Last updated 6 months ago
Rural Ethiopian youth lack access to education, digital skills, and blockchain opportunities.
Build youth gardening competitions & workshops combining sustainability with Cardano literacy.
This is the total amount allocated to Green Future: Youth Gardening & Cardano Education.
Please provide your proposal title
Green Future: Youth Gardening & Cardano Education
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
20000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
6
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Rural Ethiopian youth lack access to education, digital skills, and blockchain opportunities.
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
No dependencies
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
License and Additional Information
all educational content (guides, training materials, translation) will be Creative Commons licensed.
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 target rural Ethiopian youth (ages 15–25) in farming villages, where opportunities for education and digital literacy are scarce. Outreach will be done through schools, community centers, and youth clubs, supported by local facilitators. By combining gardening with Cardano literacy, we connect rural youth to the blockchain ecosystem, creating new pathways of inclusion and long-term adoption in underserved demographics.
Provide a list of key activities of your project?
Organize youth gardening competitions in 3 rural communities.
Run weekly workshops on sustainability, personal growth, and Cardano basics.
Host community hikes and nature exploration days to strengthen group cohesion.
Distribute and onboard 50+ Cardano wallets, teaching responsible usage.
Translate and distribute local-language educational materials (Amharic, Tigrigna).
Build and sustain a youth-led Telegram group for long-term engagement.
What are your success metrics?
Directly engage 200+ youth across three rural communities.
Create and activate at least 50 new Cardano wallets.
Translate and distribute 3 sets of educational materials in Amharic & Tigrigna.
Host 8 community competitions and workshops with documented outcomes.
Maintain an active Telegram group with at least 100 participants continuing discussions beyond project closeout.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
In many rural Ethiopian communities, youth face multiple layers of disconnection: limited access to modern educational resources, scarce opportunities for skill development, and almost no exposure to digital innovation. This gap contributes to rural stagnation, unemployment, and disempowerment. While Ethiopia has a large and growing youth population, their creative energy is often left untapped because of systemic barriers. Our solution is to combine practical, culturally relevant gardening activities with digital and blockchain education on Cardano, creating a bridge between the traditional rural lifestyle and the emerging digital economy.
How We Perceive the Problem
The challenges faced by rural youth are not simply economic, but structural. Young people in villages may have access to farming land but lack modern methods, entrepreneurial thinking, and access to broader networks. At the same time, most educational outreach about blockchain and Web3 is targeted at urban, English-speaking youth. This excludes rural populations who represent the majority of Ethiopia’s demographic. The result is a widening digital divide that leaves rural communities marginalized.
Our Approach
Our approach is to meet rural youth where they are — by starting with gardening, an activity deeply embedded in their daily lives, and layering onto it opportunities for community building, competition, personal growth, and Cardano literacy. By using gardening as the entry point, we create an immediate sense of relevance and ownership, while gradually introducing digital literacy, financial inclusion, and blockchain concepts.
We will design a six-month structured program consisting of three pillars:
Sustainable Gardening & Competitions
Youth will form community teams and engage in gardening competitions that encourage innovation in planting, soil management, and sustainability.
Teams will receive starter kits (seeds, tools, educational handouts).
Weekly progress will be measured, with recognition events to encourage participation.
Education & Digital Empowerment
Weekly workshops (3 times per week) will combine lessons in personal development, creative games, debates, and practical exercises.
Local-language materials (Amharic & Tigrigna) will ensure accessibility.
Facilitators will introduce Cardano basics, such as wallets, decentralized identity, and the role of blockchain in transparent systems.
Participants will create and activate Cardano wallets, learning how to receive, store, and transfer ADA responsibly.
Community Engagement & Long-Term Connectivity
A youth-led Telegram group will be established to sustain discussions, share materials, and create peer-to-peer support.
Competitions and hiking/nature exploration activities will build environmental stewardship and community pride.
Partnerships with local schools and youth clubs will ensure integration into existing community structures.
Unique Value of Our Solution
Unlike typical urban-focused training programs, our solution is:
Localized: Delivered in Amharic and Tigrigna, ensuring comprehension.
Hybrid: Combines hands-on, practical gardening with forward-looking digital skills.
Sustainable: Youth gardening projects remain long after the training period, providing both food and community cohesion.
Blockchain-Integrated: Wallet onboarding and Cardano literacy directly connect participants to the global ecosystem.
Who Will Benefit
Direct Beneficiaries: At least 200 rural youth (ages 15–25) from three communities will participate directly in competitions and workshops.
