data back up the apparent success of case studies like that of Marciana.
What Bangla-Pesa is Doing?
.. image:: images/blog/bangla-pesa-survey1.webp
Currently 123 surveyed businesses conduct on average 7% of their daily trades using Bangla-Pesa. Assuming these sales would not have occurred without the voucher, we can call this a 7% increase in local sales revenue. And, given that members have actually experienced an overall increase in sales revenue in Kenyan shillings compared to baseline data**, we believe these sales in Bangla-Pesa are “new” trades due to the program's ability to utilize excess capacity. Further, overall trade for businesses in the network has increased on average by an astonishing 83% compared to baseline data**. While we don't claim this increase is solely due to the program, based on interviews, we believe greater liquidity and stability of the market created by the complementary currency has helped tremendously, since this survey period covers one of the worst market seasons of the year. With roughly 9,600 KSH ($111 USD) worth of Bangla-Pesa transacted daily, the increase growth in the local economy can surpass the cost of the program implementation in about 3 months! This survey indicates that Bangla-Pesa not only increases overall trade in the community, but also specifically increases the trade in the national currency (Kenyan Shillings). This indicates that the program has measurable benefits for economic development and could subsides services otherwise provided by county governments. This shows that empowering communities to issue their own means of exchange is a simple and effective tool for reducing poverty and creating market stability by providing a way of trading which can be used even during harsh economic conditions and market stagnation. We will continue monitoring the effects of this program over time to see that these benefits hold true. With more than 2 billion people project to be living in slums by 2030 and over a billion people living in dire poverty now, this affects everyone on the planet. Whos Using Bangla-Pesa? Bangladesh is a community of roughly 20,000 residents. The business network using Bangla-Pesa has a total of 141 small scale businesses as members. The “typical” network member is a 35 year-old mother who identifies herself as the main provider of 2-3 children. She has never gone to secondary school, and supports her family either by selling cooked food like flatbread, pastries, fried potatoes, or through a stand selling fruits and/or vegetables. She earns around 600ksh ($7 USD) a day. Despite long days minding her shop, she also spends 2-3 hours a day on household chores like cooking, cleaning, and childcare. The market in Bangladesh is extremely volatile, with business reporting their average daily sales revenue varying from 200ksh (~$2 USD) during bad periods to 1200ksh (~$14 USD) during good periods, as shown in the volatility graph.
This fluctuation tells us that businesses could meet a much higher demand for goods and services (as demonstrated
.. image:: images/blog/bangla-pesa-survey47.webp
during good times) than they are during bad or even average per
We keep registering businesses! We know there are more than 200 small businesses in Bangladesh which are eligible for inclusion in the network. Given the benefits these initial findings attribute to the Bangla-Pesa, we would like to register all these businesses. Further, just over half of the businesses in the network report that there is not enough Bangla-Pesa in circulation. 200BP per business member is kept in a community fund for social services. The community will begin using these funds for health, sanitation, education, or other services, spending the vouchers into the community and providing more opportunities for businesses to trade, grow, and meet their families needs. As positive findings and reports continue to flow out of Bangladesh, we hope to one day replicate this program in other vulnerable informal settlements in the area. We also hope that other communities are inspired to take up their own complementary currency programs in Kenya and beyond. What this means for you:
* NGOs and International Aid Organizations. Communities don't need aid forever! Helping communities tap into their own abundance is cost effective and sustainable, without long term dependence on aid funding.
* Local and National Governments. Empower your people! This is a cost effective tool to increase local economies and help subsidize the need for government funding.
* Communities You can do this yourself! Don't wait for outside resource when you can tap into your own.
These findings will be published in more detail in the next few months. Contact us if you would like to be informed when the data is published. Baseline data collection started in November and continues for new members. Data were collected by three trained surveyors using Android phones and Open Data Kit. Report compilation and data analyses was done by Morgan Richards (M.A. Sociology) and Will Ruddick (M.S. Physics).

View File

@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
:title: Bangla-Pesa Turmoil
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jun 3, 2013
:slug: bangla-pesa-turmoil
:summary: The Bangla-Pesa, a complementary currency created and backed by a local business network, offers a glimpse of true sustainable...
The Bangla-Pesa, a complementary currency created and backed by a local business network, offers a glimpse of true sustainable development. After only a week of circulation, Bangla-Pesa was able to help community members tap into an estimated 22% increase in their sales through excess-capacity trading. This is a substantial increase in a community of people living in extreme poverty. We hope to see this program continue to benefit the people of Bangladesh, who have devoted their efforts in its formation.
A network of mico-enterprises coming together to co-own and create their own complementary currency could be considered the next step bringing together cooperatives and micro-finance. While positive results in a short time make complementary currencies like Bangla-Pesa an appealing sustainable development solution in poverty-stricken areas, we also have an immediate need for international support to promote legislation and understanding at national and central banking levels.
Sadly, because of a misunderstanding by local authorities, community members Alfred Sigo, Emma Onyango, Rose Oloo, Paul Omolo, Carolin Dama and Will Ruddick were jailed on suspicion that they were part of a secessionist terrorist group (nothing could be farther from the truth). After this was found to not be the case, and seeing no other reason to keep them in jail, the group of six (including two mothers, a grandmother, and a grandfather) were charged by the Central Bank of Kenya, with forgery for holding a printed voucher. This charge is baseless, and they in fact have a printing receipt from Kenya's top printer (Punchlines Ltd.). They are now out of jail on bail and awaiting trial.
Since this disruptive reaction from local authorities, there has been an outpouring of support. Please keep it coming! Without it, this matter could get stuck in court for years and deny Bangladesh businesses a tool that business networks worldwide use.
Thanks so much to all our supporters! And we hope very much that the community of Bangladesh continues to be supported. `Click here if you can help us raise legal fees to keep these six people out of jail. <http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bangla-pesa>`_
Resources below:
.. image:: images/blog/bangla-pesa-turmoil56.webp
* `Petition Signed by over 100 delegates at The Hague during a conference on Complementary Currency Systems <http://koru.or.ke/sites/koru.or.ke/files/The-Hague-CCS-Bangla-Pesa-Petition.pdf.pdf>`_
* `Read a short letter on the issue by Annette Riggs, President of the IRTA. <http://koru.or.ke/sites/koru.or.ke/files/IRTAKenyaAnnetteRiggs-TR06052013.pdf>`_
* `Note on the program by Hamish Jenkins, of United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service. <http://koru.or.ke/sites/koru.or.ke/files/UN-NGLS-note-on-the-Banglapesa-vouchers.pdf>`_
* For media coverage please see: Kenyan Television Network and also read `Kenyan News. <http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-123201/bangla-pesa-use-alternative-currency-kenya>`_.
* For an understanding of Bangladesh and informal settlements `read this piece by Father Gabriel Dolan. <http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/Of-the-Pattni-billions-and-Bangla-Pesa-/-/440808/1875002/-/hedr6hz/-/index.html>`_
* For more up to date news check Twitter #banglapesa and see our Facebook page: `https://www.facebook.com/KoruKenya <http://www.facebook.com/KoruKenya>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
:title: Bangla-Pesa Waste, Volleyball and Nairobi
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jun 8, 2014
:slug: bangla-pesa-waste
:summary: Community Waste Collection This weekend the Bangladesh Business Network, the more than 180 people who trade their goods and services with...
**Community Waste Collection**
This weekend the Bangladesh Business Network, the more than 180 people who trade their goods and services with Bangla-Pesa, came together to start a regular community cleanup. They swept and collected community waste to a municipal waste collection area. Youth participating in the event were rewarded with Bangla-Pesa from the community fund to which each member contributes. Equipment, like rakes and wheelbarrows, were also rented using Bangla-Pesa.
After the cleanup, the community celebrated with a volleyball match and much laughter during light afternoon rains.
**Study**
A major study is nearly completed with interviews of each of the businesses using Bangla-Pesa. In a recent interview with several female business owners, participants reported that each time they used Bangla-Pesa for a purchase, they saved their Kenyan Shillings increasing the funds available to pay their children's school fees. These and other indicators suggest a steady improvement in this large, but marginalized community though the simple, cost effective tool of community currencies.
**Nairobi's Bangla-Pesa**
About 8 hours away by bus, three communities from separate sub-locations in the Kangemi and Kawangware slums of Nairobi started their first community discussions on creating their own Bangla-Pesa program. These communities will create business networks similar to the Bangla Business Network in Mombasa County, issue their own community vouchers, and use increased revenue to support tuition costs of children in surrounding schools.
Alfred Sigo and Will Ruddick did three workshops in Nairobi over the last week and are excited to see the community there taking the program into their own hands.
**Fundraising**
We ended our yearly crowd fundraising, raising nearly $3,000 USD. While this was only a fraction of our goal, we are extremely grateful for the chance to keep going even on a shoe string budget. If you didn't get a chance to donate please visit `http://koru.or.ke/donate <http://koru.or.ke/donate>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
:title: Bangla-Pesa - Can we do it again?
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Mar 25, 2014
:slug: bangla-pesa
:summary: After winning court battles, relaunching the program, hearing heart breaking stories and finding amazing results the local government...
After winning court battles, relaunching the program, hearing heart breaking stories and finding amazing results the local government through the Kenya National Assembly Minister of Parliament (Hon. Badi Twalib) as well a County Assembly representative (Hon. Duncan O. Onyango) have expressed their desire that Koru-Kenya focus on replicating the benefits of the Bangla-Pesa program in a nearby informal settlement named Ganahola.
Ganahola is in a dire condition. We talked with 208 small business in Ganahola and found that their sales revenue per day fluctuates between 100 Kenyan shillings per day during bad periods and 700 ksh in good periods. While the community of Bangladesh has seen as much as an 80% increase in sales, Ganahola is in dire straights.
With the introduction of a complementary currency like Bangla-Pesa (for which the community will create their own name for) we are allowing commerce to continue even when Kenyan Shillilngs are scarce. Businesses in Ganahola will be part of a small business network that uses an alternative means of exchange via a voucher that is redeemed for their own goods and services. Based on our results in Bangladesh, we project roughly 10,000 Kenyan shillings of trade to be facilitated daily. This comes to roughly 70 shillings of new trade per day per small business and means the difference between putting good food on the table and going hungry.
The full impact of allowing hundreds of micro-businesses in Kenya to trade without depending on scarce money, is a revolution in how we think about sustainable development and poverty reduction. People living in slums have a huge untapped capacity for trade and they only need a means of exchange to unlock their economy. Like its predecessor Bangla-Pesa, a similar program in Ganahola will put development in the hands of the people and help stabilize the local economy by allowing people to utilize their untapped capacity.
`#bangla <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bangla>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
:title: Bangla-Pesa's Fate in the hands of the DPP
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jul 22, 2013
:slug: bangla-pesas-fate
:summary: We are still being charged with forgery under penal code 367(e). For Kenyan Laws see page 121. On July 15th - the Kenyan Dirctor of...
We are still being charged with forgery under penal code 367(e). For Kenyan Laws see `page 121 <http://www.kenyalaw.org/klr/fileadmin/pdfdownloads/Acts/PenalCodeCap63.pdf>`_.
On July 15th - the Kenyan Dirctor of Public Prosecutions, `Keriako Tobiko <http://www.statehousekenya.go.ke/government/attoneyG.htm>`_ recalled our case file and hence the trial was not allowed to proceed.
Apparently this was due to a large amount of interest in the case and a recent `petition <http://grassrootseconomics.org/petition>`_ . More in the `news <http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/DPP-recalls-case-against-Bangla-Pesa-informal-currency/-/539546/1917800/-/949nai/-/index.html>`_
So we are currently praying for a positive verdict from Keriako Tobiko so that these programs can continue.
.. image:: images/blog/bangla-pesas-fate1.webp
`#complementarycurrencies <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/complementarycurrencies>`_ `#bangla <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bangla>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
:title: Banking on the SILC Road
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Sep 11, 2019
:slug: banking-on
:summary: Rarely in development work do you see an intervention that sprouts its own two legs and starts running across the country without donor fund
.. image:: images/blog/banking-on1.webp
Rarely in development work do you see an intervention that sprouts its own two legs and starts running across the country without donor funds. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has done just that with their Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) model. We've been seeing it spreading across Kenya before we even knew CRS was involved - it has grown so viral that many people don't even know where it came from.
**What's happening?** CRS has found a way to turn community savings groups into their own banks with several loaning products and sustainable finances.
**Here is the CRS 'SILC Field Agent Guide 5.0**: `https://www.crs.org/our-work-overseas/research-publications/silc-field-agent-guide-50 <http://www.crs.org/our-work-overseas/research-publications/silc-field-agent-guide-50>`_
.. image:: images/blog/banking-on51.webp
Groups of roughly 25 (mostly women) come together and save weekly and loan out their savings in different forms to each other, and redistribute all the funds (fees and interest) to those same members at the end of each year. They have a great governance model and sharing practices that help train the next community group.
**What's wrong with SILCs? Well nothing** - but there simply isn't enough money to save. What if these groups could issue credit?
.. image:: images/blog/banking-on75.webp
So far 21 SILC groups have taken up Community Currencies as an alternative to saving their SILC funds in a metal box or using expensive bank or MPESA accounts. But more importantly we are learning how they are using Community Currencies as a way to leverage their savings into a local credit. This means that these SILCs which are already like small community 'banks' are actually able to do something that generally only banks can - that is leverage their reserves to create their own credit.
Using a variable exchange rate (via Bonding curves) their credit (in their own unique community currency) gains exchange value to the Kenyan shilling the more they save and visa versa, giving them an incentive to maintain the value of their credits and to make something like a bank-run impossible. In essence they are investing in the value of their own local currency which is also backed by local goods and services. The better their economy does the better their investment does.
These 21 SILC groups using Community Currencies have selected Trainers of Trainers to be trained by CRS to go out and create more SILC groups. We're so appreciative of CRS for bringing this to Kenya and really excited to see how these groups take Community Currencies as a tool in their already thriving kit.
`#Catholicreliefservices <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Catholicreliefservices>`_ `#CRS <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/CRS>`_ `#SILC <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/SILC>`_ `#banking <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/banking>`_ `#lending <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/lending>`_ `#savings <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/savings>`_ `#credit <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/credit>`_ `#leverage <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/leverage>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
:title: BBN Meeting
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Feb 15, 2013
:slug: bbn-meeting
:summary: After two small business meetings and several focus group sessions, the Bangla Business Network (BBN) had it's first large group meeting...
After two small business meetings and several focus group sessions, the Bangla Business Network (BBN) had it's first large group meeting on February 9th 2013 at the St. Patrick Hall.
Based on previous meetings 5 facilitators were chosen, representing Community Health Works, Youth, Elders and Men's and Women's businesses. Moblization for this meeting was done by these facilitators.
The 165 Business that attended the meeting consisted of:
* Water - 6
* Transportation - 2
* Hardware - 1
* Soap - 1
* Services - 17 (including tailoring, clobbering, manual laborer, house builders, salons, mechanical and electronic repairs, and porting)
* General Shops - 23 (Selling a variety of local and non-local items)
* Food Services - 49 (Selling cooked or processed food, on the road or in restaurants)
* Raw Food - 21 (Including fish, meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits and grains)
* Farming - 3
* Energy - 21 (including charcoal and lamp oil)
* Education - 1 (Primary and nursery school)
* Clothes - 4
* Drinks - 3 (including alcohol, soda and fruit drinks)
The Agenda included:
* Plenary
* Welcome and introductions
* Warm-ups.
* Brief Introduction to the program.
* Reading of an information sheet. (`Here in swahili .pdf <http://grassrootseconomics.org/sites/koru.or.ke/files/BBN-meeting-flyer-swahili.pdf>`_ )
* Discussing design of vouchers.
* Open for initial thoughts and questions.
Small group demonstrations and discussion
* People were broken into five groups. Each facilitator described the program and facilitated a demonstration.
* Each demo participant was given 200/= of Bangla Pesa (represented by colors paper 2-5's, 3,-10's, 3,-20's 2,-50's)
* Each demo participant was also given white cards where their goods and services were listed along with the cost.
* 1. They should try to buy and sell as much as possible but stay within trading limits
* 2. When they have less than 200 they should sell more
* 3. When they have more that 400 Banglas they should buy more.
Plenary Discussion.
* Registering the BBN. It was decided that the current 5 facilitators should continue as an interim board and register the network.
* Moving forward. Business registration would start in the next month with a launch after the National Presidential Elections.
* At the launch each business will be given vouchers representing 400/= Bangla Pesa and half of this will be retained as a membership fee.
* Membership fees will facilitate the 5 board members with a monthly allowance.
TheBoard of Directors (5 people): 1 Youth Representative, 1 CHW Representative, 3 Business Representatives (1 man 2 women) will perform the following functions:
* 1. Accounting and Administration
* 2. Networking
* 3. Care Taking
* Organizing Community Service Work
* Security printing of the vouchers for businesses will take place in March 2013, and distributed publicly at the Launch event.
`#complementarycurrencies <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/complementarycurrencies>`_ `#bangla <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bangla>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
:title: Berg Rand Launches in South Africa
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: May 30, 2015
:slug: berg-rand
:summary: The Berg Rand or BRAND - which means 'Fire' Money in Afrikaans, had an amazing launch today! The FlowAfrica team lead by John Ziniades...
The Berg Rand or BRAND - which means 'Fire' Money in Afrikaans, had an amazing launch today! The FlowAfrica team lead by John Ziniades and Anna Cowen of Meshfield spent over 6 months training local youth in topics of architecture, video creation (see their youtube channel), currency and businesses development. These youth helped mobilize a network of small businesses across 3 different towns in the Bergrivier region. The businesses formed the Bergrivier Exchange Network (BEN) and designed their own medium of exchange. Similar to Bangla-Pesa and the other community currencies in Kenya the members of the BEN must be local prosumers and guaranteed by four other members of the network and must contribute to a community fund with their BRAND for social service programs, like trash collection and alien vegetation clearing.
The BRAND will flow through the community connecting supply and demand when the National Currency (Rand) are scarce. Beyond the empowerment of the small businesses in the region, the launch of the BRAND was special in Africa as being the first to be met with support from both a National Treasury and local municipality. Right now the monetary system of South Africa does not value 'local' - it values the price of corn in the US more than it does potatoes grown in South Africa and this is a huge problem. The Community Currency movemen
t takes over where Crypto-Currencies like BitCoin has faltered by building local community and valuing local goods and services and their connection to the environment. Creating community currencies that work in parallel to national currencies is a holistic grassroots economic model. It is built around community trust and backed by local goods and services. This type of money simply makes sense to local businesses by allowing them to trade even when there is not enough national currency.
What is really exciting about the Flow Program in South Africa is that they have two very different municipalities taking part. Kokstad (KwaZuluNatal) (to launch in July) and Bergrivier (Western Cape). These programs are a new way to empower local businesses to lead the way and walk and in hand with local government. The BRAND launched today Pickterberg with spaza shops, farmers, creches, and more have formed an exchange network for their goods and services. With the levels of both business and governmental support we've seen in South Africa, we expect to see substantial increases in the local economy sales revenues and market stability. See more about the FLOW program at `http://flowafrica.org <http://flowafrica.org>`_
Our hope is that these programs will create a network of interconnected community currencies across Africa - to build a truly grassroots economy.
.. raw:: html
<iframe width="740" height="416" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YoEkNgXVQgg" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
`#SouthAfrica <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/SouthAfrica>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
:title: Berkshares and Bangla-Pesa
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Oct 21, 2017
:slug: berkshares-and
:summary: The Schumacher Center for a New Economics has supported us with inspiration and advice since we began with Eco-Pesa in 2010. Before...
.. image:: images/blog/berkshares-and1.webp
The `Schumacher Center <http://www.centerforneweconomics.org/>`_ for a New Economics has supported us with inspiration and advice since we began with Eco-Pesa in 2010. Before starting our first currency, Eco-Pesa), I called Susan Witt (the Executive Director of the Schumacher Center) for advise, from one of those little international calling booths they used to have in Mombasa at 70 Kenyan Shillings a minute. The Schumacher Center is a pioneer in developing local currencies with their `BerkShares <http://www.berkshares.org/>`_ a historic and leading example of a regional currency in Massachusetts. Susan told me the of the efforts over the years to get BerkShares flowing and that, while successful in so many way, it was continuing to evolve. She made it clear that developing community currencies in Kenya wasnt going to follow a cookie cutter approach and that grit and hope would be my best companions.
Seven years later, The Schumacher Centers patient advice has paid off. Through hardship and collective action, we have developed Community Currencies in regions around Kenya and trained groups in South Africa, Nigeria and Uganda. We were lucky enough to develop on the lessons of the Schumacher Center and apply those teachings to a Kenyan setting. Now, in turn, groups, NGOs and municipalities are using our programs as a model for resilient community development across Africa. We train communities to develop cooperative businesses that form the foundations of a community currencies and enable communities to develop resilient economies that can withstand seasonal market volatility and more people out of poverty. Since 2010 weve worked with over 2000 businesses, community groups, schools and clinics across Africa to develop cooperative businesses and 8 regional community currencies.
We believe that communities should be afforded the same privileges as nations and empowered to develop their own prospering economies with the stability of their own currencies. Because of our shared purpose, we are happy to announce that the Schumacher Center has agreed to serve as a sponsor of Grassroots Economics work in Africa. Donations are therefore tax-exempt under US law.
We encourage those that are able to support the cause by making a `tax deductible donation <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/get-involved>`_ donation to the Schumacher Center for a New Economics. To make sure your support reaches our work in Africa please indicate "Community Currencies — Africa." on your check or online payment.
Support for goes specifically to:
* Developing cooperative businesses (which back and enable Community Currencies to flow).
* Training leaders across Africa that communities have an alternative to debt-based finance.
Please `contact <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/contact>`_ us to tell us about yourself.

