As a worldwide communal asset, technology should remain transparent, accessible, and committed to advancing the collective welfare. The Next Billion Fellowship Program exemplifies this aspiration, aiming to capture narratives of communities whose lives are being improved. Today, we are excited to present seven remarkable individuals with inspiring tales to tell. Their experiences provide a window into their varied environments and potential futures — scenarios we cannot completely predict but where humanity is empowered. By drawing motivation from the stories of the Next Billion Fellows, we aspire to envision a future where this open framework of human collaboration acts as a public benefit for billions of individuals.
The Next Billion Fellows Cohort 4
David Uzochukwu is spearheading a project aimed at enhancing Ethereum’s decentralization by educating the community in Africa on how to operate an Ethereum node. Investigating obstacles such as unstable internet connectivity and power outages along with potential solutions, this initiative seeks to highlight the elements necessary for decentralization and inclusiveness.
Eddie Kago is developing Antugrow, a platform that digitizes agricultural records and farm metadata to generate on-chain reputation scores. It aspires to offer affordable working capital for smallholder farmers and cooperatives in Kenya by standardizing farmer information for interoperability. Eddie aims to unlock low-cost credit and scalable agricultural insurance.
Lefteris Arapakis grew up in a fishing family and soon recognized that fishermen gathered a significant amount of plastic from the sea. He founded a social enterprise called Enaleia, focused on diminishing marine plastic pollution, starting first in Greece and then expanding throughout the Mediterranean. During his Fellowship, Lefteris will implement a system enabling the traceability of recycled marine plastic on Ethereum.
Mercedes “Meche” Rodriguez Simon is undertaking practical research on utilizing web3 solutions to aid human rights organizations in Venezuela. As a dedicated advocate for human rights and a crucial member of Ethereum Venezuela, Meche aims to leverage her expertise to tackle Venezuela’s political and humanitarian challenges.
Rebecca Mqamelo investigates the fusion of EVM-based local currencies with traditional economic methods in Africa. Her research, in collaboration with Grassroots Economics, will evaluate two distinct models of community currencies: conventional digital vouchers supported by government entities and a model where the community pools their future production capabilities as a commitment.
Tomislav ”Tomo” Mamić is developing the Municipal Quadratic Funding Initiative (MUQA), a project aimed at assisting cities in employing Quadratic Voting (QV) and Quadratic Funding (QF) mechanisms for financing public projects. His pilot in the city of Split in Croatia will experiment with QF in areas concerning culture and green spaces, with the goal of introducing transparency, efficiency, and citizen engagement in managing public assets.
What’s Next?
In the next six months, each Fellow will advance a small project aligned with larger goals in their narrative. They will showcase their progress during Devcon 7 in Southeast Asia, November 12-15th. Follow @EFNextBillion for updates. Need financial assistance to attend Devcon? Explore the Devcon SEA Scholars Program and apply by July 7th, 2024!