Last updated 9 months ago
Though Cardano is built on solid tech, many still see blockchain as hype. A city-based grassroots tour can shift this by showing real-world value to everyday people, simply and locally.
A grassroots tour across cities to teach wallets, NFTs, DeFi, connect local devs, and onboard merchants—building real Cardano utility in communities.
This is the total amount allocated to Cardano City Tour: Driving Local Blockchain Awareness.
Please provide your proposal title
Cardano City Tour: Driving Local Blockchain Awareness
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
48000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
5
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Though Cardano is built on solid tech, many still see blockchain as hype. A city-based grassroots tour can shift this by showing real-world value to everyday people, simply and locally.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
no dependencies. this project is organized by project proposer's company
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
License and Additional Information
All materials from the Cardano City Tour will be shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license, allowing free reuse, remixing, and translation. This includes presentation slides, wallet guides (in Amharic), posters, event reports, photos, videos (with consent), and community data. Resources will be hosted on a public GitHub repo and Google Drive for easy access. We welcome feedback and contributions from the Cardano community to improve and localize these resources.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Community Outreach
Who you’re targeting, how you’ll reach them, and why this matters for Cardano.
We’re targeting Ethiopian youth, local merchants, students, and developers in major cities like Addis Ababa, Adama and Hawassa. We’ll reach them through interactive workshops, city meetups, partnerships with businesses, and social media storytelling. This matters for Cardano because real adoption starts with awareness and practical use. By empowering communities with knowledge and tools, we create a strong grassroots foundation that drives sustainable growth, trust, and long-term ecosystem success in emerging markets.
Provide a list of key activities of your project?
Our key activities include hosting local outreach events in multiple cities, offering wallet setup help, Q&A sessions, and real-life demos of Cardano use cases. We’ll engage communities through street-level talks, public spaces, and small business visits. Local ambassadors will help translate and guide discussions. Content from each city—stories, photos, and insights—will be shared openly to inspire others. This grassroots approach drives real understanding and long-term adoption.
What are your success metrics?
Success will be measured by the number of attendees per city, wallets created, businesses onboarded to accept ADA, and local ambassadors trained. We’ll also track social media reach, community feedback, and content engagement. A final report will summarize adoption data and lessons learned. Impact will be visible through increased awareness, stronger local Cardano communities, and interest in replicating the tour in other cities or countries.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
The majority of people in nations like Ethiopia are not aware of Cardano's ability to change lives. Not the technology, but the gap between blockchain innovation and local understanding is the problem. Instead of empowering people, cryptocurrency is still viewed as a tool for speculation. Through live events, regional languages, and meaningful real-world use cases, the Cardano City Tour bridges that gap by bringing Cardano to the streets. To show how ADA can be a vehicle for inclusiveness, transparency, and trust, we will onboard new users in their own environments and cultures, from students to market vendors.
This is not just a sequence of events; it is a grassroots movement. By providing useful wallet setups, company onboarding, narrative, and training for local ambassadors, we will create long-lasting relationships in places like Addis Ababa, Hawassa, and Adama. Every resource we create, like as manuals, videos, and reports, will be open-source and accessible to the global Cardano community. What starts in Ethiopia may have an impact on adoption in other parts of Africa and beyond. This isn't about hype; it's about people, purpose, and planting the seeds for a really global Cardano ecosystem.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
The Cardano City Tour impact will far reach outside Ethiopia. By way of culturally considerate grassroots outreach for educating the underprivileged masses about blockchain, the project shall:
Bring in new users, merchants, and developers into a high-potential emerging market to increase Cardano's worldwide footprint.
Show case an adoption methodology that is community-centric and can be replicated in any other region.
Provides open-source resources that the global Cardano community can reuse, remix, and improve upon, including manuals in multiple languages, workshop templates, and on-the-ground case studies.
Enhance the diversity of the Cardano community with Ethiopian perspectives, experiences, and voices from its beautifully energized youth, business, and arts community.
Real-life demonstrations of ADA being exchanged by people would strengthen actual use cases, bolstering perceptions of trust and acceptance among those who use it daily.
Ultimately, however, this project strengthens the human layer of Cardano wherein meaningful, sustainable, and personal adoption occurs.
What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?
Santa Trading PLC, a legally incorporated company with its headquarters in Addis Ababa and over four years of experience in event organizing, community engagement, and digital outreach, will oversee the project. Our ability to execute large-scale campaigns in an open and locally relevant way has been demonstrated by our prior partnerships with private companies, grassroots organizations, and local government offices.