Indirect Beneficiaries: Families and local communities benefit from gardening output, shared knowledge, and access to digital resources.
Cardano Ecosystem: Gains visibility and adoption in new demographics, showing use cases that resonate with global sustainability goals.
How We Will Demonstrate Impact
Quantitative Proof: Number of participants, wallets created, workshops delivered, materials distributed, competitions hosted.
Qualitative Proof: Testimonials, community recognition events, videos documenting growth and impact.
On-Chain Proof: Wallets created, ADA transactions demonstrated as part of the literacy sessions.
Why This Matters for Cardano
Cardano’s vision emphasizes inclusion, sustainability, and global adoption. Rural Ethiopia represents an untapped demographic where blockchain can make a transformative difference. By positioning Cardano not just as a financial tool, but as a gateway to education, empowerment, and sustainable growth, we align with the ecosystem’s long-term goals of decentralized governance and equitable access.
Program Structure (6 Months)
Month 1: Recruitment, material preparation, translation, community mobilization.
Month 2–3: Launch competitions, run weekly workshops, distribute wallets, start Telegram group.
Month 4–5: Deepen Cardano education, conduct mid-term competitions, record impact stories.
Month 6: Final recognition event, project reporting, media documentation, community handover.
Sustainability Beyond the Project
Youth gardening projects will continue producing food locally.
The Telegram group will remain as a self-managed hub for knowledge exchange.
Translated materials will be openly shared for replication in other communities.
The project is designed as a scalable model, with future Catalyst proposals expanding into 10 villages.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
Introduction
The impact of this project extends far beyond the immediate gardening activities or the distribution of educational materials. At its core, it is about unlocking the creative, economic, and social potential of rural Ethiopian youth by linking them with a global movement of decentralized technology. By onboarding new demographics into the Cardano ecosystem, we will not only empower marginalized communities but also showcase Cardano’s values of inclusion, sustainability, and transparency to the world.
Onboarding New Demographics to Cardano
One of the most significant impacts of this project is its ability to reach demographics that have been historically excluded from blockchain education. Most blockchain and crypto adoption in Africa has occurred in urban centers, often among English-speaking university students, developers, or tech enthusiasts. Rural youth — who represent over 70% of Ethiopia’s population — have been left out of this movement.
This project changes that. By designing a program that starts with hands-on, culturally relevant activities like gardening and gradually introduces blockchain literacy, we provide rural youth with their first contact point with Cardano. Creating and activating wallets, learning how ADA works, and seeing blockchain’s transparency in action becomes part of their lived experience. These are not abstract theories but practical, accessible lessons delivered in Amharic and Tigrigna, languages most rural youth actually use.
The immediate impact is measurable:
At least 200+ rural youth will participate directly in workshops and competitions.
At least 50 new wallets will be created, activated, and used in practice.
Awareness about Cardano will spread to hundreds of family members and community members indirectly through competitions, events, and social recognition.
This is the first touchpoint for many rural Ethiopians into the world of Cardano, representing a historic broadening of the ecosystem’s reach.
Long-Term Rural Adoption
The real value of this project is not just onboarding wallets but sustained adoption and usage. We recognize that true adoption comes from:
Relevance to Daily Life – Rural youth already connect with gardening as part of their daily reality. Linking it with Cardano concepts (e.g., transparency, shared resources, community rewards) ensures blockchain is not perceived as a foreign or inaccessible concept.
Community Building – Through competitions, workshops, and Telegram groups, youth form lasting peer networks. These networks encourage continued use of wallets, sharing of resources, and ongoing engagement with blockchain literacy.
Practical Utility – Youth who own wallets can participate in simulations of savings, rewards, and recognition through ADA. Even symbolic transactions create a deep sense of ownership and empowerment, planting the seed for real-world applications in the future.
Our long-term goal is to scale this model to 10 villages in future Catalyst rounds, building rural clusters of Cardano-savvy youth who can champion the ecosystem. With each round, rural adoption will deepen, making Cardano the first blockchain that meaningfully includes Ethiopian rural communities.
Building Community Champions
Every competition, workshop, and discussion is an opportunity to identify youth leaders and champions who will carry this mission forward. From previous community engagement, we know that youth-led initiatives create strong ripple effects. A motivated 18-year-old who learns about Cardano today can teach dozens of peers tomorrow.