36
content/blog/biz-dev.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
:title: Biz Dev - Inspired
:author: Steve Okuku
:date: Sep 17, 2017
:slug: biz-dev
:summary: Business development using community currency Being a business development coordinator whose main objective is to see communities assets...
.. image:: images/blog/biz-dev1.webp
Business development using community currency
Being a business development coordinator whose main objective is to see communities assets put into good use, I do feel motivated and inspired when I see retailers at one of our communities in Gatina, Nairobi seeking consultation from us on how best to use their savings and what type of investments to undertake. Currently, small business traders participating in the Sarafu-Credit community currency program are saving KES 50/week (Merry-go-round) and the lump sum weekly payments being strictly used for business purposes. The traders also under their own accord save an additional KES 200/month that they intend to use for business improvement with the help and training offered by Grassroots Economics. These community currency traders come up with various initiatives to see their businesses thrive and make my work in asset development quite enjoyable as we seek to build thriving communities with absolute support from the community members.
Its quite a motivating factor when traders at Gatina, one of our communities participate in programs to increase circulation of Sarafu-Credit as they have noticed that by accepting and using Sarafu-Credit, their volumes of trade get to increase. Just to give an example, a grocery trader called mama Desty who decided to trade using Sarafu-Credit less than a month ago has been excited by the progress she has made in terms of trade volumes - to the point of regretting why she didnt get to join earlier. This type of excitement from traders, increasing trade volumes and trust among community members have been key reasons why our office at Kawangware has been receiving requests from neighboring communities to have the program expanded to cover them.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
:title: Blockchain Currencies Fighting COVID-19 - Mukuru, Kenya
:author: Antony Ngoka
:date: Mar 20, 2020
:slug: blockchain-currencies
:summary: Giving people a medium of exchange can save lives. With blockchain based Community Inclusion Currencies communities can support...
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-currencies1.webp
Giving people a medium of exchange can save lives. With blockchain based Community Inclusion Currencies communities can support themselves in times of crisis.
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-currencies32.webp
Everyone is cautious about the spread of coronavirus in our communities. Here is Faith Mwaka, one of the community health volunteers (CHVs) in Mukuru. She is training her children and those from her neighbors how they can wash their hands regularly to prevent the spread of the virus . She is able to buy water from Irene using Sarafu (a Community Inclusion Currency) when she runs out of Kenyan Shillings.
Sarah Wambui is selling kerosene to Irene Mutua, who is a mother of two, to prepare lunch for her kids as they are now at home due to school closure. Stella and Irene are active users of community inclusion currencies and they are following safety measures which include using digital payments to make transactions.
Issac Manu is known for his delicacies in preparing chapati. He is accepting Sarafu rather than cash as one of the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of corona virus and also helps people in his community get food.
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-currencies58.webp
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-currencies69.webp
Hygiene is important in every community not only to fight coronavirus but also to fight other diseases like cholera. Grace Wandui sells cereals and she is a team leader in disaster response around the community. She is an advocate for cleanliness in the slums and has been paying people in Sarafu to clean ditches around her cereal shop. Grace has decided to help her community to get cereals using Sarafu even when their Kenya shillings run out.
Anyone can sign up. To get an account dial 0757628885 or send a sms with your name and what you can sell and what is your nearest town. Example: Eva Songa 07278xxxxx Chapati, Kakamega. While supplies last, new users get 400 Sarafu and Chamas (saving groups) can register to convert a limited amount of Sarafu to Mpesa. If you are in, or know, a chama please let us know.
`#corona <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/corona>`_ `#virus <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/virus>`_ `#covid19 <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/covid19>`_ `#CIC <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/CIC>`_ `#Mukuru <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Mukuru>`_ `#RedCross <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/RedCross>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
:title: Blockchain in Clinics, Vegetables, Cafes and Shops
:author: Ruth Njau &amp; Antony Ngoka
:date: Jan 18, 2019
:slug: blockchain-in
:summary: While the rest of the world wonders how blockchain will impact lives these people are using it daily to bring their community out of poverty
While the rest of the world wonders how blockchain will impact lives these people are using it daily to bring their community out of poverty. Welcome to 2019.
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-in1.webp
Dorothy Nyangara has been using Sarafu for the last one year. She owns a pharmacy and clinic in Lindi, Kibra (Kenyas largest slum). She uses Sarafu to purchase food for her family at least four times a week. Dorothy accepts sarafu from users who come to purchase medicines for themselves or their children and seek medical checkups. She is happy that Sarafu is helping her save Kenya Shillings which she uses to pay for transport to Nairobi CBD whenever she is going to purchase medicines for her chemist. Her customers see Sarafu as a basic health insurance - they know that as long as they have it they can get the medicines and help they need.
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-in38.webp
Ruth Bosibori sells vegetables around Sunday Studio area in Kibra, Lindi Community. She joined Sarafu over 3 years ago has been using paper money until when she received her digital tokens. Ruth is among the people who trade daily using Sarafu in Lindi. She was rewarded by the community in November for being one of the people who had supported the community the most with Sarafu. Ruth uses Sarafu to purchase medicine and food for her family on a daily basis. She is also able to use Sarafu as part of her childs school fees.
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-in52.webp
Edwin Makori is a hotel owner at Gatina in Kawangware. He joined Sarafu early 2018 but he was skeptical about using it because he had not seen its benefits yet. Around June, he started using the digital Sarafu (Community Currency). Edwin has seen the benefits of Sarafu because he can now save some Kenyan shillings when he goes to purchase fuel or food for his cafe. Now he is too excited about Sarafu since more people he trades with him daily also joined the network. Currently Edwin trades at least twice a week when he is missing Kenyan Shillings. He is able to buy raw food and also fuel using Sarafu.
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-in69.webp
Isaac Naimbona is a shopkeeper in Gatina. He joined Sarafu early last year through a client that sells fruits using Sarafu. According to him, Sarafu is beneficial to him since he is able to get food he needs for his family. He trades daily either on fruits or vegetables just outside his shop. When asked about his views on Digital blockchain-based system, he said that it is easier for him since he doesnt have to carry a lot of money in his wallet and he can see his account history. Also, he says that he is able to send the fruit seller or the vegetable vendor money without having to leave his shop. Isaac is excited that last year December the community he trades with gave him a Christmas gift of some stock to boost his business.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
:title: Blockchain Powered Village Checkers Tournament
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jan 19, 2020
:slug: blockchain-powered
:summary: How do you have a proper checkers tournament when no one can pay the entry fees? Jacob the organizer saw an opportunity. His neighbors in...
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-powered1.webp
**How do you have a proper checkers tournament when no one can pay the entry fees?**
Jacob the organizer saw an opportunity. His neighbors in several rural villages are in the worst time of the year because of the scarcity of Kenyan Shillings. Instead of shillings they are using their phones to exchange blockchain tokens (Community Inclusion Currencies) for basic needs. Jacob figured the many checkers (draft/draughts) players (a local tradition) who would be willing to pay an entry fee with those tokens which could be used as a reward for the top three players - and he was right!
After dozens of dramatic checkers matches the top three players emerged victorious and won 5000, 3000 and 2000 Sarafu respectively. Their main goal when asked what they would do with their winnings: employ their neighbors to assist in farming their lands and stocking their businesses with local produce like flour, casava, peanuts and coconuts.
Everyone wins! Checkers prowess is rewarded, youth are encouraged to learn the game and the winners can employ their neighbors for farming and buy local goods and services with Community Inclusion Currencies. This is one of many community activities, including collective farming, religious gatherings, that are being revitalized using a local medium of exchange and removing money scarcity.
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-powered51.webp
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-powered68.webp
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-powered79.webp
That is me loosing horribly to Mr. Chibwara ..... till next time.
`#checkers <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/checkers>`_ `#blockchain <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/blockchain>`_ `#draft <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/draft>`_ `#draughts <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/draughts>`_ `#CIC <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/CIC>`_ `#Kenya <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Kenya>`_ `#Zerosumgame <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Zerosumgame>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
:title: Blockchain without Internet
:author: Lynda Chalker
:date: Dec 3, 2018
:slug: blockchain-without
:summary: We can't print enough paper notes for everyone who needs them. But nearly everyone has a phone (without internet). In order to reach a...
.. raw:: html
<iframe width="360" height="203" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UqobcADSUTQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
We can't print enough paper notes for everyone who needs them. But nearly everyone has a phone (without internet). In order to reach a larger group of people across Kenya, Grassroots Economics has enabled feature phones with no internet, to have access to, trade and convert their blockchain-based tokens (Liquid Community Currencies (LCCs)) using the Bancor Protocol
Community currencies came about as an integrative medium of exchange that would promote revitalization of the local economy and encourage community activities. Through the 1990s to 2000s community currencies emerged worldwide and to date hundreds of community currencies have been listed in the complementary currency `Resource Center Worldwide <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_currency>`_
According to `research <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/research>`_ , the trade volume of Sarafu-Credit circulating in Kenya since 2010, covers approximately 12,500 out of 3 million people living in poverty. These (CCs) which reach users by being airdropped to business owners across different regions, have helped establish over 1200 local businesses, schools, farms and co-operatives like Miyani in Kwale county. They have also enabled households who live on less than a 100 shillings daily, afford at least one meal a day. But trading on paper meant that we could only have a limited reach.
.. image:: images/blog/blockchain-without1.webp
**How it works:** A business owner receives community currencies from field officers (as a voucher for that users goods and services), who monitor and educate the traders on full use of the credits in order to develop their business and community. This creates a network of businesses that rely on each other, increasing circulation of goods and services within the community hence boosting the local economy even when there are no Kenyan Shillings in supply.
In order to scale and sustain this economic innovation, there needs to be a means of transaction that:
* Is cost effective without the expense incurred in printing paper vouchers
* does not limit the user geographically, hence encouraging trade among other businesses in neighboring communities (via Bancor Protocol),
* can facilitate an increase in the amount of currency to at least offer 2 meals per day, compared to one as it is readily accessible,
* Is cheap for the user without incurring the large transaction fees
* and most importantly one that is both traceable (to measure SDG impacts) and scalable .
Grassroots Economics is pioneering the use of blockchain technology based on the Bancor protocol, which caters for communities at the Bottom-Of-The-Pyramid in Kenya.
Sarafu Network, it is a decentralized liquidity network that provides users with a simple, low cost way to buy and sell tokens directly through their wallets. This platform is the first of its kind to be USSD/SMS oriented which means that it is user friendly as it can be used on any phone without needing internet access. After every carried out transaction an SMS is sent to the users phone which acts as a statement of account showing the money sent/received and the balance remaining. The POA.network blockchain - this guarantees fast transactions, enabling users to easily monitor their daily transactions, sales and account information.
Furthermore, Sarafu connects digital currencies to each other across regions, with automated exchange rates based on productive capacity of the community.
The use of digital community currency is aimed at bridging the financial inclusion gap. As an easy method to develop and trade interest free forms of credit, it fosters economic development in marginalized communities, by addressing inflation and currency fluctuation in emerging markets. This curbs chronic poverty and food insecurity the contributing factors towards zero hunger, one of the SDGs enlisted by the UN.
`#blockchain <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/blockchain>`_ `#nointernet <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/nointernet>`_ `#bottomofthepyramid <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bottomofthepyramid>`_ `#Bancor <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Bancor>`_ `#featurephones <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/featurephones>`_ `#digitalcurrency <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/digitalcurrency>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
:title: Borstal Boys: Poi and Life Skills Behind Bars
:author: Morgan Richards
:date: Mar 18, 2014
:slug: borstal-boys
:summary: The MotoMoto Program is helping make a difference at the Shimo La Tewa Borstal Institution which houses 313 boys from all over Kenya....
The MotoMoto Program is helping make a difference at the Shimo La Tewa Borstal Institution which houses 313 boys from all over Kenya. Its one of only two such institutions in all of Kenya, with teenagers serving sentences for everything from petty theft (of even just a few dollars) to murder. For many, they came to the Borstal following conflicts with family, who then reported them to the police for petty theft or drug use. They would much rather be in the “Approved Schools,” which are also institutions for violent or unmanageable youth, but which offer secondary school services by government teachers. Instead, these boys stay in the Borstal, which does not offer secondary school and where the few years of primary school which are offered are taught by guards rather than teachers. The boys can, however, pursue one vocational skill; tailoring, farming, wiring, carpentry, or masonry, which they chose following their first 2 months in the institution.
The Borstal boys wake up around 5am every day. They cook their own breakfast (as they do with all other meals), clean the kitchen afterward, clean their rooms, sweep the common areas, and do whatever yard work is necessary for the compound. In the hours when they are not doing chores, they attend their vocational skills classes. At 4pm, they have diner and then return to their rooms, shared among 4 or more boys, for the rest of the evening.
However, Koru recently introduced a new element to the routine for 20 Borstal Boys, poi performing art and life skills. Since February, our poi and life skills coaches have gone to the Borstal on Fridays for a 1 hour poi lesson and a 1 hour life skills session. They work with boys ages 13-17 in the prison yard, surrounded by fences, barbed wire, and guards at all times. Unsurprisingly, the boys love this distraction, begging both coaches to stay even after the allotted time is finished.
Antone Karuki is one of our most promising new poi students. Like most of the Borstal residents (less than 5% of whom come from Mombasa), Antone was arrested for smoking marihuana far from Shimo La Tewa, in his home region of Kiambu, north of Nairobi. He was sentenced to 3 years in November, 2013, but will be released on probation after 1 year. After the first poi lesson, Antone made his own poi from grass and flexible sticks, preferring to practice with a highly imperfect instrument, rather than wait for the next lesson. Hes now perfected forward weaves and actively teaches others, who listen because of this natural leadership skills. Antone also actively engages in life skills discussions. Hes learned how to identify and cope with challenges as they arise, as well as learning how to nurture high self-esteem despite these challenges. Hes working on his masonry certification and hopes to go back to secondary school in November, even though his classmates would be years younger than himself.
Most of the Borstal boys made one or two really bad decisions, which have long term, negative consequences for their lives, interrupting their education, separating them from their families, exposing them to all the indignities and dehumanization which comes from living in a total institution like a prison. Although the prison offers vocations skills, many of these boys will struggle to return to school, which limits their employment opportunities into the future. We hope to fight against the loss of self-esteem and despair which might accompany these setbacks by giving the boys something to be proud of, their poi skills, and providing them with life skills to cope with the heavier challenges of their lives now and in the future.
`#poi <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/poi>`_

