Ethereum Human Stories - Meet the Next Billion Fellows 3 cryptoforbs

As we look at our world, it seems that individual humans are increasingly on the peripheries and margins of the larger stories that play out on our scrolling screens. The narratives that captivate and resonate with ordinary people seem to exist on a scale beyond the reach of any of us – those big stories about economies, countries and companies weaving a narrative that can sometimes seem dire, or too big to imagine. The individual human being can change in a meaningful way. But this is not the true narrative of the world, nor is it the correct way to understand our potential as human beings.

Many who read this blog tend to believe that the Ethereum protocol will play a role (and perhaps a major role) in that big story in the sky. If so, we have to ask ourselves: Who are the characters in our story?

We seek to understand Ethereum through the lens of the individual humans who use it as a coordination protocol. By seeking the context and nuances of human stories, we can better orient ourselves toward a collective vision of the future, and better prepare ourselves to enact it.

Today, we’d like to introduce five people with stories to tell, who will be starting the Next Billion Fellowship program at the Ethereum Foundation. These individuals are highly qualified, but they represent only a small segment of the capable people working to solve some of humanity’s most profound coordination problems. We hope their stories serve as a reflection of the true character of the Ethereum community as a whole, and an inspiration for how this open protocol can positively impact the lives of billions.

Group of colleagues No. 3

Brian

Brian Limdiardi Building for financial inclusion in Indonesia as co-founder of COBRA financing. While access to personal loans is available through banks, there are many contexts where the only way to get a business loan is through informal lenders (read: sharks). For people who choose to work and bill in cryptocurrencies, access to even simple old financial instruments like personal or small business loans can be an obstacle. In his fellowship, Brian will focus on researching the needs and realities of the growing demographic of workers and small businesses who use cryptocurrencies as their primary means of invoicing and bookkeeping.

Devansh

Devansh Mehtaco-founder of Voysdek, interested in mapping the area of public good impact. Impact methodologies and markets for environmental use cases are well-documented mechanisms, but sometimes “impact” wanders into more subjective territory: investigative journalism, for example, is undoubtedly a public good. How can the real work of journalists be documented and evaluated in a way that fits into the right funding mechanism? Devansh will work with citizen journalism newsrooms to explore methodologies for documenting impact using… Hypercerts standardWith the aim of finding a good mechanism for retroactive financing to achieve positive social results.

Masa

Masahiro “Masa” Fukuhara He wants to spread the spirit of ONGAESHI (恩返し, “giving back”) to the world of education. Ongayishi Dao Explores the mechanisms of retrospective solidarity payments in education and employment. For his fellowship, Masa and other members of the ONGAESHI DAO team will learn from pilot programs through which contributors to the public good of education such as funders and teachers are rewarded when companies hire their students.

Mulenga

Mulenga Kapwepwe She is the co-founder of the Women’s History Museum of Zambia. There are many African artifacts in museums around the world, but these items rarely have a tangible connection to the people and communities that made them. For her fellowship, Mulenga is working with the Zambian web3 community to create a symbolic artifact registry, piloting museum revenue sharing to community document the art, customs, and crafting methodologies still practiced by descendants of those items on display in museums around the world. Even if the items don’t return to their original places in the near future, this is a small step toward closing the centuries-long ownership gap.

Valeria

Valeria “Ria” Panina He is a user experience specialist and advisor to the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. The war in Ukraine has shown that ingenuity and perseverance in human coordination are essential. When understanding the potential for protocols like Ethereum to be useful at a time like this, it is wise to be pragmatic. During her fellowship, Rhea will research the real drivers and barriers to adoption of cryptocurrencies and other decentralized applications for everyday users to map emerging use cases and behaviors in Ukraine.

(Dave) Connect with colleagues

Over the next six months, each Fellow will lead a small project that works toward larger goals in their story. Fellowship stories will be published throughout 2023 on this blog, but there will be further opportunities to meet and learn about their projects. If you, dear reader, are interested in getting to know colleagues and their projects, consider attending the devconnect in Istanbul and in particular course Next Billion International Cafe event, connect with us personally!

To the many Next Billion Fellowship 3 applicants who were not selected, thank you for sharing your story with us, and we are excited to know that you are working to fix, build, research, and create human coordination.

Get the latest news and announcements from the Ethereum Foundation. Ethereum can be used to codify, decentralize, secure and trade just about anything: voting, domain names, financial exchanges, crowdfunding, company governance, contracts and agreements of most kind, intellectual property, and even smart property thanks to hardware integration.