This project actively fosters these champions by:
Recognition Events: Publicly celebrating youth achievements in gardening and blockchain education motivates young leaders to continue.
Peer Mentorship: Encouraging participants to mentor younger students, ensuring continuity and scalability.
Digital Hubs: The Telegram group, moderated by active participants, ensures that even after project completion, discussions and learning continue without central oversight.
The champion model ensures that knowledge does not remain with trainers alone but becomes embedded in the community itself, giving Cardano a sustainable base of advocates.
Visibility of Cardano in Ethiopia
Visibility is critical for Cardano’s growth in Africa, especially as other blockchains compete for recognition. Ethiopia is already a strategic country for blockchain due to its large youth population, history of innovation in education (e.g., the Ministry of Education’s blockchain project with Cardano’s parent company IOHK), and growing tech hubs in Addis Ababa.
This project boosts Cardano’s visibility in several ways:
Localized Branding: Every workshop, gardening kit, and material prominently introduces Cardano, ensuring participants and communities associate innovation and empowerment with Cardano.
Local Language Materials: Translated guides (Amharic & Tigrigna) become first-of-their-kind resources, easily shareable across schools, clubs, and digital groups.
Community Events: Competitions and recognition events serve as public showcases, reaching parents, elders, and local leaders who will hear about Cardano in accessible, relatable terms.
Digital Continuity: The Telegram group ensures Cardano discussions don’t stop at physical workshops but move online, amplifying visibility among rural and semi-urban youth.
By the end of the project, Cardano will be recognized as a partner for youth empowerment and sustainability in rural Ethiopia, creating momentum for larger ecosystem integration.
Measuring Impact
To ensure that our impact is not just anecdotal but concrete, we will use multiple forms of measurement:
Quantitative Metrics
Number of youth participants (target: 200+)
Number of active wallets created and used (target: 50+)
Number of materials translated and distributed (target: 3 major modules)
Number of competitions and workshops hosted (target: 8+)
Telegram group participation (target: 100+ active members)
Qualitative Metrics
Participant testimonials recorded on video and in writing.
Feedback sessions with youth and facilitators to assess learning outcomes.
Stories of community champions emerging from the program.
On-Chain Metrics
Wallet creation and ADA transfers recorded as part of literacy workshops.
Tracking wallet activity during and after the program to gauge continued use.
Reporting
We will provide the community with transparent reports, impact videos, and documentation uploaded to open repositories and social media. This ensures accountability and visibility to both local communities and the global Cardano ecosystem.
Broader Ripple Effects
The impact is not confined to the project’s immediate timeframe. Some of the broader ripple effects include:
Food Security: Gardens created during competitions can continue producing food, directly benefiting families.
Cultural Shift: Linking sustainability and blockchain shifts perceptions of technology from something “distant” to something practical and relevant.
Replication Potential: Translated resources and the proven model can easily be adopted by other Ethiopian or African communities, scaling organically.
Ecosystem Strengthening: Demonstrates to the global Catalyst community that small, cost-effective grassroots projects can have massive impact when strategically targeted.
Conclusion
The impact of this project is both immediate and long-term. Immediately, it creates new Cardano users and educated youth in rural Ethiopia. Long-term, it lays the foundation for community champions, sustainable adoption, and visibility that aligns with Cardano’s global mission.
By onboarding new demographics, promoting rural adoption, building champions, and showcasing Cardano in Ethiopia, this project positions Cardano not just as a blockchain platform but as a catalyst for hope, growth, and opportunity in one of Africa’s most vibrant youth populations.
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?
Introduction
Delivering community-based projects in rural Ethiopia requires a unique blend of trust, cultural understanding, logistical capability, and technical skill. Our team is not only equipped with these but has already demonstrated success through multiple prior initiatives. This section outlines our capabilities, experience, accountability mechanisms, and feasibility plan to ensure that this project will be delivered with high levels of trust, transparency, and measurable success.
Proven Track Record
The project is led by Kira, a local youth trainer with extensive experience in running five successful training batches with rural youth. These batches combined elements of education, debate, creativity, and personal development, serving as a direct precursor to the current proposal.
Past Achievements:
Successfully mobilized over 300+ youth across multiple villages.
Designed and delivered culturally relevant programs in Amharic and Tigrigna.
Built trust among families, schools, and local leaders, ensuring safe and enthusiastic participation.
Created grassroots competitions that encouraged creativity, teamwork, and leadership development.
These results demonstrate that our team already possesses the relationships, skills, and operational know-how to deliver on this larger-scale initiative.