195
content/blog/building-a.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,195 @@
:title: Building a Public Registry for Community Currencies(DeFi)
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Mar 21, 2020
:slug: building-a
:summary: Even when you have no money you are not poor. Building a Public Registry for Community Currencies.
.. image:: images/blog/building-a1.webp
Even when you have no money you have resources. Ive never met a poor woman in rural Kenya. They may have little resources compared to others but they arent poor.
Even when you have no money you have resources. Ive never met a poor woman in rural Kenya. They may have little resources compared to others but they arent poor.
Even when you have no money you have resources. Ive never met a poor woman in rural Kenya. They may have little resources compared to others but they arent poor.
When we do run out of money and some people surely will and have already - how can we fairly offer and share our resources and time together?
Community Currencies (or Community Inclusion Currencies CICs) are a way for us to value our resources and time.
The ultimate way to issue them is as a voucher for your own goods and services. The way a supermarket might issue a voucher, you too can do this and those vouchers can circulate as long as people trust that you will redeem them at some point and they will want your goods or services in the future.
Sates spend currency into existence and accept it back as taxation. Banks and community groups (like the one shown above) in Kenya issue currency and accept it back as loan repayment. Marketing companies issue currency and accept it back as advertising fees.
A million people printing paper currencies is not going to be feasible. And a million different digital currencies aren't going to be practical either without a way to establish relative pricing and conversion.
The uniqueness of the blockchain in this situation is that it allows people and organizations to establish tokens that represent their goods and serves AND connect those all together into a decentralized economy.
If I create 1 Billion Tokens and say they are worth 1 Billion Euros and I will back them with carpentry services I might have trouble backing up that claim by just working myself. People who dont know me might not be able to trust these vouchers in exchange for the goods or services they sell.
But if those tokens are also backed by some real world collateral, then someone knows exactly what they can get out of those vouchers in case no one is accepting them.
That real world collateral needs to be a guaranteed backer of last resort like the government, or a major supermarket or a bakery. It could also be a bank account with National Currency as the backing. National Currencies are not perfect in how they are issued or valued, BUT they are a point of common trust we can use to establish our own credit systems.
Across Europe people have created digital community currency using `Community Forge <http://helpdesk.communityforge.net/en/request>`_ using a `drupal module <http://www.drupal.org/project/cforge>`_ module
In Italy people use `Sardex.net <http://sardex.net>`_.
In Japan right now elderly Japanese climb local mountains and thin out the dense forest. They use the Yen (National Currency) they get from timber sales and put it in a trust (at a local bank) then they create wooden chips called Enepo. These Enepo (energy points) are accepted by local businesses as a way to support the elderly. They flow around Takayama Japan and create their own small economy. If people want or need Yen they can go to the community bank and cash out their Enepo which will go back into circulation when more wood is sold.
The core example you will find from Community Currencies working is some form of dedicated backing and or collateral (be it time, products or services or National Currency). For more on paper currencies see our `MOOC <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/mooc>`_.
With the blockchain we can have a contract that monitors this collateral or reserve transaction by transaction. The reserve need not be a stable coin based on US dollars but that is the best reserve we currently have that we can all agree on.
**Now Im going to get a little bit technical:**
What we do is take xDAI a USD backed stable coin and leverage it to make a local credit (`read more here <http://www.grassrootseconomics.org/single-post/Enabling-Leverage>`_). The National Currency forms our collateral but the primary backing is the communities that use and accept the tokens we call Community Inclusion Currencies (CICs). The main example of this right now is called Sarafu in Kenya. We work with over 11k businesses as well as the Red Cross to support marginalized communities to trade with each other in crisis even when they dont have Kenyan shillings.
We use collateral to back the currencies from donors so that people STILL have an option to cash out to National Currency. Doing so lowers the exchange value of the CICs but also gives donors and people a cheaper rate to buy more CICs and fill back up the collateral pool.
In order to make a global CIC network of connected currencies there needs to be an index similar to DNS that allows them to find a path of common reserve between each other. This registry should allow people to write to it address of their tokens and what their reserves are without a centralized owner i.e. a permissionless set of contracts.
Luckily we have the powerful open source Bancor contracts. Sadly they are very much permissioned, giving full control over minting and network access to whomever deploys the contracts. But this can be changed.
There are three key elements of the Bancor suite.
• A Token which we call a CIC Community Inclusion currency. Bancor calls them liquid tokens. They have the ability to give control over to another contract to mint and destroy them.
• A converter which holds some reserve (in our case xDAI) and also holds ownership over the liquid Token or CIC to be able to mint more and destroy them. The converter also holds a set of equations
• An Index this records all the tokens on the network and how they can connect with eachother.
It costs almost nothing to deploy a contract and create a token. On xDAI blockchain the cost is about 0.00001 cents. When you deploy the contract you mint an amount of tokens based on the reserve and the amount of leverage you are looking for. Those tokens belong to the issuer or group of issuers, but the converter once issued should be permissionless Just because you deploy a contract doesnt mean you should be able to extract a fee from people forever or manipulate the currency which is what is possible now with the Bancor contracts. Deploying a currency is actually as easy as a few lines of code but putting up the backing is what really counts - don't confuse the two.
The index also should be permision-less so that people can find your currency without having to buy into or pay a toll bridge and be at the risk of the index contract holder shutting down.
Creating a fully decentralized version of the Bancor suite (a Public Registry for Community Inclusion Currencies) would enable anyone in the world (including the Red Cross) to stake some reserve and create a credit system that can be connected to every other credit system on the planet. Localized reserves can connect regions of currencies while global reserve can connect larger and larger groups of currencies. This mountain range of decentralized currency networks represents and makes fluid and an echo system that can help humanity thrive even when some nations or their currencies fail.
We can build the infrastructure to enable a decentralized financial system without toll bridges or giving undue power over such core aspects of our lives.
We're working with the tools we have but can use a lot of support. The Bancor Contracts work well for a single network but need modification to make them more open for everyone without centralized risk (Permission-less converter, Open Indexer/ path registry, and modifications to bonding curves). If you are a programmer you can join `https://t.me/CICBlockchain <https://t.me/CICBlockchain>`_ to help us build up these system.
---------------
If you know someone in Kenya that needs help - please suggest they sign up for a Community Inclusion Currency account on the Sarafu network. Anyone can sign up. To get an account dial 0757628885 or send a sms with your name and what you can sell and what is your nearest town. Example: Eva Songa 07278xxxxx Chapati, Kakamega. While supplies last, new users get 400 Sarafu and Chamas (saving groups) can register to convert a limited amount of Sarafu to Mpesa. If you are in, or know, a chama please let us know.
`#decentralized <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/decentralized>`_ `#defi <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/defi>`_ `#currency <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/currency>`_ `#economics <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/economics>`_ `#covid19 <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/covid19>`_ `#corona <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/corona>`_ `#virus <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/virus>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
:title: Celebrating Bernard's Inspiration
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Feb 4, 2019
:slug: celebrating-bernards
:summary: Bernards vision of diverse monetary eco-systems that support communities and the environment rather than extract from them, as they...
.. image:: images/blog/celebrating-bernards1.webp
Bernards vision of diverse monetary eco-systems that support communities and the environment rather than extract from them, as they continue to do now, is the spark that moved me from physics in the US into economics in Kenya and is still the vision that motivates me and countless other community currency developers, researchers and activists. His vision preceded crypto currencies by decades. Back then, the only way we could move toward Bernards vision was by trial and error creating currency after currency using paper bills or centralized databases.
I met Bernard Lietaer for the first time while implementing a small paper-based community currency program in three villages near Mombasa. He understood all the heart-wrenching challenges of fighting poverty and embraced me, knowing that the vision was true and we were doing our best with the sticks and stones we had to use. He spoke of Yin and Yang flows of different currencies for spending and savings and much more. The intricate dance and balance of these currencies working together was so tangible to him that you could feel it flowing through his whole being.
Connecting those early community currencies together into the ecosystem he envisioned wasnt possible without blockchain. Bernard was convinced that solutions like bonding curves which allowed currencies to communicate with each other through and across blockchains was the key to scaling and viral growth. With Bernard as President of the Bancor Foundation and his ability to cut through the sensationalism of blockchain to its potential to empower humanity to develop sustainable and healthy monetary ecosystems there was and is no place I would rather be. When asked to direct the foundations efforts on community currencies under his guidance, it was a dream come true. It was a great honor to walk in his footsteps and without him it is a great loss to me personally and sadly his dream of what Bancor could be ended.
.. raw:: html
<iframe width="360" height="203" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T9EI2PrDpmw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The world has lost a visionary that inspired and united people to fix fundamental flaws in our monetary systems, which are the root causes of poverty and massive human and environmental strife. As we thank him for opening the doors and dedicate our work toward his vision, let us ensure his message continues to flourish and inspire future generations that we banish the concept of monetary monoculture and embrace the values that are within each of us as the fundamental units of a diverse ecosystem of currencies that connect us all together in love and allow us to heal our planet and ourselves.
Sincerely with Love, Inspiration and Celebration of a life well lived,
Will Ruddick
`#Bernard <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Bernard>`_ `#Lietaer <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Lietaer>`_ `#BernardLietaer <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/BernardLietaer>`_ `#communitycurrency <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/communitycurrency>`_ `#communitycurrency <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/communitycurrency>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
:title: Church Offerings (Sadaka) in Bangla-Pesa
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Dec 15, 2013
:slug: church-offerings
:summary: Faith based organizations (FBOs) are beginning to step up their usage of Bangla-Pesa to increase community services. FBOs act as a...
Faith based organizations (FBOs) are beginning to step up their usage of Bangla-Pesa to increase community services. FBOs act as a conduit for community service when members of the Bangladesh Business Network use their Bangla-Pesa as an offering. The Legio Maria Church in Bangladesh (shown on the left) today took offerings (Sadaka in Swahili) in Bangla-Pesa. These Bangla-Pesa will increase the amounts the church collects on a weekly basis and be used to help feed community members with HIV/AIDS as well as support other community activities. The Legio Maria church puts hundreds of children through school and helps many in the community make ends meets.
After being active again for a few weeks the lists of goods and services members offer for Bangla-Pesa is growing rapidly. The trade of everything from produce and cooked foods, to shoe and TV repair, is increasing as the community becomes more knit together into a barter network.
As the community finds more ways to trade with each other, they also find more ways to give. Local faith based organizations struggle to raise funds for many basic programs, like feeding and schooling children. By accepting Bangla-Pesa as offerings they are allowing community members to contribute through their goods and services rather than scarce national currency. Needy community members then receive these offerings from the church, and can then spend it in the business network. This circular flow is one that both strengthens the local economy and provides a means for the community to help meet their own needs.
`#bangla <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bangla>`_ `#church <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/church>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
:title: CIC (COVID-19 Crisis) Cash Aid
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Mar 23, 2020
:slug: cic-covid-19
:summary: With unstable food systems and deteriorating markets and supply chains, knowing how to target aid is crucial to providing relief and buildin
.. image:: images/blog/cic-covid-191.webp
**Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) based Aid works as a cash distribution method during a crisis.**
With unstable food systems and deteriorating markets and supply chains, knowing how to target aid is crucial to providing relief and building more resilient communities.
Sarafu, a Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) in Kenya, has a rapidly growing distribution network with 11k (mostly very small) businesses in some of the poorest regions. Users form markets to trade goods and services using the vouchers and the data is stored on the blockchain. Using the blockchain transaction data we can target specific health and food related businesses to receive aid based on how connected they are to their community. These businesses can convert their CICs to donor funds using Mpesa with local community groups.
Farming, Food/Water, Health would be primary targets for CIC Aid. Grassroots Economics, the Sarafu CIC manager, processes data minute by minute on the most important parts of these networks and can focus in a way that can show tangible results - in terms of targeting cash distribution to hubs and promoting specific circulation, supply chains and markets.
Since 2010 CICs have been used in Kenya and reviewed and deemed an acceptable means of transaction by the Government of Kenya without violating any Kenyan Laws. The system works over USSD so that anyone in Kenya with a sim card can use it - No Internet or Smartphone required.
**Parameters:**
* Anyone with a sim card can sign up for Sarafu and receive an initial 400 Sarafu
* The weekly CIC Aid amount is determined by the amount of available aid funds and crisis projections.
* CIC recipients will get additional CICs proportionally to how many people they trade over 20 Sarafu to on a weekly basis.
* Users in specific business categories (Farming, Food/Water, Health) and deemed as hubs will receive double the Sarafu aid.
* Users can refer other users for an additional 100 Sarafu.
* Anyone can use Mpesa to buy Sarafu at a discount rate (based on how much Aid fund there is in total) and the current supply of Sarafu in circulation. We are giving out 2x the Mpesa sent to us in Sarafu for the next 90 days.
**Outcomes:**
* Aid funds are distributed and targeting fairly using verifiable parametric triggers based on need, market centrality and business type.
* CIC circulation not being cashed out is ~10x times larger than the Aid funds being used.
* CIC Circulation data helps identify:
* current and future targets for aid
* avenues for trade, sharing and social cohesion
* Reporting and Dashboarding:
* GE provides weekly reports on targets, distribution and impact measurements.
* A public dashboard shows the various effects.
**Next Steps:**
* Begin on data analysis and targeting
* Inform existing key hubs
* Begin larger test distributions
* Monitor results:
* Expected increased trade frequencies and volumes
* Expected increased market size and density
* Surveys:
* User Feedback collected
* User Stories
**Needs:**
* Mobilization
* Using Sarafu now in Kenya:
If you know someone in Kenya that needs help - please suggest they sign up for a Community Inclusion Currency account on the Sarafu network. Anyone can sign up. To get an account dial 0757628885 or send a sms with your name and what you can sell and what is your nearest town. Example: Eva Songa 07278xxxxx Chapati, Kakamega. While supplies last, new users get 400 Sarafu and Chamas (saving groups) can register to convert a limited amount of Sarafu to Mpesa. If you are in, or know, a chama please let us know.
**Current Statistics: (pre COVID-19)**
In January this year we tracked in one month roughly 18 Million Shillings worth of transactions among over 10,000 Sarafu users in what would normally have been the hardest month of the year.
**Frequently asked Questions can be found** `here <http://docs.google.com/document/d/1FUPAM1dRY9TFP0c-LAh3WRP4NiBtDGBSlDF3GzFjRe0/edit?usp=sharing>`_
`#covid18 <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/covid18>`_ `#corona <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/corona>`_ `#virus <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/virus>`_ `#cashaid <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/cashaid>`_ `#aid <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/aid>`_ `#Kenya <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Kenya>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
:title: CIC Indices for SDGs
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Nov 17, 2020
:slug: cic-indices
:summary: By encouraging circular trade within communities humanitarian aid can build basic circulatory systems for support and resilience.
:tags: SDGs,Humanitarian,Aid,Index,CIC Index
.. image:: images/blog/cic-indices1.webp
The Kenyan `Sarafu <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/sarafu-network>`_ (a Community Inclusion Currency (CIC)) is distributed through an initial allocation to new users and continuous reward system which is fed by a holding fee on CIC balances.
In a typical community dependent on injections of national currency trade will often just slow to a crawl and stop due to lack of national currency as commodity prices increase. As weve seen in Kenya where Sarafu has been distributed to over 40,000 people, in communities with a Community Inclusion Currency trade can continue; The less national currency available, the more CIC will be used.
We posit that national currency unavailability can be evidenced in an increase of CIC volume per capita. Beyond that, CIC circulation meta data (the goods and services being bought and sold) tells us what commodities are in need due to the lack of National Currency in circulation. According to `studies <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/research>`_, CIC usage also shows people interacting by trading their goods and services when National Currency is not available, builds trust and local resilience. In the `CIC Whitepaper <https://gitlab.com/grassrootseconomics/cic-docs>`_ section 4.2.1 Proof of Impact for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) there are ways to add information to nearly all the SDGs using this `data <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/research>`_.
Based on this evidence of need (increased CIC trade volumes per capita ~ lack of national currency) as well as specific usages (commodities) as well as networking (centrality and clustering), gender equality, and so on. We can derive various CIC indicies based on all that is possible to measure using CIC trade data.
Consider a typical CIC user: a woman in her 30s providing for a family of 3 children by buying and reselling vegetables. She begins to accept a CIC for payment because her clients, also mothers like herself, simply dont have enough Kenyan Shillings. If she can spend this back at the shops of those other women, and they can then spend it back at her shop, there is a virtuous circle created that makes this network stronger than others not using CIC in the face of economic downturns.
This behavior is not only commendable, it is measurable and worthy of reward. The fact that a network of traders is using CIC is evidence for their lack of National Currency and as well their ability to support each other without it.
What if this CIC Index could help us monitor and know how often, when and where to inject limited amounts of aid (and specifically cash transfer funding)? How best should aid be distributed? In cash transfer programming recipients are based on need assessments via surveys which are good at establishing needed recipients as well as a minimum expenditure baskets (MEBs) or basic allotments, but how can CIC data augment this?
.. image:: images/blog/cic-indices82.webp
If we have 2 aid recipient populations that were equally qualified via survey work and there was an opportunity to invest more aid (given they both receive a basic allotment) into one of these groups our work suggests that the investment is much better placed with the one that accepts CIC from others to support their community (or chama as in the photo) and spends it to support their families. Such aid support could as well be given to vendors or specific productive capacity grants (like developing syntropic agroforestry (food forest) plots) where it can be tracked that they received CIC from such surveyed and in-need recipients.
By encouraging circular trade within communities (and even between communities by connecting CICs together) humanitarian aid can help build and leave in place a basic circulatory system for community support and resilience. CICs could increase or decrease in usage relative to need and aid organizations as well as governments could monitor them and react surgically to support optimal market health.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
:title: CIC Pilot Impacts and Plans
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Mar 1, 2020
:slug: cic-pilot
:summary: In the last 30 days we have had 3015 users making at least 1 trade. For a volume of 2,336,655 Tokens (~23k USD equivalent of goods and...
.. image:: images/blog/cic-pilot1.webp
In the last 30 days we have had 3015 users making at least 1 trade. For a volume of 2,336,655 Tokens (~23k USD equivalent of goods and services traded) … those 3015 users are holding 1,514,155 Tokens (~15k USD). That would be a monthly velocity of ~1.54 (CIC Supply/Trade) (that is 3x higher! than current M2 USD velocity `https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M2V <http://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M2V>`_ reported quarterly)
.. image:: images/blog/cic-pilot42.webp
Note that currently no one can cash out their reserve yet (still building the software) instead Grassroots Economics (GE) is buying tokens off the Groups accounts (groups of about 25 women who all run businesses and save together). In that same period we have bought 387,715 Tokens (~3.8k USD)
* Currently → Trade / Cash-out-Cost = (~23k usd) / (~3.8k USD) is about 6x impact (as measured by increased purchasing power compared to Kenyan shillings).
Again note that currently users cant create their own CICs by adding reserve to their particular groups CIC reserve nor can they cash out that reserve. In the next stage we are no longer buying off CICs (but rather users can cash out from their own reserves) and anyone (like a GE as a donor) can also add more reserve to mint CICs. We can then talk both amounts cashed out and cashed in (from/to reserves).
So in the (we hope very near) future there is an initial seed fund of USD (DAI) going into reserve (which creates ~4x (leverage to) the number of CIC tokens to reserve based on risk/ size of reserve) then cashing out from that (burning CICs) and adding back to it (minting CICs). See equations here: https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/single-post/Enabling-Leverage
* Near Target → Trade / Cost = (~23k usd) / (~1.1k USD Cashed our minus cashed in) is about 20x impact.
For a fully resilient CIC the Cashing-out and Cashing-in are equal over a time period (given adequate market size) hence the cashing-out cost here goes to zero. Leaving the cost to support the initial seed fund as well as maintain customer support/systems (Fixed costs of staff and services).
* Future Target → Continuous Trade / (Once time cost + minimal support cost) = +100x
* Preliminary studies (https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/single-post/eMoney-vs-CIC) using eMoney suggest that if you compare 15k USD worth of CICs entering the network of ~3000 traders vs 15k USD worth of eMoney (MPESA) injected you get comparable trade volume (23k USD). The distinction is that with eMoney over 90% of it ends up outside the network in the same time period while with CICs it stays in local circulation only 25% (3.8k/15k) was turned into Mpesa (through GE purchases) and quickly leaves the community. Also important to note there that the 15k of CIC tokens were created with only 3.7k USD of collateral / reserve.
Hence, currently we are able to get the same volume of trade as Mpesa with roughly 50% of the cost (3.7+3.8=7.6k USD) of injecting Mpesa directly, while also assuring that the trade will be at least 75% in the network. More effort to track cash and eMoney in these networks is needed to properly compare. This would double the trade volume / impact, based on the same donations given out of organizations like Give Directly that do cash transfer (and ideally much more than double in future iterations with more direct access to reserve).
Finally note that our method of initial distribution of CICs, in lieu ofand eventually in addition to not yet being able to allow people to create their own, is to give each new user 400 (~$4USD roughly the cost of feeding a family of 5 for one day. Other distribution methods being developed include redistributing a collective tax chosen by a community, using a users connectivity to the network in different trade categories (I.e.. supporting social services with democratic participatory budgeting).
Trade data can now be found here: http://grassecon.org/research Please bear with us. We are working on a new dashboard and faster live updates!
`#pilot <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/pilot>`_ `#reserve <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/reserve>`_ `#donation <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/donation>`_ `#impact <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/impact>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
:title: CIC Training from Response to Recovery
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jul 11, 2020
:slug: cic-training
:modified: Jul 13, 2020
:summary: The end effect is that communities have a way to create their own credit systems for supporting themselves responsibly with both social and
**Response:**
.. image:: images/blog/cic-training1.webp
As support to vulnerable communities humanitarian organizations start by airdropping tokens to needy people in coordination with local authorities and village groups and elders, and facilitating periodic buy backs in Kenyan shillings (KSH) from those community groups. We also reward people with tokens for referring others and based on trading in network. The Sarafu token in Kenya is one such an aid-based Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) which is meant to bootstrap the creation of local CICs to be used toward recovery. Lets call such an bootstrapping CIC (like Sarafu) CIC_a.
An aid program in Kenya has developed 16 Million Sarafu tokens in Kenya collateralize by 4 Million Kenyan Shillings ($40,000 USD) of a digital asset (DAI). (Note that CIC_a is collateralized by being bonded to a digital asset (DAI) using donor funds on a public blockchain which can be extracted and used to create community based CIC, which we will discuss below. )
In vulnerable communities across Kenya anyone joining the network receives 400 Sarafu as well as additional Sarafu based on trade and referrals. Community groups receive additional donor funds for a limited amount of Sarafu (CIC_a) collected.
Note that using this technique alone in Kenya has produced more than 80 Million KSH ($800,000 USD) worth of trade in these communities so far. (the photo above is from Sarafu usage in Nairobi read more about it `here <https://restofworld.org/2020/kenya-sarafu-local-cryptocurrency/>`_.)
.. image:: images/blog/cic-training55.webp
**Recovery:**
The community group is `trained <https://gitlab.com/grassrootseconomics/cic-docs/-/blob/master/README.md>`_ to use the digital assets bonded to CIC_a to create their own Community Inclusion Currency (CIC). They come up with a name, (Lets call this new CIC, CIC_b) a vision and goals as well as community projects to be funded by their CIC_b. Note that there can be many community groups creating their own CICs (CIC_c ... d ... e, etc) depending on the scale of the CIC_a distribution. In Kenya the Sarafu distribution has reached over 27,000 household in dozens of communities so we expect many CICs to be created, while pulling out the digital assets from Sarafu. (the Photo on the left show a community discussion on projects tehy could fund with their own CIC)
The members of the community group pull the digital asset (valued in Kenyan Shillings) out of their CIC_a (destroying CIC_a) and place it into a new contract for CIC_b.
For each $1 Kenyan Shillings (KSH) (worth of digital assets pulled out of their CIC_a) placed in the new CIC_b contract, 4 CIC_bs will be created. (Note that we require a minimum amount of collateral and a collateral to CIC_a ratio of 25% to start a CIC).
The community group then comes up with audited commitments to accept their payment for goods and services for CIC_b with 1:1 value to Kenyan shillings. They also develop rules for managing those commitments and local arbitration. i.e. one community member will agree to accepting 100 CIC_b a day for 100 KSH worth of day care for toddlers.
.. image:: images/blog/cic-training96.webp
For each 1 CIC_b created there must be a commitment from the groups members to accepting 1 KSH worth of goods or services. Hence each CIC_b is 100% backed by commitments of local goods and services.
Eg. So for 400,000 CIC_b created, there is full backing in commitments by the community group as well as 100,000 KSH (~1,000 USD) worth of collateral. Based on community discussion, generally half of these 400,000 CIC_bs go to the contributing members and the other half goes to voted-on community projects managed by agreed on community project managers. (the photo on the right shows Ruth Njau teaching trainers on the usage of a hatch board, recording commitments).
.. image:: images/blog/cic-training121.webp
The photo here shows Roy Awaho from Kenya Red Cross and comunity members learning about Bonding Curves - which explains the diminishing returns from pulling out of their collateral fund - explained below and more in depth in our `training materials <https://gitlab.com/grassrootseconomics/cic-docs/-/blob/master/README.md>`_.
**Basic Usage:**
Now that members of the community group have created their own CIC (CIC_b), they are now able to liquidate (cash out) their CIC_b against the collateral fund and receive Kenyan Shillings (via Mpesa eMoney). Each time they pull out of their collateral out it takes more CIC_b to pull out the same amount. For instance 1004 CIC_b (destroyed/liquidated) will pull out roughly 1000 KSH out of the collateral. After that it will take 1012 CIC_b to pull out 1000 KSH. After that it will take 1020 CIC_b to bull out 1000 KSH and so on.
This gives businesses some assurance that they can get Kenyan shillings when needed. As the amount of CIC_b to pull out KSH increases there is an opportunity to add KSH back into the collateral pool. 1000 KSH in our last example added to the collateral would create 1020 CIC_bs and as long as the community group is holding their commitments there is an advantage to doing so in order to buy local products. This market effect stabilizes the exchange value.
Impact investors and aid organizations can also support communities by adding to the collateral pool and minting CIC_bs. Just by doing so they increase the exchange value of CIC_b. This is like an investment into the economy of CIC_b users. The CIC_bs created in the process can be donated to needy community members as well.
Giving humanitarian organizations a way to respond to crisis and seed resilient economies is at the heart of CICs. The end effect is that communities have a way to create their own credit systems for supporting themselves responsibly with both social and hard collateral.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
:title: Claims, Currencies and Cryptography
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jun 22 2021
:slug: claims-currencies
:modified: Jun 29
:summary: We need frameworks and protocols for various types of endorsed claims that can be held self-sovereignty by individuals and groups.
:tags: impact claims,data,CIC,claim
Global financial systems as well as humanitarian relief is based on claims, but the current infrastructure especially in vulnerable communities is weak to non-existent, which causes a lot of friction. The promise of a cryptographic approach to claims, is that groups of smaller actors can now more easily erect infrastructure which is authoritative and trustworthy. These claims can be endorsed and backed-up by data and live in data-objects (such as NFT) owned by an individual or organization.
We live in and have to navigate in a world of claims. One of the chief claims we unknowingly deal with on a daily basis are claims against currency redemption, indeed the currencies we hold are valuable because they are claims against some form of redemption. Endorsements on those claims give us more and more confidence in currencies.
Governments along with banks issue national currencies, and claim they will redeem that them against taxes over time. This fiat bargain works as long as the issuance of more and more credit doesnt cause inflation and there isn't a loss of endorsement. Endorsements to build trust in national currencies are not always obvious but can come in many forms, such as circulation data, peer to peer business acceptance as well as legal systems that upholds claims. This type of currency, being our standard medium of exchange worldwide, has many repercussions namely inequality as issuance is centralized and the lack resiliency when such massive systems fail.
Issuers, who are not nations or banks, with their own claims and tokens have popped up from time immemorial. The growth of non-national currencies, lies in their claims and endorsements and ability to integrate with other systems.
`Canadian Tire Money <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Tire_money>`_ are simple vouchers denominated in Canadian dollars and have been in circulation since the 1950's with only one business as the backing. Because their supply and circulation (liquidity) is low compared to the size of the community they operate in, they dont operate effectively as a medium of exchange - but for a village in Kenya or Cameroon they could, or when combined with producer credits from many other businesses they could span a market.
.. image:: images/blog/claims-currencies1.webp
In a credit system like Community Inclusion Currencies (CICs) we have an issuer and a claim of redemption and a token which is a divisible and can change owner and can act as broader medium of exchange given strong endorsement. e.g. A group of women in a village may create a CIC to use as a medium of exchange as a claim against the produce from their cooperative food forest. These CICs may be accepted outside of the group by a local hair salon because the local elders have endorsed them and people have been able to spend them on food from the cooperative.
The idea of taking such Producer Credits and combining them together into networks of CICs to build resilience in vulnerable communities, works well as long as there are strong foundational issuers and strong endorsements, such as groups of businesses and leaders. `Towns issuing their own script <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C3%B6rgl>`_ (currency) were immensely effective at supporting local economies during depression eras. Had these depression era systems been taxable/integrate-able by larger states they might still be in use today. Now days, we have programmable tokens which can be taxed automatically (via demurrage/ holding taxes ). We also have systems that can network together servers to create censor resistant and secure ledgers. Decentralized economic systems could really change dynamics in areas with chronic shortage of money. Generally, brute force airdropping currency on a population doesn't create local ownership or stakeholders for good reason because such a token is missing both: fundamental claims against redemption and endorsements.
Cryptographically Endorsing Claims
**************************************
How do we trust claims as well as tokens issued against them? If we think of a digitized claim as a declaration held by an entity/issuer and endorsed with an encrypted signature (private key) we can treat that data object like a non-editable and encrypted file on a computer (or decentralized ledger system / `non-fungible token <https://gitlab.com/grassrootseconomics/cic-docs/-/blob/master/spec/020_redeemable_certifcate.md>`_ ) that only the owner can choose to show to others. That claim could declare anything, such as what a currency is being issued and redeemed for and it could be co-signed as an endorsement using the private keys of people and institutions that believe that claim. The number of tokens created against that claim could be determined by the endorsements (in a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) or `old-school paper contract <https://gitlab.com/grassrootseconomics/cic-docs/-/blob/master/Sarafu_Network_Member_App_-_Draft__en_.pdf>`_ that is later scanned) as could the various parameters like demurrage and where the initial supply could go and linkages to other tokens or collateral. Finally, as someone looking to accept these tokens, I could look at the claim they are issued against as well as the entire supply and circulation history of those tokens on a ledger as a form of peer to peer endorsement. These tokens could also be held in `liquidity pools <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/post/static-vs-bonded-liquidity-pools-for-cics>`_ connecting them to other tokens and claims, meaning that even if the token issuer fails to redeem them there are other avenues for spending the tokens. We can even look at how these tokens circulate to get a lot of information about how they are distributed, how quickly are they redeemed and redistributed and so on. This gives us a way to de-risk and trust community currencies not issued by governments or banks by inspecting claims as well as endorsements and associated data.
While we can look at currency through the lens of cryptographically endorsed claims, we can also look at all sorts of claims, i.e. I claim I live in Kenya, founded a non-profit foundation and have a daughter. Just like a claim against redemption, that claim can be digitized and endorsed directly by co-signers and as well by secondary data. Community Currencies when combined with other types of claims offer a huge amount of secondary data to support various claims about impacts and even identity.
Various claims can be supported using community currency data along with other survey or IoT data such as:
* Product offerings: How many people are buying those products and giving ratings on them.
* Organic supply chains: Following the purchases from farm to plate for specific foods.
* Currency risk: How circular is the economy, velocity of the tokens, distribution of the token supply, connection to other currencies
Rewarding Verified Claims
********************************
.. image:: images/blog/claims-currencies124.webp
Frameworks and protocols for various types of endorsed claims that can be held self-sovereignty by individuals and groups (related to trade, demographics, impacts and even carbon offsetting) as well as marketplaces that consume that information, are needed across sectors; from humanitarian organizations trying to measure and reward impacts against sustainable development goals, to people wanting to derisk an investment.
Consumers of endorsed claims (organization that need trustworthy data) could include the `UNICEF <https://www.unicefinnovationfund.org/portfolio?theme=blockchain>`_ supporting `SDGs <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/post/cic-indices-for-sdgs>`_ , carbon offset purchasers, impact investors, loan and insurance providers and so on. Rewards or payment related to such claims also need to support the system of endorsements, (such as peer endorsements, web of trust and surveys), as well as the ledger systems that are holding those claims and providing data integrity and security. Such a claim market and reward system would promote people, institutions and even impact investors to seek out verified impacts. The same could also give people positive incentives for running servers (nodes) in order to validate data in order to mine impact rewards.
`UNICEF <https://www.unicefinnovationfund.org/portfolio?theme=blockchain>`_ `SDGs <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/post/cic-indices-for-sdgs>`_
While Grassroots Economics is working to implement these concepts, the creation of open source frameworks and protocols for claim endorsement and rewards, is a vision held by many people and organizations. Were proud to join the ranks of inspiring humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross, UNICEF, World Food Program and GIZ who want to enable local resilience and measure and reward impact, as well as technical groups like `IXO.world <https://www.ixo.world/>`_ and `Regen.network <https://www.regen.network/>`_ who are building open source application specific systems on `Cosmos <https://cosmos.network/>`_ meant to give humanity the infrastructure we need to solve real problems and live in harmony while navigating a world of claims.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
:title: Collateral Bonded Gas for Block Validation
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jun 14, 2020
:slug: collateral-bonded
:summary: In order to spread adoption of a new economic models that heal economic trauma and use blockchain as a source of truth that connects us...
.. image:: images/blog/collateral-bonded1.webp
We are co-creating an eco-system of connected blockchain based tokens across Kenya to help communities build their own economies in times of crisis and recovery and we need an entire technical blockchain eco-system to do it.
A Community Inclusion Currency (`CIC <https://gitlab.com/grassrootseconomics/cic-docs/-/blob/master/README.md>`_) is a financial instrument that allows for the issuance of a token that is backed by goods or services to also have a bonded collateral. We use the Bancor contract suite and basic bonding curves created by Eyal Hertzog, Yudi Levi and team.
For the CICs we use now and will be empowering communities and aid organizations to create, they have a pool with only one token (right now) in reserve (soon to be DAI (bridged to xDAI as the reserve) )
The CICs are backed by goods and services of the creator as well as bonded collateral. In the case of Grassroots Economics and Red Cross that is donor funds and donated items, phone and field support, training. There is also a (soon to be bonded $40k in reserve)
A core idea behind CICs is that anyone should be able to create a medium of excahnge based on what they value. A group of businesses in Kenya should be able to make a token against the promise to redeem it for their tomatoes, school fees, and so on. These credits need some collateral behind them, so that we can de-risk our trust in their tokens and so we can safely value them against other such CICs and national currency.
The interoperability of these tokens between each other and national currency make them viable for real people and businesses and organization not just tech bubbles. What if this interoperability was extended into the blockchain network and entire tech eco system?
**What if validation nodes backed a CIC with block validation (GAS) costs and bonded that gas to a stable coin? Could there be a Gas CIC?** `A short primer on Gas <https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gas-ethereum.asp>`_.
Say a blockchain was built with a bonded native token (like we create CICs)call it cicG (CIC Gas). Say a group of block validators measured 4 Million USD in the cost of server fees, devOps and node maintenance for 10 years and issued those tokens to themselves and any contributors in a hatch phase. Say the initial supply of cicG tokens is 4 Million tokens and the validators guarantee that these tokens will be accepted for gas fees (as designed always 1:1 with their reserve). And what if there were 1 Million DAI (bridged to xDAI or some table token) as the bonded collateral (reserve) for these tokens.
As validators receive cicG as GAS and liquidate it for DAI they reduce the exchange value of cicG <> DAI and allow people to add more DAI to reserve and cheaply mint additional cicG in order to pay for gas fees cheaply (filling back the reserve of DAI). This creates a constrained and autonomous market for cicG while allowing validators to pay for maintaining their nodes. The more demand for gas on the blockchain the higher the exchange value for cicG will become benefiting cicG holders and those building the ecosystem of traders.
What if communities in Kenya or aid organizations using their own CICs could pay for gas costs themselves by converting their tokens into cicG automatically? Conversion fees between cicG<>DAI could also go into the reserve pool encouraging cicG holders. (All functions already built into the Bancor `contracts <https://github.com/bancorprotocol/contracts>`_)
What other services besides, hair cuts, tomato farming and block validation could create interoperable tokens? Looking inward at our donor funded work here at Grassroots Economics, how about all the services we offer as a non-profit such as small business networking and marketing, phone support, and training?
Lets not assume that everyone can use ETH or DAI tokens as a medium of exchange right off the bat! Bonding curves give us a way to create credit based on services with trusted collateral and build economics systems that have value right now for people who need it. `Read more about our efforts in Kenya with Red cross. <https://www.cityam.com/empowering-communities-with-alternative-currencies-towards-a-post-covid-economy/>`_.
In order to spread adoption of a new economic models that heal economic trauma and use blockchain as a source of truth that connects us, we need bonded - inter-operable systems at all levels.
For more blockchain based discussion on CICs you can visit https://t.me/CICBlockchain and visit our GitLab https://gitlab.com/grassrootseconomics/cic-docs/-/blob/master/README.md

View File

@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
:title: Community Currencies: Cash Transfer 2.0
:author: rebeccamqamelo
:date: May 28, 2019
:slug: community-currencies-cash
:summary: A few decades ago, the idea of giving money to poor people instead of food packages and healthcare was almost scandalous. Free money?...
.. image:: images/blog/community-currencies-cash1.webp
A few decades ago, the idea of giving money to poor people instead of food packages and healthcare was almost scandalous. Free money? With no strings attached? Surely, this was aid gone wrong a desperate attempt to do things differently that was bound to fail.
Today, the evidence for cash transfers as an effective form of aid has changed the way we think about giving money to the poor, as well as the methods we use to fight poverty. In December 2018, a number of UN agencies released a statement that identified “cash-based assistance as one of the most significant reforms in humanitarian assistance in recent years”. This is just one example of how innovative approaches to old methods can shift the mentality of an entire industry.
At Grassroots Economics, we believe that poverty alleviation and innovation go hand in hand. The UN estimates that the gap in financing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is $2.5 trillion per year in developing countries alone. This creates a real crisis for the humanitarian field. It doesnt matter how effective new methods are they need to be financed. So where will the money come from?
Blockchain-powered community currencies promise to revolutionize how we do aid. Giving people money will only get you so far. Injecting cash into stagnant economies doesnt change the underlying structure of those cash-strapped, underutilized networks. The real challenge is creating socio-economic value systems that are rooted in vibrant, cohesive and resilient communities.
In order to do this, communities need to be empowered to turn cash circulation into economic activity. A cash transfer recipient who still has to commute 4 hours to grind their maize is still burdened by the fact that key products and services arent available in their area. As a result, most of the money that goes into the community goes straight out again, making no difference to local business growth, employment opportunities or access to resources.
.. image:: images/blog/community-currencies-cash59.webp
The Sarafu network is a community currency system that has existed for nearly a decade in Kenya. We give people the power to define money in their own terms, where value is backed by the productive assets of the community. In other words, instead of giving cash, we enable mutual credit. Using Bancors blockchain API, weve been able to see the real-time growth of robust economic networks. Token data offers powerful insights on demurrage (negative interest rates), incentive structures and promoting economic resilience and development. When people use Sarafu to trade with each other, pay for school fees, or start a business, theyre making sure that the credit that enters the community stays there.
.. raw:: html
<iframe width="740" height="416" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B4430YSgLzE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
*Community currencies create robust local networks:* A snapshot inside the Sarafu network in Lindi. Nodes represent individual traders.
.. image:: images/blog/community-currencies-cash91.webp
Bill Gates and Silicon Valley cant finance the gaps that exist in the developing world. Poor communities dont lack demand, or labour, or ideas. They lack a medium of exchange to deploy their under-utilized resources. When people are empowered to create that medium of exchange for themselves, theyre able to kickstart stagnant economies and create value where there previously was none.
This is how you build prospering economies powered by thriving communities. For more information on our work in Kenya, visit our blog.
`#sarafu <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/sarafu>`_ `#sustainabledevelopment <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/sustainabledevelopment>`_ `#blockchain <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/blockchain>`_ `#Bancor <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Bancor>`_ `#SDG <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/SDG>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
:title: Community Currencies and DEX Multitudes
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jan 7 2021
:slug: community-currencies
:summary: Decentralized Exchange (DEX) Contracts contain multitudes. There are nearly infinite ways to use them to connect blockchain contracts...
:tags: dex,excahnge,liquidity,community currency
Decentralized Exchange (DEX) Contracts contain multitudes. There are nearly infinite ways to use them to connect blockchain contracts (like Community Inclusion Currencies) for different use cases. Using them opens us up decentralized network topologies that we would never have dreamed of with old fashion stock exchanges and other financial instruments. The best part is that they can be used by anyone in the world with access to internet or even just an inexpensive phone using USSD/SMS.
.. image:: images/blog/community-currencies1.webp
The basic Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) contract (shown above) is a token that holds a real world claim against redemption of goods and services - such as the harvest created by a group of women managing a communal `Food Forest <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/post/food-forests-and-syntropic-currencies>`_ . In 2018 our CIC's were pool tokens that were additionally bonded to a on-chain reserve called Sarafu upon deployment. But connecting a CIC's full supply to be convertible (even on a bonding curve) to a reserve isn't always useful, especially in situations where you want to limit how much of your CIC supply is convertible or join the network after token deployment.
.. image:: images/blog/community-currencies33.webp
In that case the open source `Bancor DEX contract's liquidity pools <https://github.com/bancorprotocol/contracts-solidity>`_ can be used as relays (this is actually the most common way to use these contracts). As such a CIC creator or anyone holding a CIC (or any ERC 20 token) can choose to create a relay or liquidity pool (as shown abovce) to any other token on the network, like Sarafu or another CIC (similar to Uniswap but with the ability to create variable strength bonding curves between pooled tokens). With a liquidity pool anyone can choose to create liquidity (conversion to other tokens) - but with an intrinsic reserve (as we used to have) only the token creator can decide and generally that means 100% of our token supply will be liquid in that one way chosen upon deployment.
A network token like Sarafu can still be used to connect to many different tokens - but it isn't needed upon CIC contract deployment. Below shows how Sarafu itself is issued as a kind of basic income token and also serves as a bootstrap network token.
.. image:: images/blog/community-currencies56.webp
Hence a chama (women's group) or even a restaurant can create a CIC as a voucher for their future production of goods and services with proof of redemption commitment in physical contract with local authorities - then choose to take a limited amount of their CIC supply and place it in a liquidity pool along with Sarafu and/or some other token(s) such as ETH. This gives the CIC issuer the ability to choose **if, when and how much** they want to connect to other tokens or a whole network of tokens.
Given public infrastructure, this means we have a way of creating a currency as claims against redemption in goods and services and on-board those tokens when their community wants to into a connected network of Community Inclusion Currencies. These CIC holding users in such networks can provide proof of identity and various SDG impacts to direct humanitarian aid as below.
.. image:: images/blog/community-currencies83.webp
Note that this network topology potentially gives humanitarian organizations the ability to directly create and support liquidity pools as well - creating limited conduits for exchange between aid funds (used to purchase ETH for instance) and CICs..
While our work is focused on specific use cases of this technology in vulnerable populations, Grassroots Economics is a non-profit foundation seeking to connect organizations and groups to the ability to create and manage their own medium of exchange with the option of joining into larger networks to create communities of currencies. All our systems are built on an open source tech stack with interchangeable blockchains, modules and interfaces. We hope this open software design paired with the power of DEX liquidity pools are the building blocks of an emergent decentralized economy.
We hope this open software design paired with the power of DEX liquidity pools are the building blocks of an emergent decentralized economy.
.. image:: images/blog/community-currencies105.webp