To ensure accountability, we will document every stage of the tour, including attendance data, wallet creations, merchant onboardings, and content development, and then make it publicly accessible via GitHub, Google Drive, and social media. Stakeholders such as local institutions, tech hubs, youth clubs, and merchant cooperatives will promote community mobilization, venue access, and credibility on the ground. Small-scale trial events in Addis Ababa that track response, engagement, and adoption metrics will be used to verify viability before extending to additional locations. The impact and authenticity of the initiative are ensured by this systematic, community-driven approach.
Milestone Title
Foundation Setup & Pilot Outreach
Milestone Outputs
Finalized project identity (branding kit, posters, and flyers)
Translated onboarding toolkit in 2 languages (Amharic & Afan Oromo)
Pilot session conducted in Addis Ababa City.
First batch of ambassadors trained and used for the 1st city event.
Acceptance Criteria
The toolkit was successfully deployed during the pilot session;
Over 200 participants attended the launch event in Addis Ababa;
5 local ambassadors were trained and actively engaged in community outreach and wallet onboarding efforts.
Evidence of Completion
Pilot event documented with a detailed report, supported by photos and participant feedback forms. Toolkit materials are publicly accessible via a shared Google Drive link for transparency and reuse.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
20000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
City Tour Rollout & Merchant Integration
Milestone Outputs
Outreach events successfully held in Adama and Hawassa.
At least 9 local businesses onboarded to accept ADA payments.
Two new city-based community hubs activated to sustain engagement.
Ambassador team expanded to 10 members for ongoing local engagement.
Acceptance Criteria
Over 300 attendees participated across Adama and Hawassa.
More than 150 new Cardano wallets were created during the tour.
Nine local merchants were onboarded and provided with "We Accept ADA" signs to promote adoption.
Evidence of Completion
Event media, including photos and videos, captured across both cities.
Wallet creation stats documented to track adoption impact.
Testimonials collected from onboarded merchants to showcase real-world ADA usage and local business engagement.
Delivery Month
4
Cost
10000
Progress
40 %
Milestone Title
Open Content Sharing & Final Report
Milestone Outputs
Over 12 community videos and stories edited and shared online.
The public Cardano Adoption Toolkit published for global reuse.
A detailed City Tour impact report—including onboarding stats, local stories, and key lessons—compiled.
All materials made accessible via Google Drive.
Acceptance Criteria
Toolkit released under CC BY 4.0 license for open reuse.
Tour content generates 5K+ views across platforms.
Final impact report was picked up by 2+ Cardano community media channels, validating outreach success and ecosystem relevance.
Evidence of Completion
The public was given access to a PDF report and tools online.
Social media platform links are included for transparency and outreach tracking.
Analytics screenshots are shown as proof of audience engagement and reach.
Delivery Month
5
Cost
18000
Progress
40 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
About ₳15,500 of the budget goes on human resources, which include a project manager, content producer, city ambassadors, and local trainers.
The estimated ₳14,200 event expenses include venues, equipment, printing, campaign materials, and refreshments.
Media for photography, video editing, and translation costs roughly $8,000.
About ₳4,100 was spent on the toolkit design, internet setup, and reporting.
Including utilities and transport, the overall cost of administration and logistics comes to around ₳6,200.
The entire budget of around ₳48,000 covers all necessary project requirements.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
The initiative offers substantial value to the Cardano ecosystem and maximizes impact through a focused, cost-effective approach. Through community development, merchant onboarding, and education, it directly involves thousands of Ethiopians in different cities, encouraging real ADA acceptance and usage, all at an estimated $ 48,000 investment.
Using local trainers and ambassadors ensures sustainability and cultural relevance, while open-source toolkits enable replication in other areas, extending Cardano's reach without requiring costly technical development.
This targeted grassroots effort provides a high return on investment by transforming awareness into sustained, active involvement.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Tamrat Tesfaye (CEO): Provides strategic leadership and manages stakeholder coordination. LinkedIn: Tamrat Tesfaye
Nebiyu Isay’yas (Creative Director): Develops culturally relevant educational content and outreach materials. LinkedIn: Nebiyu Isay’yas
Barnabas Ayallew (Business Law Advisor): Ensures legal compliance, contract management, and risk mitigation. LinkedIn: Barnabas Ayallew
Together, they ensure effective, compliant, and engaging execution of the Cardano City Tour project