Volunteer & Support Network
The strength of this project also lies in its volunteer-driven model. Our current team includes:
Core Facilitators: Individuals trained in prior batches who now step forward as mentors.
Community Volunteers: Parents, teachers, and local leaders who help with logistics, safety, and communication.
Advisors: One advisor with previous Catalyst-funded experience, who will guide reporting, wallet onboarding, and accountability to Catalyst standards.
This layered structure ensures continuity and sustainability. By relying on a mixture of experienced trainers and newly empowered volunteers, the project creates a pipeline of future leaders and reduces dependence on any single individual.
Sustainability Plan
Sustainability is built into every stage of this project:
Gardening as Legacy: Gardens established during competitions will continue producing food long after the project ends, serving as a reminder of the program’s value.
Youth-Led Telegram Group: The digital community will persist independently, creating ongoing discussions around Cardano, sustainability, and youth empowerment.
Open Source Materials: Translated resources in Amharic and Tigrigna will be freely available, allowing replication across Ethiopia and beyond.
Scaling Roadmap: The project is designed as a pilot-to-scale model. In future Catalyst rounds, we aim to expand from 3 villages to 10, leveraging the same framework with minimal additional adaptation.
This ensures the project will not be a one-time intervention but a long-term community asset that grows with each funding cycle.
Small Previous Catalyst Experience
Our team has already interacted with Project Catalyst through small-scale funded initiatives. This has given us:
Familiarity with Catalyst Standards: Understanding of milestone reporting, community accountability, and impact verification.
Proof of Delivery: Experience in submitting deliverables and successfully completing prior Catalyst obligations.
Learning for Scaling: Insights into what works well in reporting and what must be improved as projects grow in scale.
This experience positions us as a low-risk investment, since we combine both local grassroots expertise and prior knowledge of Catalyst’s accountability mechanisms.
Scalability: From Pilot to Multi-Village
The feasibility of this project is strengthened by its modular design. The same framework — gardening competitions, workshops, wallet onboarding, and community building — can be replicated across villages with minimal additional cost.
For example:
One set of translated materials can be reused across multiple communities.
Training-of-trainers means facilitators from the first batch can train others in new villages.
Telegram network expansion creates inter-village dialogue, broadening the ecosystem’s reach.
Thus, every funded round increases efficiency and reduces per-participant costs. The model is inherently scalable and designed for exponential impact with modest increases in resources.
Accountability & Transparency
We take accountability very seriously. Our plan includes multiple layers of transparency:
Milestone-Based Reporting: Deliverables tied to specific milestones will be shared with Catalyst and the wider community. These include videos, reports, and wallet onboarding proofs.
Evidence of Delivery: Each milestone will include photo and video documentation, participant feedback, and on-chain verification of wallets created.
Financial Transparency: A clear cost breakdown will be provided, with each expense logged and shared in summary reports.
Community Feedback: We will incorporate structured reflection sessions where participants share their feedback, ensuring the project remains aligned with community needs.
These processes guarantee that funds are managed responsibly, and outcomes are verifiable.
Feasibility of the Approach
The feasibility of this project rests on three pillars:
Cultural Fit: By starting with gardening, we anchor the program in something rural youth already value and understand. This ensures participation and minimizes dropout risk.
Educational Design: The workshops are structured with proven learning methods — games, debates, group projects — which have already been tested in prior batches. This makes the educational content both engaging and effective.
Logistical Simplicity: The program avoids reliance on high-cost infrastructure. Tools, seeds, facilitators, and transport represent modest, predictable expenses. This minimizes risks of delays or cost overruns.
Our prior experience demonstrates that this model works on the ground. Combined with Catalyst accountability standards, we are confident the project can be executed smoothly and delivered successfully.
Why We Are Best Suited to Deliver
Local Roots: Our team is embedded in the communities we serve, ensuring trust and cooperation.
Proven Success: Five prior training batches have already validated our methodology.
Experienced Leadership: Kira has demonstrated both vision and hands-on management capacity.
Volunteer Network: Our structure integrates local volunteers, reducing dependency on external support.
Catalyst Experience: Prior interaction with Catalyst gives us the knowledge needed for successful delivery and reporting.
These combined capabilities make us uniquely suited to not only deliver this project but to scale it responsibly in future rounds.