View File

@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
:title: Community Currency Design Course Opening
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Dec 3, 2017
:slug: community-currency
:summary: Grassroots Economics has opened up its archives of design and implementation to students world wide through a hands-on, practical course...
.. image:: images/blog/community-currency1.webp
Grassroots Economics has opened up its archives of design and implementation to students world wide through a hands-on, practical course in Kenya. After having our first round of students this year with great results, we are excited to open up enrollment to students across Africa and abroad.
Become a `certified Community Currency designer <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/get-involved>`_.
After understanding how to tap into the abundance of communities and build resilient thriving local economies you will never look at money in the same way.
`Click here to inquire about the course <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/get-involved>`_
This course will immerse you into the world of Community Currencies as a tool for economic and community development. We will cover why and how Community Currencies have been implemented in marginalized communities as well as their history. In the field you interact with people using Community Currencies in real life settings to understand the social dynamics and economic systems that are needed to make Community Currencies thrive. After completing this course you will be have a strong foundation to design, customize and implement Community Currencies.
Topical Outline:
Community Currency Theory:development economics, history of money, financial systems and debt, currency models, goals standards and ethics.
Preparation & Development: community participation and ownership, system design, voucher creation, communications, partnerships, and legality.
Setup & Launch: cooperative facilitation, collateral asset development, financial sustainability, and marketing.
Long Term Care: long-term support, audits, Community Currency renewal.
Management: system maintenance, legal reporting, accounting, currency circulation, administration, data collection, and personnel.
Fieldwork: on-the-ground survey work and interviews; lessons learned from previous Community Currency models; taking part in community currency events and activities; economic resource mapping.
Schedule: The course covers five days of classroom and field experiences but can be shortened to as little as three days to meet the needs of the students.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
:title: Community Inclusion Currencies are Now Open Source
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Jan 27, 2020
:slug: community-inclusion
:modified: Jan 13
:summary: These may sound like small improvements, but because of them our current, 8000+ and growing, users will be able to trade and create CICs to
.. image:: images/blog/community-inclusion1.webp
Today the Grassroots Economics and volunteers spanning 5 countries gathered in Kenya to launch Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) trading on a new open source platform!
Weve been waiting for this since 2015 when we first started using USSD to connect simple feature phones to a digital ledger. The dream to be able to use a system we could share freely and build on with others is finally here. This is still just the beginning, but I am so grateful for the Red Cross teams for making this happen.
This means we can fully customize the system to:
* Use any blockchain, smart contracts or reserve tokens.
* From virtual backing to on-chain collateral for CICs
* Improve speeds and usability:
* Wallet Creation and Registration process: 15 minutes to 2 minutes
* Transaction and Validation Process: 2+ minutes to 5 seconds
* Provide real time support for user challenges
These may sound like small improvements, but because of them our current, 8000+ and growing, users will be able to trade and create CICs to support their local communities across Kenya. CICs allow users to easily create shares of pooled funds in national currency as a medium of exchange for local goods and services. Were so appreciative to stand on the shoulders of giants like Eyal Hertzog (and the Bancor team's open source smart contract), as well as Friedrich Hayek and Bernard Lietear with their vision for multi-currency ecosystems.
**Whats left to do?**
* Analysis and Modeling: BlockScience and researchers with on the ground pioneer communities
* Improving the platform: Volunteer programmers and teams with security audits while reacting to user feedback
* Dashboarding and Support: Gender, Business types, transaction data, SDG Impacts. How can detailed CIC economic data be used to help marginalized economies become resilient?
* User Guides and Materials: Red Cross and users, translations, localizations, modular systems and local customizations
Finalizing the above list in 2020 will push CICs farther in a year than weve been able to move for the last ten years.
Note that we are rebuilding the code base and will not be using Sempo's system in 2021.
.. image:: images/blog/community-inclusion93.webp
.. image:: images/blog/community-inclusion107.webp
.. image:: images/blog/community-inclusion121.webp
`#opensource <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/opensource>`_ `#RedCross <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/RedCross>`_ `#CIC <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/CIC>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
:title: Comparative Analysis of eMoney and Community Currency
:author: Sowelu Avanzo
:date: Feb 7, 2020
:slug: comparative-analysis
:summary: This shows us that the presence of Sarafu stabilizes the economic system, working as a buffer in the months when the national currency is sc
**Introduction**
Sarafu is a network of interoperable community currencies implemented by Grassroots Economics, aimed at eradicating poverty through the creation of endogenous credit in the marginalized communities (Ruddick et al., 2018). In Kenya the Sarafu network has been implemented in communities living below the poverty threshold in both rural areas and urban slums. One of the most successful cases of such implementation is that of Miyani, part of the Kasameni sub-location, where the community currency spread to more than 4800 users at the time of this study. Sarafu is, however, only the most recent step on the path of financial innovation for the inclusion of marginalized communities in Kenya. As Edwards (Edwards, 2016 p.2016) shows, for instance, mentioning the case of M-Pesa:**
The combination of widespread cellular communication and the ability to transfer money instantly (via eMoney), securely, and inexpensively are together leading to enormous changes in the organization of economic activity, family relations, and risk management and mitigation
The achievement that the Sarafu network brings about is the chance to create and use a complementary currency, helping the communities to overcome the scarcity of national currency, which is accepted 1:1 with the national currency by the local businesses. It has been shown to provide a liquid means of exchange to the members of the communities that effectively incentivizes local production through its circulation, and to have helped the users to increase their savings in Kenya Shillings, as Marion Cauvet has shown (Cauvet, 2018).
In order to provide further evidence for the impact of Sarafu, its circulation will be analysed and compared to that of other eMoney services in Kenya used by the sample group.
This comparison is also important, because eMoney is one of the few alternative means of exchange to cash in areas such as Miyani, since very few of its inhabitants have a bank account, and, therefore, it is difficult to find reliable data relative to the circulation of national currency.
**Analysis of the Transactions**
The sample consists of 6 individuals living in the Miyani area (4 men and 2 women), who voluntarily disclosed their eMoney transactions, which have been compared to the transaction dataset stored on the Sarafu open source blockchain-based database. The period considered is the Semester between June and December 2019. However small, the sample is considered to be representative of the population of Miyani.**
All the individuals considered used both traditional e-money and Sarafu. The data show that the 6 users analysed, conducted 578 transactions through Sarafu worth a total volume of 185,666 and 685 through E-money worth 148,757 Kenya Shillings.
.. image:: images/blog/comparative-analysis1.webp
Over the whole time period transactions in Sarafu produced a volume roughly 24,8% higher than those in Kenya Shillings via eMoney.
Moreover, it can be observed that, during June, August and November more Kenya Shillings were exchanged through E-money than Sarafu, whereas in July, September, October and December it was the opposite showing a counter cyclical effect likely related to crop yields. The maximum volume exchanged in one month through Sarafu was 58,554 (December), whereas the maximum amount exchanged via E-money in the period observed was 49457 (November). The standard deviation of the monthly volume exchanged in Sarafu is 9553,958855 Sarafu, whereas that of the volume of Kenya Shillings transactions is 14,214,05, whereas the total standard deviation of exchanges both in Sarafu and Kenya Shillings, amounts to 21600,17471, which is lower than the sum of the other two (amounting to 23768,01553). **This shows us that the presence of Sarafu stabilizes the economic system, working as a buffer in the months when the national currency is scarce**. It is moreover worth to notice that both the volume of the transactions in Kenya Shillings and Sarafu grew over the period. This is evident if it is taken into account that the sum of volumes in June, July, August and September , amounting to 71043 for eMoney and , is inferior to the that in the last 3 months, worth 77680. The same can be said for the volume exchanged in Sarafu, amounting to 55433 and 130143 respectively.
By analysing more in detail the eMoney transactions, however, it can be noticed that the overall outflow consists of: 26744 Ksh transferred to other accounts, 33823 Ksh withdrawals and 12456 Ksh used to pay bills.
Conversely, in the same time period, Sarafu were mainly spent among local businesses for buying farm produce(42221), fish(36626), vegetables (30295), water (27321), to save or to take loans from the chama, that is a savings and loans association (26600).
**Preliminary Results**
The volume of the exchanges, differed significantly, showing that Sarafu circulated faster than the emoney in the period considered. Moreover, it is evident that the majority of Sarafu were spent among local businesses, whereas a larger portion of the Kenya Shillings circulating were withdrawn. Furthermore Sarafu, even though it was implemented only in 2017 in the Miyani area (Cauvet, 2018), plays a fundamental role in the life of these inhabitants of Miyani, who benefit from the interaction between the national currency and the alternative currency to meet their everyday needs. More specifically, evidence shows that Sarafu worked as a counter-cyclical buffer, bringing stability to the local economic system, and fostered circulation of goods and services also through traditional e-money, as it can be noticed from the fact that the overall volume exchanged not only in Sarafu, but also that in Kenya Shillings increased over the time period. Due to the scarcity of data, however, the conclusions achieved are only partial, and, therefore, further research should confirm the findings.**
https://github.com/GrassrootsEconomics/TransactionDatasets
*The transaction data relative to the traditional forms of E-money were collected by Sowelu Avanzo, a student of the University of Torino, while he was conducting the fieldwork for his research on the Sarafu network in Miyani from October to December 2019. For more information on this ongoing research contact* `sowelu94@gmail.com <mailto:sowelu94@gmail.com>`_.
`#research <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/research>`_ `#eMoney <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/eMoney>`_ `#mpesa <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/mpesa>`_ `#communitycurrency <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/communitycurrency>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
:title: Complementary Currency: Business Network Creation
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Nov 27, 2012
:slug: complementary-currency
:summary: With our partners, Koru works with small community businesses of Bangladesh, Kenya, in order to implement a complementary currency...
With our partners, Koru works with small community businesses of Bangladesh, Kenya, in order to implement a complementary currency system.
Bangladesh, Kenya is an informal settlement of approximatly 20 000 inhabitants and 200 businesses located outside Mombasa Kenya - map here. Our first community meetings were mobilized through a local clinic, the local church as well as a youth group. Local business owners were asked to come participate in a 2 hour workshop described briefly as Business Networking.
The purpose of these sessions was to:
1. Gauge business community interest in Complementary Currencies (mutual credit).
2. Identify benefits and challenges of a Complementary Currency
3. Talk about barter and how it is already being used in the community.
4. Talk about how money is used for barter and in general in the community
5. Speak about benefits and challenges of both barter and money.
6. Identify and visualize the existing business networks in the community.
7. Plan next steps.
For a full report on the first two meetings visit:
| `Meeting 1 <http://communityforge.net/Bangladesh_Kenya_1st_Meeting>`_
| `Meeting 2 <http://communityforge.net/Bangladesh_Kenya_2nd_Meeting>`_
|
These meetings will continue in January and help lead the way for base line data collection, community ownership and implementation.
.. image:: images/blog/complementary-currency1.webp
`#complementarycurrencies <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/complementarycurrencies>`_ `#bangla <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bangla>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
:title: COVID-19 Blockchain Crisis Response - CICs at 500% Growth
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: May 11, 2020
:slug: covid-19-blockchain
:modified: May 12, 2020
:summary: Since we started using blockchain for CICs in September 2018 we have seen nearly half a million dollars (482k USD) worth of trade via 154k t
.. image:: images/blog/covid-19-blockchain1.webp
Since we started using blockchain for Community Inclusion Currencies (CICs) in September 2018 we have seen nearly half a million dollars ($482,000 USD) worth of trade via 154,000 transactions with 19,877 registered users living below or near the poverty line to whom 8.9 Million CIC ($89,000 USD equivalent) tokens have been distributed.
The system works by giving each new user 400 CIC tokens (valued at $4 USD) and rewarding them more each week based on their activity in the network. Donors come in by purchasing the CICs from Women's Savings groups over time and the total amount of CICs that can be created are constrained by a collateral fund currently totaling $40,000 USD.
Since January $26,300 USD from donors have been used via Mpesa (eMoney) to purchase these vouchers 1:1 from chamas (savings groups) and redistribute them to other needy members. These donor injections help peg the value of a CIC to National Currency and give women's groups the ability to purchase things not available in the network.
Comparing transaction volume to donor aid since January we see 18.3x the amount of volume compared to the donor aid injected. See our dashboard below:
https://dashboard.sarafu.network/
.. image:: images/blog/covid-19-blockchain45.webp
While that itself seems amazing, what has been truly astounding has been the uptake due to COVID-19. In the past we have seen that CIC usage goes up when National Currency is lacking but never to the extent it has now.
.. image:: images/blog/covid-19-blockchain59.webp
There has been a huge increase in usage since COVID-19 and specifically in Mukuru, Kayaba where we started working with Red Cross on April 6th. In roughly a month, we have seen $95,600 USD worth of transactions on the network with 22,702 transactions via 2,588 users to which 12,700 CIC tokens have been distributed.
$2,780 USD of donor funds have been used via Mpesa (1:1 with National Currency) to purchase back these vouchers from chamas.
Comparing transaction volume to donor aid for Kayaba we see **34x** the amount of volume compared to injected donor funds.
Note that out of the 2,588 registered users in Kayaba 2,072 were registered since April 6th (starting with 516 users). That is a growth of 501.5% since Covid-19.
The photo above is a Kenya Red Cross trained Community Based Disaster Response Team member helping to spread awareness about COVID-19 in Mukuru, while also helping people identify where they can use their CICs to purchase basic commodities like soap, water and food, as well as where those shops can purchase from other shops and service providers in the network to encourage the community to support each other even when National Currency is scarce.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
:title: Currency 123 (Back, Guarantee, Open)
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: May 2, 2020
:slug: currency-123
:modified: May 5, 2020
:summary: A Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) is way to transparently establish a credit system to enable local markets to thrive and link...
A Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) is way to transparently establish a credit system to enable local markets to thrive and link together, forming resilient and inclusive economies. While these steps are a simplification of a process that involves a lot of planning, modeling and governance - it is important to share our understandings and we invite collaboration as we use and develop open source technologies, models, and practical methods.
**Step 1 Primary Backing.**
Involves establishing the amount of currency (aka tokens or promissory notes) being issued against some backing. (This is the backing of your currency's primary market.) A CIC issuer (a group or individual) needs to establish that these CICs, as promissory notes, have legitimate backing in goods and services over time.
.. image:: images/blog/currency-1231.webp
In example, an individual business could back a CIC with staged redemption of a year's worth of goods or services (goats and hair cuts). Practically bringing together a group of individuals or businesses and determining their commitment level to backing over time is an art. Groups like Sardex.net have developed techniques for how to establish such commitment and buy in. With humanitarian organizations like Red Cross these commitments could be in donations over time (i.e. the CIC could be redeemed for donations in National Currency or goods) as we are currently doing with the Sarafu CIC. Note a key function of the primary backing is to keep the value of the CIC stable locally.
If a CIC has 100,000 EUR of backing committed from a group of, say 10, business over a year and each business is allocated 10,000 CIC tokens, those businesses could begin to trade with each other while seeking to keep their balance at 10,000 CICs (called credit clearing). Determining how many tokens to create involves an estimation of how much any one business can both spend and redeem them over time and the size of the network begin created. If you are bakery and have committed 10k EUR of bread over a year to be redeemed in CICs (and are allocated 10k CICs) - will you be able to spend those CICs again as fast as you redeem them? And if not, how many can you afford to accumulate? If all 100,000 CIC tokens come back to you what would happen to your business? Are you guaranteed to be able to spend them? What if an issuer goes insolvent and you can no longer redeem the CIC for the primary backing? In step 2 we seek to de-risk the CIC by creating a contractual guarantee - while also creating a way for future CICs to be created and even traded with other communities.
**Step 2 Guarantee a Reserve**
While Primary Backing alone has created stable currencies with examples around the world like Canadian Tire Dollars, issuer(s) can avoid pitfalls that have caused thousands of such systems to stagnate or collapse by adding a reserve (aka collateral). A reserve gives CIC holders a guarantee of redemption while also creating a mechanism to create more CICs and connect one CIC to another with automated pricing.
.. image:: images/blog/currency-12362.webp
Reserves help to:
* Increase trust and acceptance of a larger community.
* Guarantee backing of the CIC in case of issuer insolvency or delays in redemption of the primary backing.
* Establish an automatic exchange value of one CIC to another without having to audit the primary backing.
* Establish a transparent and fair way to create and destroy CIC tokens.
A reserve can be created transparently on a mathematically binding blockchain based contract with strict permissions and equations that govern the exchange of CICs for the reserve (aka Bonding Curve).
A CIC issuer(s) must decide how to setup this contract - below are the current options for setting up a CIC reserve contract (also called a Converter contract in the Bancor open source contract suite):
1. In what currency should the reserve (collateral) be? We are using DAI (a stable coin to the US dollar) but it could be any token that is trusted.
2. How much reserve to put in? We set a 'full' reserve (collateral) level at 25% of the supply of CIC (Sarafu in Kenya). Also called a Target Reserve Ratio (TRR).
3. Who can use the contract? White-listing. Can anyone access it or only known people? For legal reasons organizations issuing CICs must often know who is using the contracts.
4. What is the starting and maximum fee for using the contract if any? A conversion fee is a good security mechanism and adds some resistances to moving in and out of the contract.This fee goes into the reserve pool.
5. Who controls the variables of the contract once it has been deployed? These include changing the conversion fee (if any) up to a fixed maximum, changing the white-list and connecting to other CICs (Registry of CICs).
.. image:: images/blog/currency-123187.webp
Once the contract has been designed and the collateral has been obtained - (eg. the issuers may be turning US dollars into DAI or creating their own reserve token) and added to the contract - the contract will also take control of the CIC token itself and will be solely able to issue or redeem CICs based on the variables given above and the equations below (aka bonding curve equations). We start out CICs in Kenya with an exchange price of 1. (See the equation above that determines the exchange price.) The reserve is considered full at a fixed community chosen Target Reserve Ratio (TRR) to the CIC in supply. When the reserve is full (say at $25,000 Dollars in Reserve and there are a total of 100,000 CIC tokens (backed by goods and services of the issuers) and the TRR is also 25%) then the exchange price to reserve is 1. (1:1) We will discuss exchanging between CICs and reserve in the next section.
**Step 3 Open Reserve to Market:**
Again, getting past steps one and two are not trivial and require a lot of considerations and good governance! But once in alignment the contract holding the CICs collateral created in step two can be open to the greater world (whitelisted or non whitelisted).
.. image:: images/blog/currency-123214.webp
**Enable Redemption:** With a reserve in place, anyone holding CICs can redeem them for committed goods and services (primary backing) or money in the reserve. The less reserve there is the less National Currency is redeemed for the same amount of CICs based on the equations below (aka the bonding curve). If someone cashes out 1,000 CIC tokens from a full reserve in our example they will pull out roughly $985.10 Dollars from the reserve. This limits how fast people will remove their CICs.
.. image:: images/blog/currency-123229.webp
.. image:: images/blog/currency-123248.webp
**Enable Creation:** In addition anyone can also add money to the reserve and create additional CICs. The more reserve there is the less amount of CICs are created for the same amount of National Currency. As the reserve was already reduced in the last example; now, if someone deposits $985.10 Dollars into the reserve they will create 1,000 new CIC Tokens - this encourages people to fill back in the reserve (see the equation below).
.. image:: images/blog/currency-123263.webp
The group that should be most interested in creating more CICs when the exchange price to reserve is low - are the initial issuers themselves. They among all others should be able spend the CIC at full value among themselves and their community - because that was their initial purpose and they are still backing the CIC with their own goods or services. eg. If someone knows they can buy a goat (primary backing) using CICs 1:1 with national currency and they are now able to create some cheaply by adding reserve, they have an advantage to fill back up the reserve and buy some goats. This incentive to refill the reserve can be considered a beneficial arbitrage and creates additional price stability beyond the primary backing. Humanitarian organizations will add reserve and create CICs as the reserve empties in order to leverage their donations into positive social impact. The reserve can be considered a revolving CIC stability fund.
If someone knows they can buy a goat (primary backing) using CICs 1:1 with national currency and they are now able to create some cheaply by adding reserve, they have an advantage to fill back up the reserve and buy some goats. This incentive to refill the reserve can be considered a beneficial arbitrage and creates additional price stability beyond the primary backing.
While CIC acts as a promissory note against the primary backing, it is also practical to consider a CIC as a share of both the primary backing and the reserve. In a sense it is also a share of, and investment in, the economy using it. In addition, that economy can be connected to other economies using other CICs. Because a CIC can convert to its reserves and that withdrawn reserve can be added to another CIC - the exchange value to reserve serves as an automated price maker between the CICs and also measures the relative trade imbalance between the two economies - creating an incentive to clear trade deficit.
The economic data available from CIC contracts and trading on a public blockchain gives a lot of insight to a CIC backing, volatility and uptake. Check out https://dashboard.sarafu.network for an overview of a CIC being used in Kenya right now by the Red Cross to support thousands in vulnerable communities and build resilient economies. See our `white paper <http://grassecon.org/whitepaper>`_ as well as the open source Bancor smart `contract suite <https://docs.bancor.network/network-architecture/ethereum>`_ we are using. `Here <https://github.com/GrassrootsEconomics/CIC-Docs/blob/master/CIC-math-examples.xlsx>`_ you can see a very basic initialization and usage of the bonding curve equations.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
:title: Currency Supply, Taxation and Redistribution
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Dec 6, 2020
:slug: currency-supply
:summary: What does a decentralized economic system look like?
:tags: algorithm,supply,tax,redistribution,modeling
Tax Redistribution Algorithms
************************************
The local clustering coefficient (C) for a particular currency trading user is given by the proportion of connections or trade partners (via trading CICs) between the users within that users neighborhood divided by the number of connections that could possibly exist between them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clustering_coefficient
The average clustering coefficient sums the clustering coefficients for all the users and divides by the number of users in that neighborhood.
The neighborhood could span to sum over 2nd and 3rd order trade partners as well. This average clustering coefficient (ACC) therefore gives us a simple measurement of how connected people are (how much do the users around a particular user (to 3rd order) trade with each other).
This is interesting but doesnt scale well; How would one compare two users, both with a C = 1, while one of them has 3 trading partners and the other has 10? Therefore we can multiply ACC by the total number of trade partners that user has hence normalizing the ACC into a Normalized clustering coefficient (NACC).
The NACC for each user gives us a relative ranking of each user via the contentedness of their network of trade partners but what about the sum of all the NACCs does this not represent the overall contentedness of the entire network (Total Normalized clustering coefficient)? If we take each user's percentage of the total (NACC / TNACC) = pTNACC (percentile of the Total Normalized clustering coefficient ) we have a percentile ranking of each user in the network corresponding to their relative contentedness in the entire network.
K-Cycle centrality (like `Teodoro <https://networkdatascience.ceu.edu/people/teodoro-criscione>`_ is working on!) may be a good measure as well and reminds me to mention the characteristic time-frame is very important clusters in this light are small structures that can form rapidly (1 week periods) while k-cycles (especially higher order k-cycles) may take months.
**You might be asking “a good measure for what?”**
The distribution of pTNACC can tell us a lot about a network. If there are only a few very high pTNACC users it means that the network is potentially very brittle. It is also a metric that becomes harder and harder to fake or Sybil attack if there is a transaction and/or coordination cost as the overall cost of the attack would grow exponentially.
On a weekly basis we can test this out on the current Kenyan trading data by asking are the users with a higher pTNACC actually important nodes in the network? It would seem so. Looking at the current data http://grassecon.org/research users would be in the 90th percentile - highest ranking pTNACC scores end up being key nodes hubs or chamas (groups) in the `Sarafu trading Network <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/sarafu-network>`_ .
Looking at people and groups of people as important elements in a local economy as a social scoring system is quite interesting. Especially is its fallibility is tied up in the ultimate cost to game the system compared to any potential benefits. In addition, if people receive a tax benefit or tax redistribution based on a higher pTNACC score: would this scoring system motivate people to develop networks around their goods and services more? Is that an intrinsically good thing? Does rewarding pTNACC result in positive social outcomes - trust, resilient markets and so on? - We're working with researchers to help determine this.
Voting systems on tax redistribution.
******************************************
Rather than an automated system that measures trade clustering and sends out tax redistribution, what if each user of the network could simply have 100 voting tokens each month and you send them to whom you are voting for and based on the percentile of votes one gets, that percentage of the total tax redistribution pool. Say the vote tokens get wiped and reset each month and we have strong identity controls to protect against a Sybil attack. This sounds very nice, but can also be corrupted via populism. How about a combination of an algorithmic measure and a voting system?
Before we get into that: “What is this source of tax redistribution pool?” you might well be asking.
Holding taxes
*******************
Imagine your bank charged you a percentage of your balance every Monday as a holding tax? Well you wouldnt want to be storing too much money in that account, would you? (n.b. Better calculating and charging for an averaged balance over a time period.) This will create a sort of demurrage effect or hot potato, where people want to move their currency as fast as they can (undesirable to save). Rather than this being a bank function it could be built into the currencies smart contract on a blockchain. Those people who cant move their CIC and have the most of it - pay more tax (no matter where they put it).
This tax can be redistributed in an near infinite number of ways: 2 such were discussed above voting and algorithmic. Another such way is a Universal Dividend where the tax redistribution is simply shared evenly across the population. Note that the source of such a Universal Dividend in this case is not inflation but rather a holding tax. In this way the total monetary mass (CIC token supply) can remain stable.
Token Supply
******************
Finally this gets us to token supply (where we might have started with in traditional economics). A CICs token supply (if connected to other CICs) is determined by the amount of some reserve it is bonded to in common with other CICs. Therefore the issuance and supply of the network token becomes paramount since this network token (NT) can effectively mint additional CIC.
Could we create a network token that was simply distributed fairly to people over time? Say the NT was distributed to everyone evenly over time (per capita and or arithmetically) and any holder could also have their 100 vote tokens for the tax redistribution fund fed by the holding fee? Then each CIC (local community currency) would form around a collection of the network tokens and be able to set its own rules (taxation, tax redistribution and so on) otherwise (within some regulatory standard).
In this case NTs could be issued and distributed in a similar way to the (G1) `Duniter <https://duniter.org/en/>`_ Universal Dividend or `Circles UBI <https://joincircles.net/>`_ while also being charged a holding tax from which a percentage can be voted on distribution and a percentage can be algorithmic distribution.
Note that NTs could in turn have their own reserve this would limit how much could be minted (or put into pools with other types of tokens to act as reserves for CICs). Also this NT could be listed on exchanges that connect it to other tokens world wide.
.. image:: images/blog/currency-supply1.webp
CIC network with Sarafu Network Token
What does a decentralized economic currency system look like - when combining all these approaches:
*************************************************************************************************************
(see diagram above)
**1 + 2. Fair distribution and circulation of a network token** which can act like a large scale medium of exchange. A version of the Duniter (G1) Universal Dividend or Circles UBI Smart Contract suffices but controlling for inflation via taxation. Note that a myriad of NTs can exist and incorporate other rules and still have markets that connect them together. Hence a whole range of NTs and localized systems that use them could form with different local rules and rules that connect them. Note that in the Sarafu Network Token Kenya case, the Sarafu supply is currently voted on by committee - but this will be subject to change in 2021.
**3. Discouraging hoarding:** A holding tax is a simple form of this. Some of this tax can be destroyed to stabilize the monetary mass (supply)
**(1). Rewarding good behaviors via tax redistribution: An algorithmic system that determines good behavior given this is voted on. This could involve MANY metrics (see SDGs). A voting system that allows users to specifically endorse candidates this could use quadratic and or conviction voting system. Note that we have not yet implemented a voting system yet and use clustering pTNACC as a basis for distributing Sarafu on a weekly basis.**
**(1). Rewarding good behaviors via tax redistribution:** An algorithmic system that determines good behavior given this is voted on. This could involve MANY metrics (see SDGs). A voting system that allows users to specifically endorse candidates this could use quadratic and or conviction voting system. Note that we have not yet implemented a voting system yet and use clustering pTNACC as a basis for distributing Sarafu on a weekly basis.
**4a, 4b. Localized currency creation with connect-ability:** The ability to create credit systems for businesses and community projects and connect them to others: CICs being created using this NT as a reserve gives people the ability to label tax and leverage the NT to create a promissory note against future production (See`Bancor Protocol <https://support.bancor.network/hc/en-us/sections/360002084771-Whitepaper->`_ for smart contracts here).
.. image:: images/blog/currency-supply247.webp
Note that many types of tokens can be added to a reserve pool for a CIC (including the possibility of Carbon credits, Stable coins and so on). Also note that a CIC need not have any reserve if there is no exchange between other CICs. In which case a CIC is simply a promissory note against future production. Localized CIC creation was available in in 2019 and has been put on hold for all of 2020 and will reopen with some modifications (namely to the target reserve ratio being 100% hence no leverage) in January 2021!
**5. Connected CIC and Price stabilization:** Finally we want labor and commodity price stabilization for the NT as well as the CICs. Given the ability to fix the supply of each prices of goods and services can stabilize by virtue of arbitrage between markets of CICs themselves. Note that less than 100% target reserve ratios will be added back over time based on standard development and regulatory compliance for custodial systems - non custodial systems can have a lot more freedom..
All these concept and conjectures could use a lot of testing, modeling and token engineering. If interested please `contact <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/contact>`_ us wherever you are!
* A very sadly unfinished cadCAD model was created by `BlockScience <https://gitlab.com/grassrootseconomics/cic-modeling>`_ - but it is a good robust framework to get started.
* You can also watch me playing with simpler models at the `Vilage market simulator <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPUExzwZAUpbEInJy_8Wj_c_mDsw7-qXe>`_ series.
* Our `open source code <https://gitlab.com/grassrootseconomics/cic-docs>`_ is all on GitLab is here.
* Field Datasets can be found `here <http://grassecon.org/research>`_.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
:title: Demystifying Currency Creation and Backing
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Apr 18, 2020
:slug: demystifying-currency
:modified: Apr 21, 2020
:summary: Once upon a time a goat herder counted his herd and found 100 goats (some old and some young). That was a nice surprise. He estimated a...
.. image:: images/blog/demystifying-currency1.webp
Once upon a time a goat herder counted his herd and found 100 goats (some old and some young). That was a nice surprise. He estimated a market price of about $100 for a goat once they were mature. Then he went to the blockchain via an easy-to-use interface on his flip phone and created 10,000 goat tokens. He used them to pay trusted carpenters to build a barn where he could keep more animals.
By the 3rd month of construction he spent all 10,000 tokens and earned another 2,500 tokens by selling a quarter of the mature goats. (He can only sell the goats slowly to maintain his herd). He now has 75 goats left plus another 15 goats that were just born.
This cycle of spending and redeeming goat tokens could go on and on for years. The Canadian Tire company did something similar with paper vouchers and these coupons for car tires are still in use after 30+ years.
This kind of community-level credit creation can be a lifesaver when national currency is in short supply. Using goats themselves as a currency is actually a useful strategy, "We enable smallholder rural, off-grid farming communities to meet their farming and household needs using livestock as currency" - `Uptrade. <https://uptrade.org/>`_.
**Lets look at how it works, and how to to address the risks.**
In a community, a group can come together and decide on the assets they will use to back their community currency collectively, e.g. goats + grapes + corn. Then they can issue a credit to everyone in the group - this is sometimes called a mutual credit. A municipality may create credits this same way and back them with public transport usage and acceptance for taxes.
but
**Who is keeping track of how many goats there are and are ready to sell?**
What if some of the goats are killed by a lion or die from a disease and the goat herd is decimated? In fact, the goat herder never had 100 mature goats to begin with - the goat tokens were a promise against future (mature) goat production. If the backing of goats becomes unstable then a lot of people could be left with goat tokens they can't redeem. What if there is a run on the 'bank' and everyone wants goats at once? Well get to how to solve this in a moment.**
but **What if the goat herder wanted to allow other people to make those goat tokens?** The reason this might be attractive to the goat herder is that if someone were to ADD a goat to his herd and breed with the other goats then over time it would produce more goats. What is that worth? Since the goat herder is the one establishing the value at 100 tokens = 1 goat, adding a goat to the goat reserve should create $100 dollars more of goat tokens (100 goat tokens).
and
**What if the goat herder wants to trade with the cereals shop in town?**
Well, lets say the cereals shop owner doesn't want goats at all. Would she accept these tokens? If she could spend the tokens on other things she needed like labor and cereal distributors then perhaps she could accept 'some', but anyone accepting them would need at some point to have some trust in the goat token issuer.
so
**Reserves to de-risk**
Seeing this problem of lack of trust in his goat tokens, the herder decides to put up some collateral in national currency (it could be any common reserve token if one exists for that region). The goat herder feels so strongly that he will accept back the tokens for goats that in order to build confidence in people he takes $1,000 dollars it up into a contract on a blockchain (using his feature phone). That means anyone who has goat tokens can trade their tokens for national currency without any middleman. Plus, if anyone adds to the reserve of dollars they can create more goat tokens.
Now the goat herder has promises of goats as backing for his tokens as well as some collateral in national dollars. If he ends up with all the tokens again by selling goats he can simply cash out those vouchers to get back his reserve. Doing this on a public blockchain means that anyone can see the backing for his tokens now in dollars (or any reserve token such as xDAI). That helps with the tracking problem and the backing problem - both good for trust.
and
What if the goat herder wants to trade with the cereals shop in town?
Well, lets say the cereals shop owner doesn't want goats at all. Would she accept these tokens? If she could spend the tokens on other things she needed like labor and cereal distributors then perhaps she could accept 'some', but anyone accepting them would need at some point to have some trust in the goat token issuer.
so
**Reserves to de-risk**
Seeing this problem of lack of trust in his goat tokens, the herder decides to put up some collateral in national currency (it could be any common reserve token if one exists for that region). The goat herder feels so strongly that he will accept back the tokens for goats that in order to build confidence in people he takes $1,000 dollars it up into a contract on a blockchain (using his feature phone). That means anyone who has goat tokens can trade their tokens for national currency without any middleman. Plus, if anyone adds to the reserve of dollars they can create more goat tokens.
Now the goat herder has promises of goats as backing for his tokens as well as some collateral in national dollars. If he ends up with all the tokens again by selling goats he can simply cash out those vouchers to get back his reserve. Doing this on a public blockchain means that anyone can see the backing for his tokens now in dollars (or any reserve token such as xDAI). That helps with the tracking problem and the backing problem - both good for trust.**
**Target reserve ratio (TRR)**
The Target Reserve Ratio is the point at which the contract on the blockchain will give $1 of reserve dollars for 1 goat token. When the herder creates his reserve of dollars on the blockchain he fixes a Target Reserve Ratio. The higher the TRR, the more stable the price of the token will be. Let's say he chooses 10% for his TRR. This would mean that when there are $1,000 dollars in reserve and a total supply of 10,000 goat tokens, the value of those tokens will be 1 token = $1 dollar. Another term for the contract that shows the relationship between the value of dollars and the value of goat tokens is the bonding curve.
**Shares of an asset**
Using this bonding curve means that as reserve is added (+) the value of the goat tokens will go up compared to the dollar reserve.
As tokens are destroyed and reserve is pulled out (-) the value of the remaining goat tokens will go down compared to the dollar reserve.**
**Primary Market**
The goat herder creates a primary market around his goats by spending and redeeming tokens. He keeps the value of his goat tokens stable by backing them over time with his goats. His token is stable over time for as long as he redeems the tokens and people want the goats. Primary markets are important because they determine the base value of goods and establish a value for the tokens.
**Secondary Market**
What happens If the value of the goat tokens drops (-) below a dollar because people at the cereals shop are cashing them out for reserve? Then it becomes even more attractive for people who want to buy goats. Anyone who wants goats could also add reserves cheaply in order to claim them for goats later. The issuer (the goat herder) could also add national currency to the reserve (the secondary market on the blockchain) and create more tokens to pay for more labor.
The primary market forms the basis for value on the secondary market. As the secondary market value goes up (+) more people will cash out the tokens for dollars. The more it drops (-) the more people will cheaply buy tokens to get goats.
**More Currencies, More Resilience**
Because the herder has added a reserve to his token, it means that his token will automatically have value against other tokens with the same or connected reserves. This means that anyone in the world could accept the herders credit (tokens) because they can always see the reserve on the blockchain behind it. They can convert it to the reserve and also put that reserve into their own tokens.
**Risks**
The inherent risk in trusting any single issuer of a currency is that they will no longer be able to, or just stop, reclaiming the tokens for goats (or goods or services - whatever is backing the currency). (This is akin to a bank run). By adding collateral to a reserve, a secondary market can reduce risk and build trust. It can also enable many credit systems to connect together into larger economies. Weve seen this build stable markets that allow communities to trade their goods and services with a much wider population.
The risks of using tokens with on-chain collateral are easily measurable based on the size of the reserve, the trade on the network, and the target reserve ratio. In contrast, the risk of accepting a token thats only backed by physical goats requires that I both want a goat (or I know others that do) and trust that the promised goats will be around.**
**Takeaway**
Credit creation can be regulated and de-risked in a whole new way, where anyone could potentially issue their own credit. A network of such credit issuers and users can form a decentralized economy, which is more resilient to crisis. This is what Grassroots Economics is doing with partners like the Red Cross.
The technology is now open source and we encourage replication and development. You can see more of the impact in Kenya `here with nearly 100K USD trading on the networks monthly <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/post/crisis-supply-chains>`_ trading on the networks monthly. We hope to open this secondary market up for anyone to contribute in the next two months.**
**Timely: How this impacts aid and COVID-19**
What if instead of goats, a non-profit created a primary market of credit with donor funds to bolster local food security and health? The secondary market on the blockchain allows anyone in the world to add reserve (liquidity) and give more value to these tokens. Its a way to multiply donor funds and allow locals like the goat herder to buy and sell the goods they need. At a time when international and national markets are collapsing, tools that allow people at the local level to trade needed goods and services without national currency is critical.
**How can I do it?**
https://katanapools.com/ is a site where you can use the Bancor protocol to create a goat token or any other and add one or multiple reserves to it on the Ethereum blockchain. More in this Medium article.
All the code to create and trade these types of tokens is open source. To understand the bonding curves we use,read the open source Bancor Protocol whitepaper: https://storage.googleapis.com/website-bancor/2018/04/01ba8253-bancor_protocol_whitepaper_en.pdf.
**How can I support?**
Turning these open source infrastructures into something anyone in the world can use is our priority. We are racing to address the widespread impact of COVID-19 on peoples income, food security, and health. Funding to bring on more developers and to do more pilots and help communities right now is what we need. Please contact us if you would like to take part.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
:title: Detergent Accelerator
:author: Daniel Mukosia
:date: Mar 13, 2017
:slug: detergent-accelerator
:summary: Julius Nyelele has been a member of Lindi Business Network for more than one year. He is a roadside seller of washing detergents and body...
.. image:: images/blog/detergent-accelerator1.webp
Julius Nyelele has been a member of Lindi Business Network for more than one year. He is a roadside seller of washing detergents and body jelly. He says that, at first he never understood the concept behind community currency, but later when he actively started using Sarafu-Credit he got more customers who are part of the Business Network. He has been selling most of his products along the road since he didnt have a place to store his products, but currently he has a host of ready customers who are part of the business network that always purchase his products using Kenya Shillings and Sarafu-Credit (Community currency). He says that his products are always first moving now and thats increasing his sales and savings. He is also starting to use the community super market space to store his products and has expanded his business to selling larger quantities.
Julius is benefiting from increased connection among the members and businesses of his community. By virtue of hundreds of shops receiving an interest free credit to use among each-other in an area overall efficiency greatly increases. Instead of waiting on Kenyan Shillings to make a purchase, members of these networks can trade using credit that is readily available. These networks also develop assets, like supermarket stock, that backs the credits (community currency) in case of defaults and to grow the credit supply.
`#detergent <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/detergent>`_ `#bodyoil <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bodyoil>`_ `#businessaccelerator <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/businessaccelerator>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
:title: Disrupting Currencies
:author: Lynda Chalker
:date: Oct 3, 2018
:slug: disrupting-currencies
:summary: Grassroots Economics Foundation has been at the forefront of empowering bottom-of-the-pyramid communities in Kenya by use of Sarafu...
Grassroots Economics Foundation has been at the forefront of empowering bottom-of-the-pyramid communities in Kenya by use of Sarafu Network; a network of Community Currencies, (CCs), operating in Nairobi and Mombasa respectively.
It started with 75 businesses in Kongowea (Mombasa) launching Eco Pesa as the first local currency in 2010, then Bangla-Pesa in Mikindani-Mombasa-Kenya, which the locals embraced. To-date, community members have been using it as a Community Currency to pay for goods and services enriching their daily lives.
.. image:: images/blog/disrupting-currencies1.webp
*Will Rúddick the pioneer of community currencies in Kenya, listening at a strategic planning session.*
This project, which started with an aim to reduce economic instability in marginalize communities has seen people and businesses increase local trade by providing a complementary means of payment where the national currency is scarce. This reduces debts as CCs become a spending currency while the Kenyan shilling, becomes a tool for saving. In Nairobi, more than 1000 small businesses take an active role in their own economic development in this way. This has led to a 17% increase in local jobs creation and 37% growth in sales revenue through the frequent transactions that happen in these ` Sarafu-Credit locales. <http://www.grassrootseconomics.org/community-currencies>`_.
.. image:: images/blog/disrupting-currencies57.webp
The good news about this is that Sarafu-Credit users in these communities, no longer depend on their income or wages as the only way to cater for their daily needs. They can now depend on each other and use local currencies to buy food like fruits, vegetables, snacks and access services like tailoring, hairdressing and getting rid of waste materials dumped within the community.
Community Currencies in the Sarafu Network like Gatina Pesa in Kawangware connect underutilized work forces with unused resources to create local industries that guarantee the provision of basic needs.
So, how do people in the Network use `Sarafu-Credit? <http://www.grassrootseconomics.org/media>`_
.. image:: images/blog/disrupting-currencies92.webp
*Sarafu-Credit users in Gatina, Kawangware*
Sarafu-Credit users get to access goods and services from sellers who accept the CCs, creating a network of traders who unite the different areas and hence uplifting the economy of that community.
Besides, traders using Sarafu-Credit as an alternative economic system and supplementing the inadequate national currency, they are also achieving SDGs goals themselves in vulnerable communities. For example, Sarafu has a direct impact on; food security, decent work, sustainable communities and economic growth.
**Design and cultural symbolism of community currency.**
Sarafu-Credit is created using cryptocurrencies and also is printed on high-quality paper with designs and symbolic representations depicting the cultural values of the community. This leaves no room for counterfeiting. Participants involved accept and agree on this form of exchange, creating a connected and liquid market for all the Community Currencies in these regions.
What to note is, the implementation of CCs system in Kenya, is an innovative way of improve living standards, as it also protects and advances Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SDGs can be tied to community currencies, whereby for instance, farmers could be linked directly with urban consumers by using a local currency, enhancing food security.
.. image:: images/blog/disrupting-currencies144.webp
*The Chief Operating Officer of Grassroots Economics, Emanuel Dominic delivering a presentation on community currencies.*
Community events like the one in the photo below in Nairobi and Mombasa target community members who are new to the concept of community currencies and the longtime users who will be recognized for their knowledge/progress as Sarafu-Credit users and ability to take charge of their lives.
.. image:: images/blog/disrupting-currencies171.webp
*A Sarafu-Credit user from Lindi, Kibera.*
This is an open day dedicated to community sharing, networking, educating and training on how the CCs work, as well as coming together to implement new ways that their own Community Currency will improve their communities.
For future updates; Subscribe to our newsletter (link to newsletter) and like our social media platforms.
Use the hashtag `#sarafucredit <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/sarafucredit>`_ `#lindipesa <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/lindipesa>`_ `#complementarycommunitycurrency <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/complementarycommunitycurrency>`_ `#Economics4Change <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Economics4Change>`_ to join the conversation.
#sarafucredit #lindipesa #Economics4change #complementarycommunitycurrency #SarafuCredit

View File

@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
:title: Economies into Ecosystems
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Dec 25, 2019
:slug: economies-into
:summary: The reserve behind these tokens, the actual aid funding, was about $2.5k USD).This means that $2,500 USD of Aid funds created 10,000 tokens
.. image:: images/blog/economies-into1.webp
This is one of 6 locations around Kenya using Community Inclusion Currencies (CICs). Here you can see the trading between the 1,877 most-active users in the Mnyenzeni area of Kwale, Kenya (a chronically food-insecure area) over the last 2 months November and December 2019. Their total amount of trade together was 5,476,805 tokens locally worth about $50,000 USD. To put this in context: Each user represents a family of ~5 living on ~50 USD a month while they continue to spend that 50 USD they are now spending an additional 30 USD of CICs. Hence CIC spending could average around 38% of their spending this is an increase of 1.6 times their consumption. That is roughly 1.6 times the children going to school regularly, 1.6 more meals being eaten and so on.
Rather than simply give out national currency as in typical aid programs the idea here is to seed the reserves of Community Inclusion Currencies (CICs). The CICs leverage their reserve into 4x the amount of local credit available. CIC are essentially shares of both underlying reserves as well as social capital (community acceptance). People can use them to pull out the national currency in reserve over time or trade them with each other acting as a medium of exchange when national currency is scarce.
This $50,000 USD of trade acts as a sustainable buffer system that is resilient to shocks that cause National Currency to vanish and stall markets. It is filling a gap left by a lack of medium of exchange. The 50,000 USD of trade shown here was done using roughly 10,000 tokens (CICs) each given an initial local value of about $1 USD. The reserve behind these tokens, the actual aid funding, was about $2.5k USD).
This means that $2,500 USD of Aid funds created 10,000 tokens (CICs) which were treated as shares and given a value of $10,000 USD which was used to facilitate $50,000 USD of trade this is an impact multiplier of 20x!
What is exciting about CICs is that any community could decide to take some capital and treat it as a commons and leverage it into a local credit system and integrate with other credit systems. Those 1,877 users above are using 3 distinct Community Inclusion Currencies backed by different groups of businesses and their own reserves.
**So how did these 3 currencies get started in the Mnyenzeni area of Kenya?** Reserves in Kenyan Shillings were added by donors and the CICs were minted based on that collateral. The Chief, elders, and womens groups all came together for training from other communities already using CICs and began using a feature phone-based (button phone = no need for internet or smart phone) platform to trade with each other, each having received an air-drop of 400 CICs (worth about $4 USD). Here in Kenya the injection of seed capital from Humanitarian Aid into the reserves of these systems is the jump start (bootstrap) that gets everyone involved and builds trust in the system. Most importantly the marketplace starts with a few groups (mostly savings and loan womens groups) and foundational businesses or cooperatives that agree to accepting CICs. They give users a reason to continually refill the reserve and increase the value of the CICs.
What most excites me about 2020 is that these tools are being piloted and made available on an `open source platform <http://github.com/teamsempo>`_ platform and could be available via Red Cross worldwide in the next few years. This means a lot for humanitarian aid, for poverty and for humanity.
`#RedCross <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/RedCross>`_ `#Sempo <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Sempo>`_ `#CICs <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/CICs>`_ `#HimanitarianAid <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/HimanitarianAid>`_ `#Kenya <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Kenya>`_ `#Economies <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Economies>`_ `#Ecosystems <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Ecosystems>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
:title: Education and Business Cycles
:author: Ruth Mwangi
:date: Oct 19, 2016
:slug: education-and
:summary: A lot has been said about the education system in Kenya. The introduction of free primary education in 2003 was received with mixed...
.. image:: images/blog/education-and1.webp
A lot has been said about the education system in Kenya. The introduction of free primary education in 2003 was received with mixed reactions across the country, UNESCO, (2005). The governments task force reported that the implementation of the program was faced with a number of glaring challenges that required to address. Delays in the disbursement of funds to support free primary school education have frustrated many teachers and put financial pressure on parents.
According to UNESCO, 2015, the mismanagement, misallocation and embezzlement of funds by corrupt government officials is another challenge facing free primary education in Kenya.
Since privately-ran schools do not benefit from free primary education, they are faced with the challenge of students missing school due to lack of tuition fees; but not in the 14 schools in Gatina and Kangemi area where parents have the liberty of supplementing their childrens school fees with Sarafu-Credit. A teacher offering tuition on a Saturday morning would accept between 10% and 50% of payment in Sarafu-Credit and the rest in Kenya Shillings. A school such as Sifa School located in Nairobis Kawangware area accepts at least 100 Sarafu-Credit for every Ksh. 1000 paid as school fees. Sifa School has not only been accepting part of its school fees in Sarafu-Credit, it has also being using this form of community currency for salary advances to its teachers since October 2014. This arrangement has seen less students miss school due to lack of National currency while enabling teachers to get access to advance payments in Sarafu-Credit.
Accumulated Sarafu-Credit is traded back in the community for fruits, vegetables and other basic needs; while the vendors in turn use the Sarafu-Credit received to supplement their childrens school fees. Excess Sarafu-Credit is exchanged back for Kenya Shillings each month.
At Grassroots Economics, we believe that every child has a right to education hence we have a role to play in ensuring that our next generation of leaders have access to education.
`#education <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/education>`_ `#kenya <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/kenya>`_ `#sarafu <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/sarafu>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
:title: Elections, Service, Mapping and Nairobi
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Mar 20, 2014
:slug: elections-service
:summary: New Board and Community Service Contributions On April 19th the Bangladesh Business Network had their first official board elections and...
New Board and Community Service Contributions
On April 19th the Bangladesh Business Network had their first official board elections and ratified their statues. They also voted on the use of their community funds. When each member is registered to join the network they receive 200 Bangla-Pesa and another 200 Bangla-Pesa is added to the community fund backed by their goods and services. The community fund consists of each 170 members dues of 200 Bangla-Pesa each minus those used for administrative purposes such as networking exercises.
Community funds were given to both environmental and health organizations in the community. A community environmental and waste collection team was awarded 2,000 Bangla-Pesa as was a group of Community Heath Workers. These funds will be used by the members of those groups to purchase goods and services at the shops of the network members. This way the network is helping to support their community through their own goods and services.
Networking
Our networking team led by Alfred Sigo has been working to knit the community businesses together. Beyond having a means of exchange to trade among each other there is a lot of work to make sure there is a thriving market in which everyone is aware of each others' offers and wants. In a more efficient market less and less currency is needed to facilitate daily trade. For this purpose we continue to visit each member of the network and connect them with new customers. We've been slowly generating the following map of businesses in the community once it is done we will create a sign board to help people know where to use their Bangla-Pesa.
Kangemi-Pesa? Nairobi
Last week Will Ruddick was invited to Kangemi, an informal settlement in Nairobi, where a group of local schools together with Nyendo-Learning Hand in Hand are taking their first steps in replicating the Bangla-Pesa program. We are excited to see another community benefit from enabling themselves to issue and manage their own community currency. We are also happy to be talking with professors of economics from the University of Nairobi on studying these programs.
`#bangla <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bangla>`_