Conclusion
This proposal is not an experiment but a natural expansion of proven work. The team has already succeeded at smaller scales, built community trust, and shown an ability to deliver impactful programs. By bringing in Catalyst funding, we will amplify our capacity, professionalize reporting, and extend reach into multiple villages.
With a strong sustainability plan, clear accountability measures, and a track record of successful community engagement, we are confident that this project is both feasible and low-risk. More importantly, it creates lasting value for the Cardano ecosystem by building resilient, informed, and empowered youth communities in rural Ethiopia.
Milestone Title
Community Engagement & Training Preparation
Milestone Outputs
Identify and engage 3 rural communities (schools, youth clubs, local leaders).
Recruit and confirm at least 200 youth participants (ages 15–25).
Prepare and translate educational materials (gardening guides + Cardano basics) into Amharic & Tigrigna.
Purchase and distribute initial gardening kits, seeds, and activity supplies.
Conduct facilitator training sessions to ensure smooth program delivery.
Acceptance Criteria
3 communities officially confirmed as partners.
Minimum 200 participants registered.
Training kits and materials distributed in all communities.
Educational content translated, reviewed, and approved by facilitators.
Evidence of Completion
Signed community agreements or letters of collaboration.
Participant registration lists.
Copies of translated educational materials.
Photos/videos of community meetings, facilitators’ training, and initial distributions.
Delivery Month
1
Cost
4000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
First Round Workshops & Competitions
Milestone Outputs
Run weekly workshops (3x per week) in each community for two months.
Conduct first set of youth gardening competitions with team formation, planting activities, and peer learning.
Organize at least 4 recognition events (debates, creative games, team showcases).
Incorporate environmental awareness and sustainability practices in workshops.
Acceptance Criteria
Minimum of 12 workshop sessions delivered per community.
At least 3 gardening teams per community actively participating.
Competitions documented with measurable progress (growth, teamwork, participation).
Recognition events completed with participant feedback collected.
Evidence of Completion
Workshop attendance sheets & facilitator reports.
Photos/videos of competitions, gardening plots, and events.
Participant feedback forms/testimonials.
Social media/community updates published.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
4000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Wallet Onboarding, Cardano Literacy & Materials Release
Milestone Outputs
Conduct Cardano literacy sessions across all communities.
Create and activate at least 50 Cardano wallets for participants.
Teach youth how to safely store and transfer ADA using test transactions.
Release translated digital/printed materials (Cardano basics in Amharic & Tigrigna).
Launch and moderate a youth-led Telegram group to sustain digital engagement.
Acceptance Criteria
Minimum 50 wallets created and verified with active participants.
At least 6 Cardano-focused literacy workshops delivered.
Materials released and distributed in both print and digital formats.
Telegram group active with at least 100 youth members engaging.
Evidence of Completion
Screenshots/transaction records (test ADA transfers).
Photos/videos of workshops.
Copies of translated materials.
Telegram group link, screenshots of membership & activity.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
6000
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
Final Competitions, Impact Report & Project Handover
Milestone Outputs
Host final gardening competitions and community-wide recognition events.
Produce impact documentation: final report, impact video, and success stories.
Present quantitative and qualitative results (participants, wallets, materials, competitions).
Conduct community reflection sessions and handover youth-led Telegram group for long-term sustainability.
Submit final Project Close-Out Report to Catalyst.
Acceptance Criteria
Final competitions completed in all 3 communities.
Impact report written and shared with Catalyst community.
Impact video produced and uploaded publicly.
Telegram group remains active under youth moderators.
Project officially closed out with Catalyst deliverables submitted.
Evidence of Completion
Event photos/videos & competition results.
Final report document shared with Catalyst community.
Impact video uploaded to YouTube or Catalyst channel.
Screenshots/records of Telegram activity.
Confirmation of Project Close-Out deliverables submitted.
Delivery Month
1
Cost
4000
Progress
30 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
The total budget request for this project is 20,000 ADA, allocated across essential categories to ensure smooth delivery, community engagement, accountability, and sustainability. Each budget line item is directly linked to the milestones and outputs described earlier.
This covers all physical resources needed to launch and sustain the gardening competitions and workshops.
Breakdown:
Gardening tools (spades, hoes, watering cans, gloves, soil testing kits): 2,500 ADA
Seeds (vegetables, fruit seedlings, herbs, sustainable crops): 1,500 ADA
Activity kits for workshops (stationery, boards, creative games, markers, notebooks): 1,000 ADA
Safety & hygiene (basic first-aid kits, sanitizers, protective gear): 500 ADA
Storage & transport of materials between communities: 500 ADA
Justification: Providing tangible, visible resources ensures high participation and community buy-in. These materials also remain in communities after the project ends, strengthening sustainability.