398
content/blog/emmas-duka.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,398 @@
:title: Emma's Duka Community Currency Movement
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: May 21 2021
:slug: emmas-duka
:summary: Emma's Duka Community Currency Movement - in support of those seeking to free themselves from poorly designed monetary systems.
`Click for recording. <https://youtu.be/BiArnG8jv9g>`_. (not exactly what was recorded - but close enough)
.. image:: images/blog/emmas-duka1.webp
This song is called Emmas Duka, and it's about Emma, and the
Duka where you could shop for all kinds of stuff, like peanuts, but Emmas Duka is not the name of the duka, that's just the name of the song, and that's why I called the song Emmas Duka.
| *You can trade with anything you want at Emmas Duka (E - A - E -B7)*
| *You can trade with anything you want at Emmas Duka (E - A - E -B7)*
| *Walk right in, its around the back (E - E7)*
| *Just a half a mile from the railroad track (E - A)*
| *You can trade with anything you want at Emmas Duka (E - A - E -B7)*
Now it started a few years back, when I went with a friend to visit Emma. And while we were talking to Emma she had a customer come up, his name was Alfred and he didnt have a shilling on him. Instead of turning him away she wrote his name down on a little paper and the price of the peanuts and told him he could pay her later by repairing her shoes.
That seemed like a great idea and we figured we could just print up a bunch of those IOUs as vouchers for the whole community so they could still trade their goods and services when they didnt have Kenyan shillings.
and thats what we did and proceeded to give out ten of these paper vouchers worth about 400 Kenyan Shillings of goods and services to everyone in the village - to spend and accept back up with their own goods and services just like Emma did.
And pretty soon everyone was trading with these little voucher like they was currency
and we called it a community currency and it was working just fine to increase the local trade.
That is, until one day, Alfred was walking to Emmas Duka to buy some peanuts with his community currency in his pocket and just as he crossed the railroad track, 2 police officers jumped out of the bushes.
They like to hide there you see.
And they told Alfred, “That was an unlawful railroad crossing the proper railroad crossing being one whole mile down that way.” And they told Alfred “if you dont give us some chai (they were very hungry) were taken you to jail”
And Alfred looked in his pockets and didnt have one Shilling, but fishing around there he pulled out one of Emmas Duka vouchers and told the officers they could go get some chai with that in the village at Emmas Duka.
.. image:: images/blog/emmas-duka95.webp
Well, their eyes got real big and said “we cant take bribes unless they're in Kenyan Shillings!”
Legal tender that is.
and they proceeded to take Alfred to the police station. And when they told the chief of Police what happened his eyes got real big too and he said “that there sounds like a case of gosh darn terrorism!”
And before you knew it on the front page of the Daily Nation news paper was a headline showing Emmas Duka Community Currency as part of af Secessionist plot and in league with the notorious Al Shaba terrorist organization!
And 15 officers from the terrorist police squad in full riot gear with grenades and automatic rifles, knocked down the door of poor old Emmas Duka and took her to jail along with her compatriots Paul, Rose, and Caroline who happened to be in the vicinity holding Emmas Community Currency.
Then the police called me on the phone and said “Son, wed like you to come in for questioning”.
And so I gathered up all my papers and spreadsheets and presentations on the topic, left my 6 month old daughter with her mama and went over to the police station.
And they sat me down in front of the chief of police and an officer of the central bank
Officer Obie, that is
and asked me to explain my involvement in Emmas Duka Community Currency.
And I proceed to open my laptop and give a powerpoint about where similar things had been done before in other countries where people wanted to trade with each other but didnt have national currency. And the officer stopped me at some point and said “well what gave you the right to help print this currency for Emmas Duka?!”
And so I had to inform him that there was an age old story about foreigners assisting Kenyans in developing currency and it went like this:
------------------
“A long time ago an old man from the British East India Company walked into a village market day, and he was wearing some shiny shoes and a top hat. And everyone stopped to look at him, because they had never seen such shiny shoes, and one woman and her husband lost control of a cart of chickens and had to run around gathering them up.
That old man chuckled and told them to meet him at the big tree in the middle of the village.
And because he had two armed guards with him, folks thought they better just give him a listen.
And he sat there on a rock by the tree and took out a piece of leather and started to cut it into small rounds. And then he took out a stamp with the symbol of the royal crown on it and stamped each one.
Then he gave ten of these rounds to everyone there at the market and told them you can use these instead of chickens and other stuff to trade with each other.
And the villagers were shaking their heads because they already used shells for money, but they thanked the man anyway to be polite.
Then the man said well Im actually going to need those back at the end of the month, and in addition to the ten I gave you Im going to need interest and want just one more than that.
And just as everyone was nodding and walking away, one man in the back stood up and said, “Where would we all get 11th round from if you only gave us 10 and we cant make our own?”
Then the man chuckled and said, “well if you cant pay it back youll have to come work for me.” And thats what happened, the an loaned out more and more money, and no matter what a few people couldnt pay back and he got more and more people to work for him,
and eventually that old man, he setup what was called the East African Protectorate
That was supposed to protect people, you see
and in order to protect people, they started what they call a hut tax, so every Kenyan had to pay the British to live in their own houses -
Well this worked pretty well to get everyone busy working for the British to protect things ….
That is until … the queen told all the old men the gig was up and to hightail it outta there and when they left, Kenyans just kept up the same system and called it Kenyan Shillings.
------
Now this was just to point out that trading peanuts for shoe repair and utilizing Emmas Duka vouchers as a medium of exchange came from a long line of historical and contemporary community currencies and that Emma's peanuts as backing for a currency, was a lot more civilized than various imperial methods of forcing a currency onto people.
But as I explained various theories of monetary issuance, Officer Obie from the central bank just wasnt having it his eyes just got get bigger and bigger as he got angrier and angrier,
and he stood up and grabbed my laptop where my power-point was and said, “I am taking this here laptop as evidence!”
“Evidence of what?” I asked and he said “Evidence of of of … nefarious planning illegal terrorist activities”
And Obie proceeded to take my fingerprints and my belt and one of my shoes. I asked him why he needed my belt and shoes and said “well here in jail you arent allowed to hang yourself or run away.”
So Officer Obie locked me in along with Emma, Alfred, Paul, Rose and Caroline and a bunch of other folks who happened to have crossed the railroad in the wrong location.
And we all got to be talking about our nefarious activities and all of a sudden, I had the urge to relieve myself and asked where the toilet was and they all pointed down the hall.
I looked in there and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see the ground covered in months of human waste.
And seeing as how I only had the one shoe, I wasnt about to go in there. So I went back to my fellow convicts and proceeded to barter for one of their shoes. All I had was a box of matches and some buttons and thank goodness that was enough, and one generous convict let me borrow their shoe. Now with two shoes, I went in and relieved myself and we all slept the night under a cloud of mosquitoes wondering what was going to happen.
.. image:: images/blog/emmas-duka229.webp
When the guards awoke us in the morning we were taken to a yard and Officer Obie asked if we understood yet what we had done wrong
and I had to admit that we had not given that we had been barter trading for shoes in order to take a dump and he told me he wouldnt have any of that and promptly put us in the back of a pickup truck and took us to the high court.
Once we got there we were put in another prison cell, and one guard after another, five of them in all told us that if we gave them something good they would make sure we didnt end up in the fish hole which is what they called the federal prison.
But we didnt have much among us, and so we just waited to see the judge. And after nearly a day of waiting we got to see the honorable judge - who was looking through my powerpoint and Emmas Duka Community Currency paper vouchers.
She asked us how we pleaded to the charges of terrorism and gorgery laid down by the Daily Nation Newspaper and Officer Obie
and we all pleaded not-guilty seeing as how we aint never done no forgery or treason and just wanted to trade peanuts for shoe repair.
She wasnt so sure about that and for the next few months so we had to keep coming to court to see if we would end up in Shimo la Tewa.
The fish hole that is
After an international petition signed across the globe saying that folks ought to be able to trade peanuts for shoe repair, this all got the government highly agitated
and the director of public prosecution (Hon. Keriako Tobiko) took the case over and after reviewing all the evidence said there was no law being broken by trading peanuts for shoe repair, even if it was facilitated using a community currency
and the lot of us, Emma, Alfred, Paul, Rose, Caroline and myself were all allowed to go free but they wouldnt give us any of the community currency back for some reason they didnt tell us.
.. image:: images/blog/emmas-duka285.webp
Now do you remember Emma? This is a Story about Emma.
She packed up her broken duka and moved to near Lake Victoria and started another community currency there and still lets people pay however they want for her peanuts.
And finally, Officer Obie called me and gave me my laptop back and then he looked at me and said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send your fingerprints off to Nairobi."
And friends, somewhere in Nairobi enshrined in some little folder, is a
Study in black and white of my fingerprints along with Emmas Dukas original Community Currency.
And the only reason I'm singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if you happen to be in a situation where the your country has banned your home grown crypto currencies and youve got a police officer is tellin you what you can and cant use to buy and sell your goods and services,
There's only one thing you can do and that's walk up to that police officer that is harassing you wherever you are, just walk up and explain that “we aint got your kinda money and you can trade with anything you want, at Emmas Duka." And walk away.
You know, if One person, just one person does it they may think she's really just crazy and
They won't put her in jail.
And if two people, two people do it, in harmony,
They may think they're both crazy and they won't take either of them.
And if three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking up
Singin a bar of Emmas Duka and walking away. They may think it's an
Organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,
I said Fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Emmas Duka and
Walking out. Friends, they may think it's a movement.
And that's what it is, the Emmas Duka Community Currency Movement,
And all you got to do, to join, is sing it the next time it comes around on the Guitar.
With feeling.
Folks, if you want to change the economic system you gotta sing loud.
So we'll wait for it to come around on the guitar, here and...
Sing it when it does. Here it comes...
| *You can trade with anything you want, at Emmas Duka*
| *You can trade with anything you want, at Emmas Duka*
| *Walk right in, it's around the back*
| *Just a half a mile from the railroad track*
| *You can trade with anything you want, at Emmas Duka*
|
Folks, That was horrible.
I've been singing this song now for twenty five minutes. I could sing it
For another twenty five minutes. I'm not proud... or tired.
So we'll wait till it comes around again, and this time with four part
Harmony and feeling.
We're just waitin' for it to come around is what we're doing….
All right now….
| *You can trade with anything you want, at Emmas Duka*
| *Excepting Emma*
| *You can trade with anything you want, at Emmas Duka*
| *Walk right in, it's around the back*
| *Just a half a mile from the railroad track*
| *You can trade with anything you want, at Emmas Duka*
| *Da da da da da da da daaaa*
| *At Emmas … Dukaaaa*

View File

@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
:title: Empowering Mothers
:author: tatiana.rubiano.goubert
:date: Mar 1, 2018
:slug: empowering-mothers
:summary: Sarafu-Credit: empowering strong women who never stop fighting for their families wellbeing We are joining together to celebrate mothers...
**Sarafu-Credit: empowering strong women who never stop fighting for their families wellbeing**
.. image:: images/blog/empowering-mothers1.webp
We are joining together to celebrate mothers lives. It is no secret that being a mother is like no other job in the world. It is a job that never ends and that demands the uttermost dedication. As daughters, grandmothers, fathers, brothers and sons we have come to understand of what commitment, extravagant grace and creativity looks like.
But even though the ripples of their work are present every day in our lives we can sometimes forget to be grateful and take their efforts for granted. Because of this we want to use this opportunity to celebrate the lives of these women and to make sure that they know how much we appreciate them.
This post goes out then to all women out there, in Bangladesh, Miyani, Lindi, Gatina, Ngombeni and Kangemi who are using community currencies to help support their children and ensure their offspring have the best possible chances in life. With the increase of income, women use most of the resources to improve the standard of living of their families above all other expenses. We have seen these heroines working with Sarafu-Credit to overcome the daunting obstacles that have previously kept their families in cyclical poverty. These mothers are breaking the chains of circumstances and rising to the opportunity to ensure food security and education for the next generation. The importance of their endeavors cannot be underestimated, women become the pillars of development on which their communities are built upon.
.. image:: images/blog/empowering-mothers57.webp
Zainabu, member of the Sarafu-Credit in Miyani, recalls the day when women came together to dig special pits to store water where they would eventually plant maize and legumes: “That time was special because I got paid in Sarafu-Credit from the community shop, this means when am done digging I can go to the community posho mill to mill my maize and have lunch ready for my children when they come from school. It also means I can go to other community members to buy vegetables or fruits to add to the meals!” - Testimonial collected by Caroline Dama
.. image:: images/blog/empowering-mothers71.webp
“My daughter used not to go to school because I did not have enough money. I decided to let the boys go and let the girl stay at home. But ever since I joined the BN, I was able to use the CC on my daily needs like food and water and save enough money such that I was able to enroll my daughter to school.”
Dama Ngala , member of Bangla-Pesa network since 2016 and a proud mother sending all of her children to school. - Testimonial collected by Lydia Anyango
.. image:: images/blog/empowering-mothers109.webp
Ever since I joined the network I started receiving many more people who come to fetch my water. Because I accept SC I get more customers.”
Priscilla, member of Ngombeni-Pesa since 2015 is happy that she can feed and take good care of her granddaughter Caro by using of Sarafu-Credit. - Testimonial collected by Lydia Anyango
`#mothersday <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/mothersday>`_ `#sarafu <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/sarafu>`_ `#communitycurrencies <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/communitycurrencies>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
:title: Enabling Leverage
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Dec 6, 2019
:slug: enabling-leverage
:summary: By exploring this space and enabling leverage we can open the door to truly decentralized financial services. If credit can be safely issued
.. image:: images/blog/enabling-leverage1.webp
From a Microfinance down to tabletop baking groups there is one thing that truly distinguishes these smaller and local financial service providers (FSPs) from a traditional bank and that is their inability to leverage their capital and issue credit. For the last 10 years Grassroots Economics has been working with micro businesses in marginalized communities to leverage their goods and services into a locally circulating credit (Sarafu-Credit or more generally called Community Currency). As we scale up these solutions to interact with larger and larger markets, we must provide guarantees for commercial businesses and other actors wanting to take part.
Banks are loosely bound to what we call a fractional reserve I say loosely because the regulation required of them makes it very hard to audit that reserve. This loose regulation enables banks to over-issue credit and causes runs on those banks several banks have collapsed in Kenya in the last few years due to this issue. Hence in re-imaging decentralized banking in the form Mohammed Yunnis was striving for, we need to do better than the existing financial industry standards.
At the heart of blockchain technology (Im not talking about crypto-currencies here) there is the ability to encode policies into credits being created by FSPs. This means that for a tabletop bank, microfinance or traditional bank the risk of credit issuance can be regulated in real-time and insurance systems can be scaled down to the size of a 25 women savings and loaning group in the communities we work with.
Here is how we've begun to envision those policies:
* **Pricing:** FSPs (including banks) credit should not be blindly assumed to be equal in value to national currency. The value of credit issued should maintain a 1:1 ratio when exchanged for national currency for only as long as the FSP maintains an adequate reserve of national currency. In other words, if an FSP is issuing credit there should be backing behind it and the value of that credit should, in real-time, reflect the ratio of reserve to supply of credit. While banks today engage in monetary expansion at high risk to society - by adjusting the exchange price of credit we ensure that no more than the reserve can ever be claimed.
* **Issuance:** The amount of credit available (minted) should depend on the amount of reserve of an FSP. As more reserve is available more credit is available. As more and more reserve is added - less credit is minted - this causes the ratio of reserve to supply to increase and likewise the price of the credit supply to increase and encourages full reserves. Note that such a relationship between price and supply should not allow prices to drastically exceed national currencies, instead the additional value can be automatically moved into an insurance fund.
* **Redemption:** The credits described here are claims against a reserve but if those claims can be too rapidly liquidated then the value of those credits will be lost. When a FSP puts capital into a reserve it should be locked into a vesting instrument meaning that those claims against it can only be redeemed slowly. This ensures there is time for insurances and market forces to fill back in the reserve as it is pulled out to maintain stability. Finally as credits are used to pull out reserve (rather than for local trade), the value of the remaining credit drops. This invites a market to cheaply add in reserve in order to mint more tokens and ensure stability of credit pricing.
* **Reserve:** While National Currency (on-chain in the form of stable tokens such as DAI and USDC) can be used as reserve now, there is a bright future in various reserve mechanisms residing on-chain, such as futures contracts and indexes into baskets of commodities as planned by groups like OpenLibra. Note that Community Currencies designed this way can be seen as shares of a collective reserve.
* **Insurance:** A sizable reserve can ensure that credit pricing is not too volatile there is still a need to insure FSP credit so that holders can know their risk of holding credit. As credit is issued and redeemed an insurance fund automatically stabilizes the price of those credits within acceptable limits.
For a video explainer of some of these policies please visit: https://youtu.be/8Z0chJBibhY and see the graphic below:
.. image:: images/blog/enabling-leverage83.webp
**What does this all mean?** While the above policies may sound complex, when imbued into the credits themselves (ala smart contracts), they enable something quite simple to happen. A tabletop banking group of 25 women in rural Kenya whom each save $1 a week and loan out those savings to their members now have the ability to leverage. Lets say they put $100 into a reserve (which could be funded by donors) - at a target reserve ratio of 25% (based on a standard body as a requirement for humanitarian aid) they would create $400 of credit (with some reserve held in an insurance fund). This $400 of credit maintains its value of $400 as long as there is money going into reserve to match money leaving it. Group savings, and demand on the groups goods and services keep adding to the reserve while anyone holding that credit has a guarantee against the $100 reserve meaning commercial businesses can accept the credit and pull out the National Currency they need to restock their supplies.
So far in 2019 using roughly $10,000 in reserve provided by `DOEN.nl <http://DOEN.nl>`_ and minting $40,000 in credit we've seen $200,000 USD in 80,000 transactions for basic needs in undeserved Kenyan communities. We're excited to be piloting these concepts with the Red Cross and `Sempo.ai <http://Sempo.ai>`_ in 2020 using Community Inclusion Currencies (`see recent news <http://news.trust.org/item/20191126123058-xtxvz/>`_). By exploring this space and **enabling leverage** we can open the door to truly decentralized financial services ( `see white paper <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/whitepaper>`_ ). If credit can be safely issued by the people using that credit, we can truly change our world.
`#leverage <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/leverage>`_ `#fsp <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/fsp>`_ `#banking <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/banking>`_ `#credit <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/credit>`_ `#microfinance <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/microfinance>`_ `#Yunnis <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/Yunnis>`_ `#CIC <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/CIC>`_ `#redcross <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/redcross>`_ `#sempo <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/sempo>`_

126
content/blog/ending-our.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
:title: Ending Our 2017
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Dec 8, 2017
:slug: ending-our
:summary: Dear Friends and Stakeholders, In just three years, Grassroots Economics grew from a community group working to help improve living...
Dear Friends and Stakeholders,
In just three years, Grassroots Economics grew from a community group working to help improve living conditions for residents of a slum with Bangla-Pesa, to a Foundation spreading its unique local development approach to six regions and thousands of businesses and schools around Kenya. Today these regions have become teaching centers for Certified Community Currency Designers (CCDs) around the world.
One of our first outside-Kenya duplications is in Kokstad, South Africa, which has become a learning center on its own. Such next generations of Community Currencies (CC) built on our models for rural and urban Sarafu-Credit will all in turn become teaching centers.
This years we have certified five Community Currency Designers and are working directly with roughly 1200 Kenyan businesses and schools trading over half a million USD in goods and services yearly using CCs. We are also consulting on a growing number of programs in Spain, Columbia, Nigeria, Uganda, and Congo.
Why Community Currencies?
The results from six Kenyan programs and those in other countries have some important features in common. A local means of exchange can build stability. We enable local production and service industries to create their own interest-free credit which they can use to employ local labor, who can in turn afford to purchase local products, even at times when seasonal and external markets are stagnant. Not only do CCs create stable markets but they also develop more trusting communities and enable social and environmental services.
More Effective Aid:
NGOs have shown that when their services are combined with Community Currency, they are more effective and more sustainable, as the CC enables a community to develop and sustain funding for social and environmental services.
How do our Community Currencies work?
Existing assets and future capacity of cooperative businesses are identified and developed as the basis for a mutual-credit that is sustainably used for community service work.
Our core staff, along with a network of CCDs, provide:
* Baseline and feasibility analysis services for budding communities, as well as assistance in monitoring and evaluation.
* Certification of Community Currency Systems and Designers assuring that they follow a high professional and ethical standard and perform regular financial auditing and renewal.
* In-person support to impart practical success stories and co-design customized systems. We also provide printing and digital currency services through our partners. as well as This seems to be a different topic.
* Capacity building for NGOs, local governments, communities and businesses to implement and manage a Community Currency.
With only six staff members, we are stretched thin! In Nairobi and Mombasa we have three employees each, a regional director, field officer and cooperative business developer, serving over 2,500 businesses AND providing support for certifying new CCDs. As demand for more local currencies and more CCDs continues to grow, we are not prepared and need your support.
.. image:: images/blog/ending-our1.webp
Where is Support Needed?
* Staffing:
* Grant writing, marketing and communications staff
* Training and certification staff
* IT and programming staff to support digital currencies
* An in-house accountant (we currently outsource our accounting).
* An Operations Manager
* Research, Monitoring and Evaluation
* Scholarships for Certified Community Currency Designers across Africa. We wish to train 50 CCDs from communities that cant afford to come to Kenya next year. We will support each CCD in turn to develop a program in their country of origin.
* Development of training materials (curriculum, videos, methodological tools)
* Further development of the community currencies in Kenya. We need more examples of Community Currency being used in Kenya with different populations. We wish to develop five more sites in urban, peri-urban and rural regions. In each region in Kenya we target thousands of small businesses and schools serving a greater community of tens of thousands in chronic need of stable markets and food security.
How Will We Get There?
This year we managed to cover roughly 20% of our operating costs through consulting, training, certification and cooperative business development. In 2018 we are seeking to sustainability cover our costs through international CCD student fees and consulting programs. In order to do this we need your support.
This year we managed to cover roughly 20% of our operating costs through consulting, training, certification and cooperative business development. In 2018 we are seeking to sustainability cover our costs through international CCD student fees and consulting programs. In order to do this we need your `support <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/get-involved>`_.
`#endyear <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/endyear>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
:title: Faith Based Community Inclusion Currencies
:author: Janet Akinyi
:date: May 11 2021
:slug: faith-based
:summary: Local churches and faith based organizations have begun to develop their own community currencies (Sarafu)
:tags: Faith,church
.. image:: images/blog/faith-based1.webp
Due to economic instability, many people in the marginalized communities are short of money to pay for church offerings or even worse, to set up their local churches. Local churches that have begun to develop their own community currencies (Sarafu) in order to developed their church structures and pay offerings and even meet their basic needs. Sarafu has created a stable medium of exchange allowing them to support one another as individuals and also their church at large. Below are some of the examples:
AMK CHURCH
****************
The church (pictured above) is located in Mkanyeni village, Mtaa location, Bofu Sub-location in Kasemeni ward, Kwale County. It was started way back in 1990. The church was founded by Pastor Dzeha Nyanje as the community did not have any place of worship around by then. Being that they could not afford the construction money, the congregation resorted to worshiping under a tree every Sunday. In the year 2000, through the leadership of Pastor Dzeha Nyanje,the church decided to put up a temporary structure using mud.
“The tree that provided us with the shade dried up and fell down and that's when we decided to build a temporary structure” Dzeha explains.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Mkanyeni community was among the numerous communities that were empowered by Sarafu to build their own prospering economies. Pastor Dzeha Nyanye was one of the people that was trained on how to use the Community Inclusion Currency -a blockchain based voucher used to trade among community members when the national currency is scarce. Dzeha who is also a shopkeeper explains how Sarafu has impacted his community positively,
*”Sarafu has been a safe way of trade even during the pandemic since I no longer need to carry cash, it has also created job opportunities in my community since the youths and even those without businesses or jobs can now offer services to those registered in Sarafu and earn an income. My sales have also increased as the users that could not have afforded a product from my shop due to lack of the national currency, can now use Sarafu to top up the little they have and get a product from me. I have created a network in my community and I'm also able to get other products that I dont have in my shop from other users in my network.”*
It is during this time that Dzeha saw an opportunity to develop his church. He quickly shared this concept with his congregation and they equally liked and received the concept well. They were happy and optimistic about building their church through Sarafu. They contributed Sarafu jointly and bought the building materials like sand, cement. metals, water and stones. They were able to pay the people that would work on the site in Sarafu and those people with Sarafu could pay tithings and local goods and services from the congregation. Their church is not yet done but they are grateful that Sarafu was introduced in their community. They are hoping to complete their roofing soon. *”We are grateful to Sarafu because through it, my community got empowered and as a church in particular, we've made tremendous developments.”* Said Elizabeth Chari, one of the church members.
.. image:: images/blog/faith-based80.webp
AMK churchs new permanent construction.
A congregation that consists of 48 members are now able to worship in a conducive environment. They are glad that they can now easily give in their church offerings every Sunday using Sarafu as this was initially a challenge since the national currency was scarce. Being that they worship together, theyve formed a sustainable economy and network where they support each other by exchanging goods and services using Sarafu during their normal days. They are therefore growing their local economy as well as receiving basic needs like food, water, transportation among other needs.
.. image:: images/blog/faith-based113.webp
ST. REGINA SEGERE LEGIO MARIA
***********************************
The church is located in Ouru village, Alego Usonga Constituency in Siaya County. The church was started in 1973. The church has a congregation of around 50 members pictured above. Apart from worshiping and praying together, they support the youths, orphans, widows, the physically challenged and the mentally challenged persons within their community. Theyve been using part of their tithes and offerings to run this course. Theyve also been mobilizing well wishers to attend harambes (community support offerings) after which they would use the funds raised to cater for the needs of the school going orphans under their custody.
When Emmaculate Onyango, one of the founders of Bangla-Pesa visited the church and enlightened them on the importance of the Community Inclusion Currencies (CICs), the church embraced the concept and created time for training. They grasped every aspect of how it works and 40 of them were then registered to the system. This group has been able to play a major role in their community as theyve also registered other members within their local markets hence creating a big sustainable network of trade. Above you can see the church members buying locally made candles in Sarafu.
They were lucky enough to also get empowered and trained on Syntropic Agroforestry through the Shamba ya Jamii program -a regenerative agriculture technique that provides a long term food forests. Theyve then started up their farm that they run and maintain using Sarafu. Theyve been able to source for local farm inputs and seeds and also pay labourers who work on their farms daily using Sarafu. Their farm is doing well and they are hopeful that in two weeks time, they will have their first harvest of vegetables.
Speaking to Christabell- a selfless hardworking lady in her mid twenties, she gladly explains how great Sarafu has improved their livelihood, *"It was hard feeding the big number of the vulnerable persons that we have under our care since the offerings that we use for the same weren't enough or rather sustainable. Since we started using Sarafu, the burden is lighter. We are able to source food from the nearby market since we also registered them in Sarafu. The youths are also empowered and can now offer services to different users and get paid in Sarafu. We receive more offerings than before and we use the same to cater for basic needs. We are also working hard in our farms and we are looking forward to good harvest that we will also sell in Sarafu”*
.. image:: images/blog/faith-based164.webp
Church members working on their farm.
.. image:: images/blog/faith-based190.webp
Pastors Network Nairobi
*****************************
This is a group of around 36 members from different denominations within the 30 counties out of the 47 counties in Kenya who came up with a vision to develop local churches, teach the good news, support the vulnerable persons in their community and reach out to the elderly within their communities. They usually contribute from their pockets to run their course. They have been experiencing financial challenges as sometimes they also lack the money to give into the kitty.
When Sarafu was introduced to their community, they felt that the concept would help them fill the gaps in their quest to support the vulnerable households in their different communities. They were trained on how to use the Community Inclusion Currencies(CIC) after which they were registered. They joined the many other communities that have been empowered to prosper their own economies. They were able to get basic needs through exchanging goods and services in Sarafu. The pastor Network Group joined hands and registered all the people under their course. *“Since we started using Sarafu, I have never slept hungry as I can easily get food from my network. Before Sarafu, I could only manage to get one meal a day. Im looking forward to making my network bigger to help me get more products. We also use Sarafu in our churches to pay tithes and offerings.”* Said Mary, the group's treasurer. Members of Pastors Network (pictured above) group ready to visit a number of vulnerable households.
The vulnerable people that they take care of have since been able to buy food, water and pay for their transportation using Sarafu. The burden is now lighter to the group as they only provide other needs like education and medical needs to them. They are planning to start up projects -bee keeping and farming that they will run and maintain using Sarafu. The main goal of the projects is to get more funds to help the vulnerable people and to create job opportunities within their communities.
We continue to drum up the importance of communities building their own economies through using the Community Inclusion Currencies that would hence enable them to exchange goods and services and maintain and run projects and businesses without waiting on the national currency that is mostly scarce especially in the marginalized communities. The churches are therefore not left behind as they are enabled to run their activities and support different peoples under their care through the use of Sarafu.
Written by:
Otieno Akinyi Janet