Facilitators are the backbone of the project, delivering workshops, literacy sessions, and competitions.
Breakdown:
Lead facilitator (Kira): 3,000 ADA for six months of structured coordination, training delivery, and oversight.
Co-lead facilitator (Eyerusalem Genene): 2,000 ADA for community engagement, gender inclusion, communications, and event organization.
Local volunteers stipends (5–7 across 3 communities): 1,500 ADA for travel, meals, and minimal stipends to support their time.
Advisor (Catalyst reporting & Cardano literacy): 500 ADA for reporting guidance, oversight, and training support.
Justification: This ensures skilled facilitation and accountability while keeping costs fair and proportionate to Ethiopia’s local wage rates.
Covers transportation, recognition events, competitions, and basic logistics.
Breakdown:
Transportation (community-to-community travel for facilitators & materials): 1,200 ADA
Community competitions (event space, recognition prizes, basic refreshments): 1,000 ADA
Nature hikes & exploration days (snacks, hydration, local transport): 500 ADA
Community outreach meetings with parents, teachers, local leaders: 300 ADA
Justification: Rural outreach requires strong logistics to move between communities and provide meaningful recognition to participants. These events also serve as public showcases of Cardano’s role in youth empowerment.
Ensures accessibility and visibility of the program in local languages.
Breakdown:
Translation of Cardano literacy materials into Amharic & Tigrigna: 800 ADA
Printing & distribution of guides, posters, and workshop handouts (300+ copies): 600 ADA
Digital outreach (Telegram moderation, mobile data, local digital campaigns): 400 ADA
Multimedia support (photos, short video clips for reporting): 200 ADA
Justification: Local language translation is critical for comprehension. Outreach materials and digital presence ensure the project lives both offline and online, creating sustainable engagement.
Ensures Catalyst-standard accountability, milestone documentation, and community reporting.
Breakdown:
Project coordination & scheduling (tracking milestones, monitoring progress): 800 ADA
Financial tracking & budget management (basic accounting support): 500 ADA
Final report preparation (impact analysis, case studies, formatting): 400 ADA
Impact video production (simple editing, captions, upload): 300 ADA
Justification: Clear reporting is vital to Catalyst. This allocation ensures the team delivers verifiable evidence of completion through both written and multimedia reporting.
Value Justification
This budget represents excellent value for money because:
Cost efficiency in Ethiopia: Local costs for facilitators, logistics, and materials are significantly lower than in many other regions, allowing Catalyst funds to stretch further.
Direct-to-community allocation: Over 80% of funds directly benefit participants (tools, training, events, translation), minimizing overhead.
Sustainability: Materials (gardening tools, translated guides) and outputs (wallets, Telegram group) continue to provide value after the project ends.
Scalability: With future Catalyst rounds, this proven budget framework can be replicated across more communities with only marginal increases in cost.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
Introduction
Value for money in Catalyst proposals is not only about minimizing costs but also about maximizing long-term benefits relative to investment. This project provides extraordinary value because it delivers high-impact rural onboarding at a fraction of the cost of similar education and outreach initiatives in other regions. By leveraging Ethiopia’s lower cost structures, community-driven volunteerism, and culturally relevant programming, we are able to stretch 20,000 ADA into a multi-community initiative that directly benefits hundreds of young people and indirectly impacts entire families and villages.
Most blockchain adoption campaigns globally target urban, digitally literate youth through hackathons, meetups, or online campaigns. These often require significant budgets (50,000–100,000 ADA or more) for logistics, venue hire, technical trainers, and marketing.
In contrast, this project demonstrates that rural onboarding can be achieved at a fraction of that cost. For only 20,000 ADA, we will:
Engage 200+ rural youth directly.
Create and activate at least 50 Cardano wallets.
Host 8+ competitions/workshops with verifiable outputs.
Translate and distribute educational resources in Amharic & Tigrigna (first-of-its-kind for Cardano).
Establish a self-sustaining Telegram group with at least 100 participants.
This means the cost per direct participant is less than 100 ADA, and the cost per new wallet is around 400 ADA. Compared to marketing campaigns or technical onboarding programs in developed countries — where per-user costs can exceed 1,000–2,000 ADA — this represents exceptional efficiency.
One of the unique advantages of delivering Catalyst-funded projects in Ethiopia is that local costs are lower than global averages:
Facilitators’ wages: Skilled trainers can be compensated fairly at local rates that are modest compared to international salaries.
Logistics & events: Venue costs are low, and recognition events can be hosted within community centers, schools, or open spaces with minimal expenditure.
Materials & tools: Gardening tools, seeds, and educational supplies are affordable and often sourced locally.
Translation & printing: High-quality translation into Amharic and Tigrigna can be secured at rates far below global averages.
Because of these factors, every ADA invested has more purchasing power. Where 20,000 ADA might only fund a one-week hackathon in Europe, in Ethiopia it funds a six-month program with sustainable outputs, multiple villages reached, and long-lasting community adoption.
A key indicator of value for money is the ratio of direct-to-indirect spending. In many outreach projects, significant portions of the budget are absorbed by overhead: travel, management, or administrative expenses.
In our proposal:
80% of funds (16,000 ADA) are spent directly on participants (tools, seeds, training, events, translation, and wallet onboarding).
Only 20% of funds (4,000 ADA) are allocated to project management and reporting, ensuring accountability.
This shows that the vast majority of funds flow directly into community benefit, with minimal overhead. It reflects an efficient, grassroots approach where Catalyst funding goes where it matters most — into the hands, minds, and lives of rural youth.
Unlike short-term campaigns that end once the budget is spent, this project is designed for long-term sustainability. The outputs funded with Catalyst ADA will continue to generate value long after the six-month period:
Gardens established during competitions continue producing food and engaging youth.
Translated materials remain in circulation, useful for replication in future communities.
Telegram group sustains peer-to-peer learning and community building.
Youth champions trained in this batch will mentor others in future initiatives.
This means that the true cost per participant decreases over time, as the benefits of the program extend into future years without requiring new Catalyst funding. Catalyst is essentially funding the initial setup and momentum, while the communities themselves carry the torch forward.
For context, consider the costs of similar activities:
Urban hackathon (3–5 days, 50 participants): ~50,000 ADA (1,000 ADA per participant).
Blockchain awareness campaign (digital ads, social media): ~30,000 ADA, with uncertain real adoption.
University-level blockchain course (semester-long, 100 students): 100,000 ADA or more.
By contrast, this project delivers:
200+ rural participants trained and engaged.
50 wallets onboarded with practical use cases.
Local-language materials created for replication.
Six months of continuous programming in three communities.
All for just 20,000 ADA. This makes the project at least 3–5 times more cost-efficient than comparable educational or marketing approaches.
While quantitative measures prove cost efficiency, qualitative value is equally important. This project brings unique ecosystem value that cannot easily be replicated by urban campaigns or digital ads:
Cultural integration: Cardano is introduced through a trusted community activity (gardening), making adoption authentic and relevant.
Language inclusivity: First-time translation of Cardano materials into Amharic & Tigrigna ensures access for millions of Ethiopians.
Social ripple effect: Families, teachers, and local leaders witness Cardano in action, creating indirect multipliers.
Youth champions: By recognizing and empowering leaders, the project seeds future advocates for Cardano in rural Ethiopia.
These outcomes build a foundation of trust and visibility that pure marketing dollars cannot buy.
Another aspect of value for money is risk mitigation. Projects with high risks of failure represent poor value, regardless of budget size. This project minimizes risk because:
It builds on proven community programs already run by Kira and the team (5 successful training batches).
It uses simple, low-cost logistics that are easy to execute (gardening tools, workshops, competitions).
It includes an advisor with Catalyst experience, ensuring accountability and compliance.
It leverages volunteers to reduce dependency on paid staff, maximizing impact per ADA.
This makes the project a low-risk, high-reward investment for Catalyst.
Funding rural, grassroots projects like this also enhances the global perception of Cardano. It shows the ecosystem’s commitment to:
Inclusion: Not just urban elites, but rural youth are brought on board.
Sustainability: Linking blockchain with food security and environmental care.
Social innovation: Cardano is positioned as the blockchain that doesn’t just talk about impact but delivers it at the ground level.
This reputational value is significant. For only 20,000 ADA, Catalyst can demonstrate to the world that Cardano is changing lives in rural Africa, something that competitors cannot easily replicate.
Conclusion
This project represents exceptional value for money because it:
Achieves direct onboarding of rural youth at less than 100 ADA per participant.
Delivers sustainable outputs (gardens, translated materials, Telegram group) that extend beyond the funding cycle.