View File

@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
:title: Food Forests and Syntropic Currencies
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Oct 25, 2020
:slug: food-forests
:modified: Jan 15
:summary: Regenerating soil while practically providing crops and long term food forests is actually possible!
:tags: agroforestry,syntropic,food forest,curadao
.. image:: images/blog/food-forests1.webp
Having worked on a myriad farming techniques, Ive never been more inspired by the practicality and theory behind Syntropic Agroforestry. Regenerating soil while practically providing crops and long term food forests is actually possible!
Weve had the pleasure of hosting Roland van Reenen from Curacao and sent to us by `Curadao <https://twitter.com/Cura_DAO/status/1315367411042877450?s=20>`_.
He is convinced that food forestry via Syntropic Agroforestry will solve most of our fundamental crises and works with the government of Curacao on regenerative organic agriculture programs. Above you can see a group of Kenyan farmers taught agroforestry by Roland, who are also using Community Inclusion Currencies (CICs) here in Kenya to fund themselves to develop the food forest. If these few demo plots produce as much food as similar plots in Curacao (a drought stricken island with only half the annual rainfall of Kenya), we will have a grassroots revolution underway.
Some core syntropic principals:
* **Ensure Soil is covered:** so that water and nutrients dont evaporate and that roots and mycorrhizal fungi can absorb and move around those nutrients. (Dont even step on bare soil).
* **Maximize Photosynthesis:** plants requiring different amounts of sunlight can be planted above, below and around each other to ensure that sunlight isnt wasted on the soil and at least twice the amount of energy can be consumed by plants.
* **Succession:** Ensure that there is a clear succession of plants. E.g. As a cassava grows it can give shelter to a fruit tree.
* **Stratification** Fill each layer of vegetation and maintain diversity for system health. Space (stratification) has to be harmonized over time (life cycle), respecting the successional steps within each of the systems
* **Management** Keeping balance, reducing excess growth.
Using community currency to budget for the creation and maintenance of food forests seems as natural as the syntropic principals themselves. Indeed the circulation of community currency mirrors the concepts of mycorrhizal association and hyphal networks. “In some more complex relationships, mycorrhizal fungi do not just collect immobilized soil nutrients, but connect individual plants together by mycorrhizal networks that transport water, carbon, and other nutrients directly from plant to plant through underground `hyphal networks <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza#cite_note-Simard2012-35>`_.”
In this sense CICs connected through membranes (bonding curves) enable communities to transport vital resources. Further a CIC is a voucher for a particular group of resources identified by a village. One can hardly think of a better source of primary production than the food from a food forest being the anchor (backing of last resort) for a community currency.
Syntropic Agroforestry is the best candidate I have seen for regenerating rich soil, and developing sustainable fertile crops in a way that can be integrated into traditional farming here in Kenya. This could be the carbon sequestration, water harvesting and food system we need to heal our ecosystems. Im excited that community inclusion currencies could be the way to both fund their development, maintenance but also that these food forests establish a solid basis for the intrinsic value for currencies.
We dont have to stretch far at all to apply syntropic principals to a community currency and networks of community currencies. Syntropic principals loosely applied to community currency:
* **Ensure basic needs are covered:** Using anything but community currency for basic needs creates a dependency on foreign currencies or aid.
* **Maximize resources:** The benefits of foreign and local resources are best consumed by an entire supply chain in order to produce local productive capacity. Ensure a community currency is being utilized by each level of production, services and value addition.
* **Succession:** Ensure that there is a clear succession of community currency utilization. We often call this braiding: as the usage for CC among trade for food, moves into education, and haircuts and so on.
* **Stratification:** Ensure a diversity of usages for Community Currency - any gaps in diversity can lead toward extraction of local resources and eventual stagnation..
* **Management:** Ensure that the growth of a Community Currency is clearly bounded and its supply and value cant keep growing forever. When CC accumulates and stops flowing or dissipates into another ecosystems, management is key to regain healthy flow.
.. image:: images/blog/food-forests113.webp
In the above diagram, a community inclusion currency issued (1) based on needed inputs and labor for a food forest and circulates locally among diverse local users and (3) can be redeemed for the food produced. These food forest based currencies can hold a common reserve (4) which limits their growth and (5) allows them to connect to other communities.
We're excited to be adding this key component to anchor the flow of rural community currencies - and for what it may mean for food security and environmental restoration! Very appreciative to Roland and Curadao for spreading these systems far and wide!
Here is a simple illustrated handbook for Syntropic Agroforestry
.. raw:: html
<a class="pdf-download" href="pdfs-downloadable/Syntropic agroforestry handbook.pdf"
download="Syntropic agroforestry handbook">Syntropic agroforestry handbook</a>

View File

@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
:title: Foundational Member Passes
:author: Lydia Anyango
:date: Jun 5, 2017
:slug: foundational-member
:summary: It is sad to announce the sudden death of Dominic Okello (in the middle) who passed on early May 2017. He is a resident of Bangladesh...
.. image:: images/blog/foundational-member1.webp
It is sad to announce the sudden death of Dominic Okello (in the middle) who passed on early May 2017. He is a resident of Bangladesh community and also an active community currency member. He has been trading with Sarafu Credit since he joined the network in 2013 and has been a great inspiration to other members of the BN and through his stories he was able to entice others to join the BN.
The two BN in Mombasa (Ngombeni and Bangla) have come together to support the family of the late.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
:title: Francis the Millionaire
:author: Robin Gerbaux
:date: May 16, 2015
:slug: francis-the
:summary: Since several generations the family of Francis has been living in the same neighborhood of Nairobi, Gatina (Part of Kwangware). Gatina,...
.. image:: images/blog/francis-the1.webp
Since several generations the family of Francis has been living in the same neighborhood of Nairobi, Gatina (Part of Kwangware). Gatina, which means in Kikuyu “people that are behind”, is one of the biggest slums of the city. Basic public utilities, such as electricity, roads and sanitation are here deficient. For a living people are doing precarious daily jobs or when they have the opportunity they start their own informal business on the side of the road. That is what did Francis,5 years ago. At the age of 25, not having enough money to go to university he started selling sweets. After years of efforts, he was finally able to open a little shop and called it, as the bill board on its roof says, “Millionaire base”. Since then, to answer his basic needs and the ones of his wife and daughter, Francis works from 6am to 9pm, 7 days a week. But the business isnt good all year through. When comes the end of the months, Kenyan Shillings become scarce and trade decreases. Moreover, during the rainy season, because of the poor water draining system, floods are more than common and trade becomes nearly impossible.
After hearing of the Bangla-Pesa program Nyendo-lernen, a German NGO that works with schools in Kawangware, invited us to introduce the concept to the Gatina community. When Francis first heard about the success of Bangla-Pesa in Mombasa and the project of bringing it to Gatina, he was convinced and took part in the introduction of the idea to the community. Few months later we, together with the community, started the program. Gatina-Pesa was launched and Francis became the vice chairman and member of the Gatina Business Organization as did nearly 100 other businesses, schools and churches within the area. Every day, a part of his trade with the other members of the network happens through Gatina-Pesa. The members can now buy his products, even when they dont have enough Kenyan Shilling by topping up with Gatina-Pesa. As a result, his number of costumers and daily revenue increased. The same happened with the costumers belonging to the network. Indeed, as he put it “You buy in my shop, I buy in your shop”. According to him, this daily interaction with the members also made his shop famous among the community.
Every day, he usually receives 200 Gatina-Pesa (2$) from the members. But at the end of the months, when the Kenyan shillings are becoming scarce, the part of trade in Gatina Pesa increases and Francis get as much as 300 Gatina-Pesa a day.
This amount is spent daily to answer 2/3 of his family needs in food, water, paraffin, charcoal and medicine. Additionally, when comes the time to pay his daughter school fees he can also pay a part in Gatina-Pesa, the school being a member of the network.
As a result, the 200 Kenyan shillings that he would have otherwise been spent are saved in the common saving account of the Gatina Business Organization. In few months he hopes that through this program, he will be able to get a loan and to expand his business. Indeed he wishes in the long term to grow from his small shop to a supermarket and to a wholesaler. Additionally, Gatina-Pesa can also help to manage the lack of cash for the change. Francis gives up to 100 Gatina-Pesa a day as part of the change for his costumers, members and even non members if they know how to spend it.
But according to him the Gatina business Organization is also beneficial as a network in itself. As Francis says : “The first thing it does, it brings us together because in our network, we have the Kikuyus, we have the Hindus, we have the Luos, we have many tribes, and when we come up together we create this unity, this union, and when you walk as one, I believe you can achieve a lot. As the saying goes, divided we fall, together we rise”.
Francis is part of a big family that is expanding every day. Other businesses of Nairobi have decided to implement community currencies in their area too. Grassroots Economics has also brought a community currency to Kangemi (a neighboring informal settlement) and Kangemi-Pesa has already been launched a month ago and Lindi-Pesa will soon too be in Kibera. The three Complementary Currencies will be exchangeable among them which we hope will multiply the positive benefits for their members and will allow more families such as the one of Francis to be more confident about their future.
Robin Gerbaux is studying International Development Studies as a graduate student at the Université Joseph Fourier, in Grenoble, France. He has been investigating community currencies while living in Nairobi.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,244 @@
:title: From Mustard Seeds to Food Forests: A Regenerative Journey
:author: Shaila Agha
:date: May 4 2021
:slug: from-mustard
:modified: May 5
:summary: We are learning from 50 community groups that use a community currency to sell produce and pay for the labor with community currency
:tags: agroforestry,syntropic,community currency
We've been blessed by an opportunity from `Mustard Seed Trust <https://www.mustardseedtrust.org/>`_ to support 50 acres of Syntropic Agriculture paired with Community Currencies in Kenya. We are learning from 50 community groups that use a community currency to sell produce and pay for the labor intensive setup, inputs and maintenance of one acre community farms (Shamba ya Jamii). The Shamba ya Jamii design was imported from `Curadao <https://curadao.io/>`_ (thanks to Curadao) and contextualized by Roland Van Reenen and James Thiong'o and hundreds of local farmers.
"Regenerative agricultural techniques/tools have the potential to feed an entire nation without the political and social-economic strains that farmers currently undergo. Were encouraging local community groups in the arid and semi-arid coastal regions to join the Shamba ya Jamii (Community Carm) Movement so as to build a sustainable ecological and economic future. " - Isavary Khabuqwi
Below are a few inspiring excerpts of what has been accomplished so far by Grassroots Economics' support engineers in rural Nyanza, Kwale and Kakuma Refugee Camp, Watamu, Kilifi as well as urban Nairobi
.. image:: images/blog/from-mustard1.webp
**Syntropic Siaya by Janet Akinyi**
The destruction and loss of indigenous ecosystems is a major challenge affecting areas across the Lake Victoria Region and the drought stricken areas in Kenya. The Nyalgunga Farmers Group and Kwe Kende Group in Nyalgunga Village, North Alego ward, Alego Usonga Constituency, Siaya County are among the privileged groups across Kenya that have been trained and empowered on Syntropic Agroforestry- a system that regenerates soil and provides long term food forest.
Syntropic agroforestry is all about creating resilient food producing ecosystems. An holistic worldview in which pests or diseases are seen as agents of the department of optimization of life processes and therefore part of the ecosystem. It discourages the usual practice of mono cropping of maize or beans which has been a norm in these areas to a food forest filled with different indigenous crops and fruit trees by placing the elements that will change the place in a cool,green and lush food producing oasis. It helps in regenerating soil and developing sustainable fertile crops.
This system involves planting of different types of crops and fruit trees separated in treelines, paths, vegetable beds and biomass beds. The following guiding principles are encouraged in Syntropic Agroforestry: Mulching, Maximizing photosynthesis (layering plants and dense inter-cropping), Good management and Plants succession. Sarafu poster and placard in one of the farms.
The two groups from Siaya, having been trained in January 2021, are excited by how well their crops are currently doing. The community uses Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) to maintain and develop their farms among other uses that include covering their basic needs, maximizing resources and braiding as users trade in food, services, medical needs, education among other needs are grateful that this system was introduced to them.
Theyve had two harvests since the set up of their farms. The good thing about Syntropic agroforestry is that it guarantees sustainable harvests from a few weeks through to at least 20-30 years without tilling and with low maintenance. They are therefore sure of sustainable food production in their community. This not only has a positive impact on the members of these two groups but also to the community at large. They are no longer worried about vegetables as they can easily get them from their farms.
.. image:: images/blog/from-mustard101.webp
Healthy organic Kales ready for harvesting.
The community members have started harvesting food from their farms that they are able to buy and sell using Sarafu (community Currency). Other community members who are not part of these two groups but are using Community Inclusion Currency are also able to buy food from the two farms.
**Syntropic Kwale by Amina Godana**
8 years ago the World Food Program had initiated a project in Kwale County that is PRRO (Protracted Relief Recovery Operation which was aimed for asset creation in the region under Kenyan Red Cross who were the implementing partners. They had different activities,
1. Excavation of water pans
2. Agriculture
3. Fish ponds
4. Goat pens.
In the agriculture sector they had introduced sunken beds where they planted vegetables which was not quite easy to set up and also during high rainfall it was quite a challenge because it flooded and ruined the plants.
This whole project was however short lived this was because the community members did not own the project since they were mostly focused on the cash that they were receiving, this made them dependent on it and forgot about the project. So when the cash ended so did most of the program.
The best thing about practicing Syntropic Agroforestry is that everything in the farm is useful.
* Some weeds keep off pests and diseases.
* Companion planting of plants which are beneficial to each other optimises the use of space,sunlight and nutrient cycle.
* Permanent soil cover with mulch prevents soil erosion and provides nutrients for the plants when they decay.
* Pruning the matured plants increases the amount of sunlight for other plants.
Migunani A, Madewani, Yowani and Chikole are some of the many chamas in Kwale County that have embraced the new form of farming. It's a new concept in the area which makes them so eager to see if it actually works. Food insecurity in the area was the main reason as to why they wholeheartedly embraced the syntropic agroforestry this is because it involves planting of different types of crops on the same piece of land being that some crops mature earlier than others this means they will be harvesting almost all the time and do replanting the issue of lack of food will be sorted!
Members of the mentioned chamas received soil quality testing, training and constant visits by the field officers to ensure they do not have any problems in regards to the farming.The main aim of practicing syntropic agroforestry in the area is to help, educate, feed and regenerate the soil for the next generation.
.. image:: images/blog/from-mustard193.webp
Simba Ndoro works on Chikole farm and is paid using Sarafu. This is hard work and no one has enough Kenyan Shillings to pay Simba or the thousands of other farmers to regernate the soil. They can fund themselves!
Simba Ndoro Simba is a member of Chikole group who works on the shamba ya jamii four days a week and gets paid 200 per day a total of 800 sarafu. He uses the Sarafu to buy fish from Nzadze Bora and also makes his weekly savings in his chama. He is grateful for the introduction of the syntropic agroforestry it has created a source of income for him during this difficult time and also has easen saving in the chama which is used to support other projects.
Shadrack Tsuma a member of madewani group works on the farm and gets paid 300 sarafu a day. He normally spends his Sarafu on Rutuba Mwanzije by buying groceries from him and in turn Rutuba buys shoes from him using sarafu. Rutuba Mwanzije also spends sarafu that he gets from working on the shamba ya jamii to buy his groceries from Abubakar Mwero who is a farmer.
.. image:: images/blog/from-mustard229.webp
Rutuba Mwanzije at his grocery kiosk.
Miyani Fdp which is run by the field officers in kinango county was the first demo farm to be setup this was to serve as a trial in the area and see if the practice is possible and this has gave the other chamas in the same area the positivity in practising the same. The chama sells its produce to the people around miyani and also pays its workers using sarafu.
.. image:: images/blog/from-mustard254.webp
Members buying first produce from their farm.
**Syntropic Kakuma Refugee Camp by Marcelin Petro**
FARMING AND HEALTH EDUCATION is a community based organization that deal with agroforestry and Sarafu (community Currency) in Kakuma refugee camp with the aim of eradicating hanger in kakuma refugee camp. More than 206,458 refugee are living in Kakuma refugee camp (on average more than 10 years) that are divided into 15 nationalities. A great number of people (refugees) are depending on the World Food Program (WFP) to be supported by being getting food at the 3 distribution centers in each and every month. Due to the high number of population, some do miss there food. WFP has manage to give ration cards to each refugee for better accounting, this means that when you lose your rational card you lose your monthly food and stay without food until the other coming month.
From WFP each family can get one and some type of grain every month (3kg to 4kg) and 1litter of cooking oil. Through LWF and WORLD VISION are also helping us by doing the provision of that food. We have more than 5,000 malnutrition children and malnourished pregnant mothers who are more affected in Kakuma refugee camp. Due to this, Farming and Healthy Education community based organization is working with Syntropic Agroforestry and COmmunity CUrrency (Sarafu) to full this gap by teaching and growing our own fresh food in Kakuma refugee camp!
Instead of waiting to be given food at the end of the month it's better to plant even just a kitchen gardens for the families while waiting for the monthly food distribution *<instead of giving money better you teach me how to make our own money>*.
.. image:: images/blog/from-mustard305.webp
Here I am proudly buying local food with local currency and not waiting for WFP handouts.
**Urban Gardens in Nairobi by Sylvia Karanja**
Joyce is a Mother of 3, she has a beadwork shop in Kamongo, Mukuru Kayaba, Nairobi. Shes one of many in Kayaba slum that understands the hustle and bustle of urban life to afford a daily meal. For the love of her community in terms of empowerment, she has worked with many projects through Red Cross as a community volunteer. This has helped her in gaining trust with community members and act as a role model to many.
With as many of the projects she has worked with, Joyce joined Sarafu network in 2019 and since then she has created a trading network and enrolled her community members in the network to boost their economy. Her group is one of the beneficiaries that have received training and materials for the Urban Farming project. She tells her story of how they moved to Kayaba in the 1980s, when her mother was looking for a job. The mother got a space to put up a small restaurant where she could sell food to those who worked in the industries then. Since she was used to farming back at the village, she later saw an opportunity of an empty space that used to be a railway gauge and it was not in use. She decided to get a permit from the mayor and till now she does farming on that space. That's how Joyce learnt and grew her passion in farming.
Given the opportunity they received as a group from Grassroots Economics,this Farming project has given her and the group members new skills that they could utilize small spaces they have and provide food for their families.
James Thiong'o, Joyce and myself (Sylvia Karanja shown below)
.. image:: images/blog/from-mustard358.webp
**Syntropic Watamu, Kilifi by Emmanuel Mbui**
Now, in another new community, Gede, Watamu Community, through Mohamed, a farmer in Gede who introduced Sarafu credit to his Group;(Watamu Reef Welfare Group). Apart from benefiting from circulating community currency, their neighbours are also going to enjoy the syntropic farm products.
.. image:: images/blog/from-mustard391.webp
Watamu Reef Welfare Group trained on the Syntropic agriculture at their Shamba.
Members of the Watamu Reef Welfare Group are planting fruits trees in the prepared land. They also have the footpath done in coconuts husks. A few crops have been planted as they wait for others to be transplanted from their seedbed.
**Syntropic Kilifi by Isavary Khabuqwi**
Sue's farm is the epitome of Syntropic Agroforestry in Kilifi County with a full drip irrigation system. It is through this initiative that we are looking at a future where everyone can access food through the acceptance of community driven basic income, as the produce from the farm is being sold in Sarafu to the local market.
.. image:: images/blog/from-mustard430.webp
The purpose of this Shamba ya Jamii is to help teach and feed our neighbors and community and regenerate soil for future generations. Mulching (growing grasses and cutting them), and intensive mixed planting can make our soil more productive and healthy. With the help of our permaculture expert James Thiongo, the farm is designed in a way that creates a favorable environmental conditions for the chosen crops that include tomatoes, pigweed (better known as kunde), okra, eggplants, capsicum and mchicha. These chosen sets of vegetables have the advantage of taking only up to 3 months before harvesting and they dont need irrigation all year round.
According to our beloved and passionate Kilifi Agronomist Eck Volkmann, "When getting into farming keep in mind that in 3 years it is guaranteed that your crops will be destroyed due to a drought and/or flooding, but with proper farming techniques, consistency in planning, and willingness to experiment any farm can keep feeding generations to come." Some of the farming tips that our discussions yielded included the fact that basil can be grown in the same bed as tomatoes to help manage pests. They grow like weeds and their oil and intense scent helps deter common pests. Eck is also supplying Sue's farm with amazing Biochar!
.. image:: images/blog/from-mustard463.webp
Emmanuel Kahindi is the farm manager as Sue's and is also teaching other groups how to do the same while selling produce using Community Currency - pictured here at `Distant Relatives <http://www.kilifibackpackers.com/about/>`_ ' May Fair.
Sues farm is looking to upgrade its production capacity by adding more crop options such as watermelon and basil following soil analysis. One of the project members plans to donate basil seeds from Muzambara mountains in Tanzania as a way of trying out new varieties.
I hope you are inspired to setup your own Shamba Ya Jamii!

View File

@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
:title: Gatina & Bangla Pesa Nov Updates
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Nov 18, 2014
:slug: gatina-bangla
:summary: After more than a year of trading Bangla-Pesa, with millions of shillings worth of bills changing hands, the program is running strong....
.. raw:: html
<iframe width="740" height="416" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xe5d8SwwpOo" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
After more than a year of trading Bangla-Pesa, with millions of shillings worth of bills changing hands, the program is running strong. The community had an Annual General Meeting, followed by a volleyball match and trash cleanup last week. The team also interviewed a cobbler who has been using Bangla-Pesa for nearly two years never stopping even when the program was under assault in mid 2013.
Gatina-Pesa continues to pick up steam spreading out from schools in Nairobi's Kawangware informal settlement. This video was created by Nyendo-lernen to explain why the currency was needed and how it works today.
Lots of new and exciting things are on the horizon set to launch in 2015, if we get the right support! New Currencies in Nairobi and Mombasa counties, as well as more in South African Municipalities.
.. raw:: html
<iframe width="740" height="416" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SQrnN5QXdVM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

View File

@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
:title: Gatina Business Organization and the Love School Success Story
:author: Daniel Mukosia
:date: Mar 9, 2018
:slug: gatina-business
:summary: Love School is one of the schools that has enabled children to acquire education by allowing them to pay part of their school fees and...
.. image:: images/blog/gatina-business1.webp
Love School is one of the schools that has enabled children to acquire education by allowing them to pay part of their school fees and tuition fees using Community Currency (Sarafu-Credit, Gatina pesa).The school is located in Congo,Gatina.
30 students are proud and happy to be able to pay their fees using community Currency. The total fees per student per term is Ksh 1,000( ksh 900 + Sc 100) and tuition fees is Ksh 30( Ksh 20 + Sc 10). The teachers do receive Sarafu-Credit as part of their salaries in advance. They use the Sarafu-Credit in exchange or purchase food from vendors in the network or alternatively purchase goods from the Sarafu Shop.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
:title: Gatina-Pesa and South Africa
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Aug 21, 2014
:slug: gatina-pesa-and
:summary: Gatina-Pesa in Nairobi (a sister currency to Bangla-Pesa) is set to launch in early October! Initial designs of the Gatina-Pesa have been...
Gatina-Pesa in Nairobi (a sister currency to Bangla-Pesa) is set to launch in early October!
Initial designs of the Gatina-Pesa have been made by local students in Kawangware under the direction of Headmaster Francis Wanjala who is the Chairman of the Gatina Business Organization modeled off the Bangladesh Business Network. The Gatina Business Organization is a registered Community Based Organization that has spread from primary schools in the area to incorporate more than 50 businesses so far, with the hope to grow to more than 100 in the next few months.
This program is being supported by Nyendo-lernen who connect school children in Kenya to students from Germany, and also Chiemgauer a regional currency program in Germany.
Similar to Bangla-Pesa the goals of Gatina-Pesa is to help support:
Education: Through helping pay for school fees
Environment: By helping to pay for youth centered environmental programs like waste collection and preventing flooding.
Economy: By increasing trade and decreasing unemployment in the area.
Community: By supporting community services and increasing interconnectivity of people.
South Africa wants Bangla-Pesa!
Koru's own Will Ruddick was invited to South Africa to teach a group formed by Meshfieldabout our experiences working with Community Currencies in Kenya. The Meshfield team has brought together the University of Cape Town, local municipalities and the SA Treasury to spearhead a Community currency program in two municipalities of South Africa. We're really exited to see this sort of coalition between government and universities supporting these important programs.
John Ziniades from Meshfield and Will Ruddick also got to meet with Tim Jenkin the founder of CES and a global leader in the Complementary Currency movement.
`#bangla <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bangl>`_ `#gatina <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/gatina>`_ `#SouthAfrica <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/SouthAfrica>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
:title: Gatina-Pesa Launch Prep
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Sep 25, 2014
:slug: gatina-pesa-launch
:summary: The Gatina Business Organization is busy preparing for the community currency's official launch on October 11th. Children from the...
The Gatina Business Organization is busy preparing for the community currency's official launch on October 11th. Children from the community are preparing songs and dances while a group of local youth are preparing dramas. Gatina-Pesa membership has surpassed an initial 100 local prosumers including: schools, baby care centers, beans, spices, shoes, internet cafes, clothes, barbers, salons, flour, tailors, fruit, vegetables, soap, entertainment, cooked foods, photography, fish, charcoal, electronic repairs, and more. Each local good and service provider must also be a local buyer of goods and services and backed by four other community members.
After a wonderful design process with local students in Kenya and Nyendo-lernen as well as the Cheimgauer in Germany the Gatina-Pesa have been printed and are on their way to Kenya. Hopes are high and there is a strong commitment to seeing this program take off.
`#bangla <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/bangla>`_ `#gatina <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/gatina>`_ `#nairobi <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/nairobi>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
:title: Gatina-Pesa Launched
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Oct 11, 2014
:slug: gatina-pesa-launched
:summary: With an amazing march through the slum, starting from Congo and ending at Gatina Primary School the entire community has been mobilized...
.. image:: images/blog/gatina-pesa-launched1.webp
With an amazing march through the slum, starting from Congo and ending at Gatina Primary School the entire community has been mobilized around their own Community Currency Gatina-Pesa. Hon. Simba Arati, the area Minister of Parliament, officially cut the ribbon and launched the program. With an 107 initial registrations from local businesses the Gatina community has a strong start.
Thanks so much to all those who supported the Indiegogo Campaign as well as Nyendo-lernen and the Chiemgauer from Germany for supporting this program, as well as so many others. What is different? People at a grassroots level are able to create, back-up and issue their own currency supported with their own goods and services.
This is not how money creation normally works. Instead of money coming from debt this Community Currency supports free trade and poverty reduction. Gatina-Pesa has spread out of schools in the area so that local parents can pay their school fees with their goods and services via a mututal-credit voucher (Gatina-Pesa) as a means of exchange. Teachers can then get better salaries and use the Gatina-Pesa at more than 100 shops in the community where it continues to circulate. Each member of Gatina-Pesa also pledges 200 Gatina-Pesa to a community fund so that youth can be paid for waste collection and more children can have their school fees paid for. This is how a community learns to support itself.
.. image:: images/blog/gatina-pesa-launched53.webp

View File

@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
:title: Gatina-Pesa Starting Circulation
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Oct 24, 2014
:slug: gatina-pesa-starting
:summary: Nairobi's first community currency Gatina-Pesa, following Bangla-Pesa's success has started circulation with vigor. Due to its dense...
Nairobi's first community currency Gatina-Pesa, following Bangla-Pesa's success has started circulation with vigor. Due to its dense population and size the area of Nairobi's Kawangware is really showing potential as an alternative trading hub.
Each day more and more small business owners are able to trade with each other even when they don't have 'money'. This program grew out of schools like Sifa Children's Center who are accepting Gatina-Pesa for their tuition. In one virtuous circle - parents can pay for part of their children's school fee; teachers then make better and more stable salaries; teachers use the Gatina-Pesa to buy goods and services from the parents in the community and the parents use the funds for tuition again.
Will Ruddick can be seen on the right giving a seminar at the University of Nairobi, with the hope that more research will focus on these alternative financial programs.
`#gatina <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/gatina>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
:title: Grassroots Economics has a New Director: Shaila Agha
:author: Shaila Agha
:date: Apr 8 2021
:slug: grassroots-economics
:summary: It is an honor to work as a Director along with Will Ruddick and the Grassroots Economics team in their endeavor to rebalance the inequaliti
:tags: organization,directors,staff,mission
.. image:: images/blog/grassroots-economics1.webp
When I was 9 years old, my mother came home one day with a monopoly board game. It was the beginning of the March holidays and she wanted to provide us with an alternative activity to watching cartoons. Every day after that, my brother and I would insistently play game after game; holding on to our colourful money as if our future depended on it. Like all children, we eventually lost interest in the game. However, the colorful currency notes then became our most valuable asset. We used it as a means of exchange to incentivize each other to do each other's chores, as a rental fee to play with shared toys and even for buying candy off each other. We lived in the middle of rural Kenya, with almost no neighbours or shops, we therefore had no access to national currency. We clearly understood however, that currency (even play money) is merely a medium of exchange; with its value being determined by the users; namely us.
Sarafu the pioneering Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) in Kenya, is not so different from the monopoly money my sibling and I used all those years ago. Vulnerable households and communities have no access to credit due to a cycle of poverty that has systematically excluded them from the economy. “Hand a man a fish, he eats for the day, teach him to fish, and he can eat for a lifetime” CIC aims to include the untapped markets who desperately need goods and services yet lack the capacity to pay for them. By including them in the economy, not only do they become empowered, they are given an opportunity to actively participate in value creation and change their lives. The work of Grassroots Economics has not gotten the attention it deserves from national and regional governments as well as partners in finance and technology spaces. I seek to put an end to that and make sure that field tested best practices and open source technology spread wide and far to heal our society and planet.
When I was studying Fintech disruptions in traditional finance systems at Oxford, I decided to start my course by asking the question, How does money affect social order and why is money necessary at all. CICs are seen as radical reforms to broken systems, they are however, a proven working alternative that is demonstrating a major impact on the power distribution in the local economy. I am eager to measure the impact and get firsthand grassroot evidence on its successes and failures. With a long term multiplier effect of more than 21 times traditional donor aid assistance, this intervention seems to do what donor aid has failed to in the past, create self sufficiency and self reliance. Most importantly we need all hands on deck focused on education and regenerative agriculture programs across the planet and we need a financial system to finance this, create sustainable economies and fair distribution of our common resources.
In 2015, I attended a KIICO conference on trade and development. My angle, to understand the Kenyan economy and the government policies in place to promote technology in Finance. I carried a journal with me, a notepad that I scribbled names in that I should research later. Grassroots Economics was on that list, along with other NGOs and organizations that were on a difficult mission to create a circular economy. In 2020, after five years of working in the humanitarian space, I met Will Ruddick, adamant on wealth redistribution and regenerative economics and began advising the organization.
It is an honor to work as a Director along with Will and the Grassroots Economics team in their endeavor to rebalance the inequalities existing in our current economy and empower those who are most in need. To tackle todays challenges, we need not only new solutions, but new methods at arriving at solutions. Data and data science will be at the forefront at meeting these challenges and to social innovation, humanitarian aid and international development.
*Shaila is an ocean loving global citizen trained in disruptive Financial systems, she has a keen interest in transformative agriculture and conservation. Her love for science and children led her to create a beginner science lab kit that she aims to launch in primary schools countrywide alongside an activity booklet called “The science of life”. She has held various roles in International organizations and private organizations from business development to analyst roles, all of which revolved around developing alternative financial systems and sustainability. You can find out more information about her* `here <https://ke.linkedin.com/in/shailaa>`_.

39
content/blog/gre-for.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
:title: GRE for ME
:author: Grace Rachmany
:date: Jul 16 2021
:slug: gre-for
:summary: Thank you for doing the sacred and life-preserving work of creating financial opportunity and elevating peoples dignity
:tags: testimonial
.. image:: images/blog/gre-for1.webp
To be perfectly honest, which isnt necessarily considered a virtue in the blockchain space, Grassroots Economics is my absolute favorite community currency project on the face of the earth and I couldnt be more excited to join as an advisor. Some people might not know that there are thousands of community and complementary currencies out there. As a money-alternatives activist, cypherpunk, and digital democracy expert, I have the opportunity to speak to and advise quite a few community currency projects—but Grassroots Economics has a special place in my heart so its with great joy that I accepted Will & Shailas invitation to join the board.
For those who arent familiar with my work, you can find more about me on `LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccarachmany/>`_ and on my `Odysee <https://odysee.com/@SufficiencyCurrency:7/MoneyIsSoLastCentury:a>`_ channels. I host a regular open weekly meeting on these topics and teach a workshop on rethinking our financial and governmental systems. My place in the industry is somewhat of a contrarian. I maintain a long memory of unsuccessful startups, failed cryptocurrency projects, and ideas that didnt hold up in the real world. Founders love talking to me because I can point to flaws in their thinking, connect them with people whove tried similar thing, and give them examples of what has and hasnt worked in their industry.
What I cant do is point to a lot of long-term success stories.
Thats what I love about GRE. Say what you want, but Grassroots Economics has run successful deployment after successful deployment. The team applies what works from each project to the next project. They change the underlying tech when they find something better. Ive never seen such a fast-moving and flexible team or such brilliance at execution, year after year. What I love about Grassroots Economics is that its never about what the (genius) founder thinks. Its always about what works and what doesnt work on the ground.
Thats why GRE has tens of thousands of users and other projects fade after months or years. Thats why even I cant maintain my contrarian attitude in conversation with Shaila, Will and their team. They arent working in a laboratory—they are on the ground, making a profound difference in the places that need it most—not flying around to conferences, talking about banking the unbanked, making fancy presentations or speculating on the future price of their tokens. Theres only one thing that matters at Grassroots Economics: creating currencies that improve the economic situation of the people who use them.
Thank you for having me as an advisor on your team. And, more than anything, thank you for doing the sacred and life-preserving work of creating financial opportunity and elevating peoples dignity in some of the darkest parts of the world. Its an honor to serve.
-Grace Rachmany

View File

@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
:title: Growing Up is Hard
:author: Morgan Richards
:date: May 28, 2014
:slug: growing-up
:summary: Growing up is hard. Its especially hard if youre living on the streets in Mombasa, or if your misbehavior in your community led to your...
Growing up is hard. Its especially hard if youre living on the streets in Mombasa, or if your misbehavior in your community led to your short-term imprisonment in a correctional facility. These are the children with which we work through the MotoMoto program. Although the children and youth from the streets and the youth from the correctional facility have very different pasts and experiences, they are still responding to our methodology in similarly positive ways.
Who They Are
The table below contains a summary of basic characteristics of MotoMoto participants separated by type of participant (from the streets or from the Borstal). The average age is very similar, around 18 years old. All the children in the Borstal are male by necessity, but most of the children (all but 2) from the streets are also male. However, those in the Borstal have much more education than those in the streets, having completed at least primary school on average. Prior to entering the Borstal, most of these boys were also living with and being supported by their parents. Those children from the streets, in contrast, were living without parents and supporting themselves primarily by begging, hustling, and garbage collection.
.. image:: images/blog/growing-up1.webp
What They Need
These different life experiences have led the youth from the streets and those from the Borstal to have very different needs. Those in the Borstal often need help with psycho-emotional issues and pursuing further education. Addressing psycho-emotional issues and facilitating access to future education will ensure they can reintegrate with their families and pursue meaningful employment after their incarceration. In contrast, the children from the streets most often cite substance abuse treatment and employment skills as key needs, seeking practical skills to maintain themselves on the streets.
In response to these unique needs, our life skills counselor has focused on providing psycho-emotional tools to deal with these differing challenges. In the Borstal, we focus on teaching self-awareness and positive decision-making skills, so youth, who were mostly incarcerated for petty theft and under-aged sex, can identify their emotional state and make good decisions despite how they feel. On the streets, we focus on why youth use drugs, how it affects them, and how to stop.
How Theyve Progressed
On the streets, the youth population is unstable and transitory, they disappear for months only to return and resume training with the Poi and life skills. For that reason, even though the Borstal sessions were added later, those boys have attended almost as many sessions as those on the streets. Not surprisingly, the boys from the Borstal are also rapidly catching up in terms of their Poi skill level, with most being intermediate level (like the street youth) in common tricks like helicopter, weave, and backward weave. Both the Borstal boys and the street children have a meaningful understanding of life skills related to identifying common needs and challenges facing themselves (and youth in general), as well as self-esteem and decision-making. Some of the street youth are already engaging in behavior change, stopping their drug use during class, at least. Further, some in the Borstal are actively expressing more positive attitudes toward themselves and their futures.

View File

@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
:title: Happy Mother's Day!
:author: Daniel Mukosia
:date: Mar 13, 2018
:slug: happy-mothers
:summary: As a way to celebrate we are happy to share two stories from our network members! Bevelyne Ombayo is a single mother, who lives in Lindi...
As a way to celebrate we are happy to share two stories from our network members!
.. image:: images/blog/happy-mothers1.webp
Bevelyne Ombayo is a single mother, who lives in Lindi Slums, Kibera.Running a business(selling fruits)and an active member of Lindi Business Network. She is celebrating more than one year being in the network and using Community Currency. She has been able to acquire more sales compared to her previous period before she joined the network. The network has enabled her trade with other members,being involved in activities such as Merry go rounds and table banking.The business caters for some of her daily needs, she doesn't miss a meal on the table and children as well go school. Through working as a team in the network has enabled grow her business through holding more sales from members that has attracted other customers who are not members of the network.She can acquire loans due to her personal savings in the chama.
.. image:: images/blog/happy-mothers47.webp
Iglah Shimenga a mother of one is a member of Gatina Business Organization and runs a grocery business( tomatoes, onions, fruits and vegetables at ksh 10= ksh 5 + Sc 5) on Muthiora Road in Gatina Location. The price is favourable to the members of the the surrounding community that enables her get more frequent customers making more sales and expanded her business. She joined the network in 2017. Being amongst the most active members has enabled her do savings. She doesn't have to hussle for food since she can purchase food for her family from a vendor in the network as well as her child at 4 years old is getting education in a member school Bensofil Community School in the network that allows her to pay part of the tuition using Community Currency.Currently her business is fairing well more than average," I really have more customers to date" she said.
`#mothersday <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/mothersday>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
:title: Help Support Community Currencies
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: May 1, 2014
:slug: help-support
:summary: Dear Friends and Colleagues, We are happy to announce that we have won a precedent-setting court victory which legitimates community...
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We are happy to announce that we have won a precedent-setting court victory which legitimates community currencies as a development tool in Kenya! Finally, community currencies are free to spread, empowering people in slums to take charge of their local economies.
How? By removing the key barrier to trade lack of money.
Through community currency programs, people have the are able to issue their own currency within networks of small businesses. This breakthrough allows people to access interest-free credit in the form of vouchers issued by the community, without being locked into unmanageable debt. And the results are immediate—increased sales and market stability.
Over the next month, it is crucial that we raise funds to leverage program development at this unparalleled time in history.
We are poised to change the face of aid in Kenya and beyond as we scale these currencies to any and all communities with unstable markets from credit shortages. We need your support to lead this poverty reduction revolution.
This is not aid as you know it. Together we can create sustainable change that will make a difference for many generations to come.
Please make a donation of at least $50 dollars to give women like Marciana the power to trade through a community currency, despite her poverty, or market conditions. We will be happy to mail you samples of the currency created by the community as well as artwork, and pledge to keep you informed about the change your donation creates.
Please make a donation of at least $50 dollars to give women like Marciana the power to trade through a community currency, despite her poverty, or market conditions. We will be happy to mail you samples of the currency created by the community as well as artwork, and pledge to keep you informed about the change your donation creates.
Please make a donation of at least $50 dollars to give women like Marciana the power to trade through a community currency, despite her poverty, or market conditions. We will be happy to mail you samples of the currency created by the community as well as artwork, and pledge to keep you informed about the change your donation creates.
Visit Indiegogo to contribute.
Thank You!
All funds will come to Kenya via Burners Without Border and The Burning Man Project, a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Federal Tax Exempt ID #45-2638273.

51
content/blog/here-we.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
:title: Here We Are - Kenya 2016
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Dec 21, 2016
:slug: here-we
:summary: Happy holidays! We're seeing the power of community currencies in developing thriving communities and prospering economies. This year has...
.. image:: images/blog/here-we1.webp
Happy holidays!
We're seeing the power of community currencies in developing thriving communities and prospering economies. This year has been exciting for Grassroots Economics Foundation and for Community Currencies in Kenya. With a largely volunteer staff, we've doubled our capacity to over 1000 small business users and 20 schools, and are trading over 100,000 EUR worth of community currency yearly in 5 networks across Kenya. We're seeing people able to accept 30% of their goods and services in Community Currency and equivalent increases to their sales in Kenyan Shillings.
We've been honored by documentaries (Please watch if you haven't already. 1st minute in Dutch then English), media & research and awards, this year, but failed to find the support needed to really grow as a non-profit foundation. We're seeking matching funds to fulfill a challenge grant from Stichting DOEN, for a June 2017 deadline, but have so far failed to reach our targets. If you are able to support us or can recommend personal connections (rather than general calls for proposals), please continue to push us toward sustainability.
In order to reach sustainability we are considering, in early 2017, adopting a hybrid social-venture structure in order to generate revenue and investment needed to grow. It would focus on one of the key parts of the Foundation - developing and managing environmentally-sound import-replacing cooperative businesses in community currency networks. We've made headway, but there is a huge amount of work and support needed to get there! We would really love to hear your advice as we move forward!
Have a wonderful holiday and healthy 2017!
`#kenya <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/kenya>`_ `#yearlyreport <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/yearlyreport>`_

52
content/blog/hon-paul.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
:title: Hon. Paul Simba Arati MP Dagoretti - North
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Aug 29, 2014
:slug: hon-paul
:summary: Nairobi's Dagoretti North MP. Hon. Paul Simba Arati will be attending the launch of Gatina-Pesa in October. Besides support from local...
Nairobi's Dagoretti North MP. Hon. Paul Simba Arati will be attending the launch of Gatina-Pesa in October. Besides support from local chiefs, having the interest of the area MP means a lot in terms of political endorsement for the first sister currency to Bangla-Pesa in Kenya.
It's not often that a community realizes they have a wealth of untapped supply and demand for local goods and services and can create their own medium of exchange to match them. With Bangla-Pesa having traded roughly over 2 million shillings worth of goods and service since it's relaunch in November last year, this first attempt to duplicate the program in Nairobi gives us hope that regional economies built from the ground up are not only possible but inevitable.
Meanwhile we're working hard to spell out good implementation strategies and standards for such programs, so that marginalized communities around the world can take action.
In Nairobi we've got a long way to go in terms of registering enough small businesses to reach a critical mass before launch but the team is making a huge effort. Richard Ogolla is leading the registration efforts and doing a great job.
While schools have been the heart of the network in Kawangware Richard has reached out to boda-bodas, maize millers, and so many different kinds of businesses. Dramas are being prepared to explain to people how the program works. The community's designs of the Gatina-Pesa have gone to the printers in Germany and with a little bit more push for awareness we're looking forward to a powerful launch. As Morgan Richards would say - we're cautiously optimistic.
`#gatina <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/gatina>`_ `#nairobi <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/blog/hashtags/nairobi>`_

View File

@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
:title: How to Host a Currency Potluck
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Aug 1, 2020
:slug: how-to-host
:summary: Let's get the potlucks started! Here is a short introduction to the methods we use for Community Inclusion Currencies (CICs) potlucks!
.. image:: images/blog/how-to-host1.webp
Let's get the potlucks started! Here is a short introduction to the methods we use for Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) potlucks and how they could be applied to any community even on social media groups such as: WhatsApp, Telegram Discord, Facebook and so on.
These are all short iterative processes that can happen in cycles as the group learns by doing.
**Step 0. Bringing People Together**
This is its own challenge, especailly (physically) today- so Im assuming you have or can pull together a group of people where each person brings something to the table/social media group (a church group, whatsapp friends etc). Think of this as a potluck (a.k.a braai, coroga, faith supper, hatch party or participatory dinner party) where everyone is bringing an ingredient to amazing dishes that you are all going to cook and eat together.
**Step 1a. Resource Mapping**
What ingredients do people have and what does everyone want to eat?! Have each person identify what their needs are and what they can offer - including goods, services and national currency. Share this list of offers and needs and see how well the community can meet its own needs and what is missing to have that perfect potluck.
**Step 1b. Community Projects**
From the needs and offers discussed are there any commonalities? Could the group decide on one or more community projects? (Collective farming, elderly care, open source software development... etc)
If there is consensus on projects the community would like to do as well as sufficient offers to do those projects as well as needs being fulfilled by those projects and offers then you have all the ingredients you need for a great Community Inclusion Currency (**Potluck!**). Now, solidifying (mixing) these resources toward your goals and projects involves commitment.
**Step 2a. Reach Commitment**
What can everyone commit to putting into the potluck? Individually and together we express what we can commit to accepting in return for the CIC we will create: our goods and services, our time on community projects and as well National Currency.
**Step 2b. Develop an Agreement**
* Creation: Based on what everyone is putting in: goods, services and national currency how many CIC tokens should be created? How should they be connected to collateral valued in National Currency? We use a metric in Kenya that for every 1 CIC created there is 1 unit of national currency worth of commitments of goods or services as well as 0.25 national currency (collateral pool) bonded to it this way the CIC can be spent on committed goods and services as well as cashed out to national currency note that as well people can add national currency the pool.
* Allotment: Based on the community projects and commitments people offer how should the CIC be distributed? We take the full amount of CIC to be created and divide it in half where 50% is divided in proportion to peoples commitments and the other 50% goes toward community projects with designated managers.
* n.b. There can be many other rules, such as taxation, demurrage, fines yearly recycling of the CIC. It is good to take time here to think about all the possibilities as you design your own financial system.
* Trade Balance: One core concept/commitment in CICs is the need for people to over time maintain a trade balance accept as much as you spend, and spend as much as you accept.
Now that all the ingredients are there and they have been mixed together **your currency potluck is ready to divide and serve. Dish it out!**
**Step 3a. Develop a name for your CIC**
Give your creation (CIC) a name! Both a long name and a short name this will be the token name people see on their devices when trading.
**Step 3b. Mint and Distribute**
These CICs are created and then distributed as per the rules decided. Note there are a lot of options on how to digitally or physically create these tokens and distribute them! See technical discussion below.
**Step 4. Circulation - Let's eat!**
* The group can trade with themselves or anyone else by sending them the CIC tokens they have.
* Anyone can do community projects and get paid by that community project manager in CIC tokens
* Anyone can add national currency (or other market valued tokens) to the collateral pool and create more CIC.
* Anyone holding a CIC can liquidate it and pull out the collateral behind it.
**Step 5. Keep meeting and planning and starting over**
No dinner party should last forever and one potluck is never enough! Ideally your CIC is humming along unlocking your collective untapped potential, but reassessment is key. How is the potluck going and how might we do better next time? Having a duration for your CIC and the community projects you create naturally gives rise to the next CIC which can be created by a group liquidating the current CIC and creating another with the same process as above.
*We wish you the best loving community currency potluck ever and are here to help!*
**Grassroots Economics** is dedicated to developing and supporting public infrastructure so the each CIC can be independently created and owned by a community without extractive rent seeking platforms, smart contracts or blockchains. We still have a lot of work todo here and welcome you to our potluck and would love to be invited to yours! You can find a link to Kenyan training materials here: https://gitlab.com/grassrootseconomics/cic-docs/-/blob/master/README.md
**Technically:**
In Kenya we manually do the Mint and Distribute step on behalf of communities but anyone with a bit of blockchain tech savy can deploy these contracts (we are working on makign this much easier). We mint a CIC/token and bond it to a collateral pool in a digital asset (such as USDC, XCHF - note a community could create it's own reserve currency basket). This process is called defining and deploying a smart contract on a blockchain. The contract is transparent and the rule for how it can be used need to be totally clear. The open source Bancor V1 Bonding Curve contracts can be augmented in many ways to suit the needs of the group. Also note that a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) can be used to do much of the above process and distribution as well as maintain the contract in lieu of a trusted contract deployer. There are a lot of options if you get stuck on this creation and distribution process - we are happy to discuss!

89
content/blog/how-to.rst Normal file
View File

@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
:title: How to Build a Vulnerable Household Support Network
:author: Will Ruddick
:date: Dec 11, 2020
:slug: how-to
:summary: Utilizing and developing Community Currencies can support, strengthen and identify a social safety nets around vulnerable households.
:tags: support,network,community,vulnerable
.. image:: images/blog/how-to1.webp
*Photo credit: Magdaline Mumbi a community network mobilizer.*
**Vulnerable Household Support Networks (VHSNs)**
*In this post I'll describe a modality for social support and humanitarian aid such as cash transfer programming utilizing Community Inclusion Currencies (CICs).*
**Vulnerable households (VHHs)**
VHHs in an area are identified via survey carried out by enumerators that seeks to understand which families in the community are most vulnerable and need support. Generally they are families where the head of household is a youth, elderly or very ill. `See how Kenyan Red Cross works hard to identify vulnerable households. <https://www.redcross.or.ke/component/search/?searchword=vulnerable&searchphrase=all&Itemid=0>`_.
*Utilizing and developing Community Inclusion Currencies (CICs) can support, strengthen and identify social safety nets around vulnerable households.*
A Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) like `Sarafu <https://www.grassrootseconomics.org/sarafu-network>`_ is created and/or distributed regularly (similar to a basic income) in the area to VHHs as well as to all the households in the community in order to enable them to record mutual support among each other. Community members are asked to support the vulnerable families and each other with goods and services, using a CIC to record the support given.
For instance: a woman named Rehema who sells tomatoes may offer some tomatoes worth 20 KSH to a VHH. The VHH can record and show their appreciation by sending Rehema 20 CIC tokens using her feature phone.
- Rehema can now also appreciate her own friends family and even tomato suppliers by sending them CIC in return for their support, goods and services.
**Vulnerable Household Support Network Members (NMs):**
those people that support the VHH by offering goods and services are traditionally not easy to objectively identify or quantify. By receiving a CIC a NM can record of their support in the whole community and around VHHs. This data is recorded securely and anonymously on a blockchain. Those NMs in the community that wish to share their blockchain address can be identified and capacity built / rewarded / supported by individual cash transfers.
**Vulnerable Household Support Network - Identification:**
Each user in the network has a unique address for their account on the blockchain that can be used to record every single CIC transaction. Any CIC transaction coming from a VHH can be viewed and audited as a record of support being offered to that VHH from members of the VHS-N.
For instance a VHH uses their feature phone and sends 100 CIC to appreciate Rehema the sender and record her offer of 100 KSH worth of maize flour as support.
That gives us a way to measure and rank how much support Rehema has offered. Indeed we can see the whole network of users that have offered VHHs support. If we look at this whole network we can get a sum of all the support a person like Rehema has offered to ANY vulnerable household - and we can even rank her support for VHHs among ALL the NMs (who are CIC users).
Say that Rehemas amount of received CIC from VHHs (measuring her offers of maize flour) makes her in the top percentile of network members; Here in the example below we can see that she gave 46% of the total support in the community to a VHH.
.. csv-table:: stats
:header: "NM names", "Support/month", "percentage"
:widths: 30, 30, 15
"Rehema Katans", "3000 CIC", "46%"
"Fran Miguu", "2000 CIC", "31%"
"Katana Busia", "1000 CIC", "15%"
"Gertrude Mia", "550 CIC", "8%"
"Total", "6550 CIC", "100%"
"Smith", "John, Junior", 20
The four people or businesses have received 6550 CICs over a month because of the support they offered to vulnerable households. They can choose to offer their information to the public or an aid organization in order to be recognized and potentially rewarded.
**Vulnerable Household Support Networks (VHSNs) can identified using Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) transaction data and give aid organizations concrete and auditable proof of community support (POCS).**
In this way **ANYONE** offering support, goods or services to Vulnerable Households can be identified, acknowledged, rewarded to build their capacity. Because these CICs can continue circulating in the community as long as they are needed they can provide a long term community safety net, especially when Kenyan shillings are scarce or during or recovering from a crisis like COVID.
Note that there are MANY other ways to define and identify CSNs: Including voting systems as well as identifying specific areas of support, such as: farming, education or food and water.

Some files were not shown because too many files have changed in this diff Show More