Leverages Ethiopia’s lower cost base to stretch every ADA further.
Keeps overheads minimal while ensuring strong accountability.
Creates ecosystem value and visibility far beyond what traditional marketing or urban education programs can achieve.
For a relatively small investment of 20,000 ADA, Catalyst will achieve measurable adoption, cultural integration, and ecosystem expansion in a high-potential demographic. This makes the project a smart, cost-effective, and impactful use of treasury funds, directly aligned with Cardano’s mission of inclusion, sustainability, and global adoption.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Lead: Kira – Youth Trainer & Project Coordinator
Kira is the lead trainer and overall coordinator of the project. With a background in youth education and community mobilization, Kira has successfully managed five prior youth training batches in Ethiopia, engaging more than 300 participants across different villages. These programs included debate clubs, creative workshops, and personal development sessions.
Kira’s strengths include:
Program Design: Skilled at building culturally relevant, engaging curricula for rural youth.
Community Trust: Well-connected with local leaders, parents, and schools, ensuring strong community buy-in.
Facilitation: Experienced in leading workshops in both Amharic and Tigrigna, making sessions inclusive and accessible.
Cardano Literacy: Trained through prior Catalyst initiatives, Kira has introduced blockchain concepts to youth in small pilot programs and is now ready to scale this effort.
Role in this project: Overall program design, facilitation of workshops, supervision of competitions, community engagement, and reporting to Catalyst.
Co-Lead: Eyerusalem Genene – Community Engagement & Communications
Eyerusalem Genene is an experienced community organizer and communications specialist with a background in youth empowerment, women’s leadership, and grassroots project delivery. She has supported multiple educational and social development projects across Ethiopia, with a focus on engaging underrepresented groups.
Eyerusalem’s strengths include:
Community Engagement: Skilled at mobilizing schools, youth clubs, and parents to actively support programs.
Communication & Outreach: Experienced in creating awareness campaigns, storytelling, and documenting impact in both English and local languages.
Gender Inclusion: Brings a strong focus on ensuring equal participation for young women and girls, making the project more inclusive.
Project Management: Able to coordinate logistics, reporting, and stakeholder communication.
Role in this project: Lead on community engagement, communications, and inclusivity efforts, ensuring the project reaches its target audience effectively and that results are communicated clearly to both local communities and the Catalyst ecosystem.
Local Volunteers – Facilitators & Community Mobilizers
The project relies on a strong network of local volunteers drawn from past youth batches, schools, and community organizations. These volunteers bring grassroots credibility and ensure that activities are well-coordinated at the village level.
Volunteer roles include:
Workshop Assistance: Supporting facilitators in delivering training sessions and hands-on gardening activities.
Gardening Mentorship: Guiding participants in planting, soil management, and sustainable practices.
Event Coordination: Organizing competitions, nature hikes, and recognition events.
Youth Engagement: Acting as peer mentors and role models for consistent participation.
Volunteers also provide continuity after project close, ensuring gardens and peer networks remain active.
Advisor – Catalyst Experience & Reporting Oversight
Our advisor, with previous Catalyst-funded project experience, provides guidance on accountability, reporting, and blockchain education. This ensures that the project adheres to Catalyst’s highest standards of transparency and impact.
Advisor contributions include:
Catalyst Standards: Aligning reporting and milestones with Fund 14 requirements.
Blockchain Training Support: Assisting with wallet onboarding and Cardano education.
Impact Verification: Helping design surveys, data collection, and impact measurement.
Community Connector: Linking the project with broader Catalyst and African blockchain communities.
Team Structure
Kira (Lead): Strategic planning, overall coordination, facilitation, reporting.
Eyerusalem Genene (Co-Lead): Community engagement, communications, gender inclusion.
Volunteers (5–7): Facilitation support, gardening mentorship, event coordination.
Advisor (1): Catalyst compliance, Cardano literacy, reporting oversight.
Why This Team Can Deliver
Proven Experience: Kira’s successful track record + Eyerusalem’s outreach expertise.
Diversity & Inclusion: Eyerusalem ensures gender balance and broader participation.
Local Roots: Strong community ties guarantee trust and access.
Catalyst Knowledge: Advisor ensures compliance with Catalyst reporting & accountability.
Volunteer Power: Local support reduces costs and improves sustainability.
Together, this team blends youth training, community organizing, and Catalyst expertise, making it highly capable of delivering impactful results for rural youth and the Cardano ecosystem.