Seniors Ideate

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

The problem: In Ghana, as in many other countries, the age for compulsory retirement is 60 years. However, at this age, many professionals are still intellectually and physically active. These include Bankers, Teachers, Nurses, Administrators, Civil and Public Servants and a host of many others. These professionals still have a lot to contribute to improve their communities, the lives of others and their own lives however, their lives are forced to a crawl or a complete halt because of compulsory retirement.

According to the Ghana Statistical Service, the population of people 60 years and older in Ghana is projected to reach 2.5 million by 2025 and 6.3 million by 2050. The trends therefore indicate that the argument that “declining birth rates, increasing life expectancy, and modern medicine, will eventually alter the age structure of societies in both developed and developing nations” is beginning to resonate in Ghana. (Source:https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/58/3/403/4825827)

In spite of the growing life expectancy, compulsory retirement is still pegged at 60 years and this has a variety of effects on the lives of seniors. Financially, their regular source of income ceases and they depend to a large extent on their meagre pension income from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) which is the statutory institution responsible for managing pension funds. On the social level, although they now have a lot of time on their hands, they have virtually little or nothing to do and they spend a lot of time at home all by themselves. Their social network and level of social interaction therefore shrinks drastically, affecting their health and general wellbeing. Health issues set in, requiring huge financial resources to resolve which are unavailable. Bear in mind that these are people whose mental capacities are not diminished in any way and if given the right environment, can still flourish to a good old age.

Our Solution: We have noted the drive to expand Cardano in Africa and the focus on everyone but the elderly population. This segment of the population however present a huge resource that can be placed at the disposal of the Cardano ecosystem – they are professionals and have worked for many years solving complex problems in their workplaces, they have abundant time with virtually nothing interesting to fill their days and they are on the look out for a social or community network to liven up their social interaction and to make them feel a part of something important and stimulating.

The Cardano ecosystem provides them with the right place and opportunity to relive their dreams and be involved in a great community doing a variety of things. These include ideating to develop projects that contribute to their lives and their communities, participating as CAs to bring their vast experience to bear on the proposal refinement and assessment process and earning good income as well etc. This is also a win for Cardano as more people from Africa get involved in the ecosystem and contribute to its expansion in Ghana and beyond.

Target group: Our key target group is made up of retirees ie. Professionals who are 60 years and above who are no longer in active work. However, if along the line we realize that younger groups of people are interested (not the youth though) we will willingly integrate them into the group.

Implementation: We intend to grow a core group of professionals and gradually onboard them into the Cardano ecosystem using a series of deliberate interventions designed for the older generation. This core group will serve as “champions” whose main purpose will be to identify and onboard a second group of senior professionals using the same and/or improved interventions to stimulate their interest. The focus on the use of seniors to draw in other seniors is because it is easier for people of like circumstances and interests to reach out and engage their peers using their success stories and tangible rewards earned. The process is expected to replicate itself over time until we have a critical mass of seniors from Africa actively participating in the Cardano ecosystem.

The focus on “gradual onboarding” and using interventions targeted at seniors is because it is well known that the older generation are generally not technology savvy and tend to shy away from anything technology. The idea is therefore not to overwhelm them with too much information at a go but to give them bite sizes at intervals coupled with practical in-person sessions.

A number of preparatory activities will be undertaken prior to the start of onboarding. These include the following:

• Compilation and/or development of materials for the project. We will compile material readily available on various channels and platforms within the community, as well as on Youtube, relating to the Cardano blockchain and Catalyst. The material will be organised into coherent and bite size portions for use during onboarding sessions. A profile of the ideal senior for the project will be developed to serve as the basis for identifying our core group of seniors.

• Identification of relevant professional bodies/Trade Unions to collaborate with. We intend to work in collaboration with professional bodies such as the Ghana National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana Registered Nurses Association (GRNA), Ghana Association of Bankers (GAB), Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana, (CLOGSAG) etc. to identify their members who are on retirement. These will form the pool of seniors from which we will choose or core group.

• Make contact with seniors from the pool as discussed above. We will contact the retirees individually and give them an initial overview of the project prior to an in-person meeting to be organized for all those who express interest. The meeting will provide attendees with further details and a roadmap for the project.

During the meeting, attendees will fill out questionnaires to enable us determine those who fit the profile and who can therefore be part of the core team.

Once we obtain a core group of people, we will begin the actual onboarding, using a combination of in-person training and workshop sessions. The focus is on in-person rather than virtual meetings because in-person meetings provide the atmosphere for better communication, fewer distractions and/or technology challenges, improved camaraderie, trust and human connection. Given that participants are seniors, in-person meetings are more suitable for them.

In between physical meetings however, we will use virtual meetings and communication through a group Whatsapp platform for participants, to facilitate learning, mentorship and communication during the project period and beyond. The medium for delivering onboarding activities will be a combination of instructor led delivery, explainer videos (on Youtube or within the Cardano ecosystem), self-paced learning, and pop quizzes and assessments with rewards to stimulate the interest of the group and enhance participant engagement and Cardano adoption. We also intend to encourage participation during in-person meetings by giving participants a stipend to support their transportation costs and/or internet expenses. We will also, from time to time distribute Cardano paraphernalia such as branded T shirts, key rings, notebooks and pens as a way of sustaining their interest in the project.

Participants will be taken through the entire gamut of activities within the Cardano ecosystem and Project Catalyst. They will be mentored on ideating and developing projects to solve African problems, taken through the proposal assessment process to become CAs, vCAs and Voters. They will also create their own wallets among others. At the end of the onboarding process each person will be supported to identify a problem and develop a proposal for submission on Project Catalyst. They will also be required to identify and profile at least one peer to be part of the next group of seniors to benefit from the project.

Once the group “graduates”, those who are interested in further training in blockchain and cryptocurrency will be integrated onto the Cardano4seniors platform. Cardano4seniors is an initiative in the Cardano community, which seeks to train seniors to become financially secure through the use of cryptocurrencies. This project will therefore additionally serve as a pipeline of candidates for C4S programmes. (www.cardano4seniors.org)

This proposal focuses on identifying and preparing an initial core group of between 25 to 30 seniors to serve as the launch pad for scaling to other parts of Ghana and Africa as a whole. The long-term plan is to develop a sustainability model for the project to wean it off Catalyst and make it self-sustaining as it expands all over Africa. 

[IMPACT] Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.

One of the strategic goals of Cardano is to be recognized as a blockchain with a strong focus on Africa however, without intentional and sustained action, this goal may not be realised or may take a very long time to achieve. 

This proposal fits perfectly into this challenge because it provides a workable plan to encourage and sustain the adoption of Cardano in Africa among seniors, starting from Ghana. The target group – seniors – represents a vital resource which has the potential to yield massive benefits for Cardano because they have the combination of professional expertise and abundant time to create workable solutions to problems using the Cardano blockchain. Participating seniors will be able to develop practical innovations to tackle the unique challenges faced by the continent as well as increase adoption over time.

It is a win win project as Cardano and Africa stand to benefit immensely from this partnership. The following key metrics of the challenge are expected to see significant growth throughout the lifetime of this project:

1. Number of proposals offering solutions to infrastructure and education concerns
2. Number of new Africa-based users onboarded onto Cardano (wallets, platform sign-ups)
3. Number of new Africa-based Catalyst members (proposers, voters, CAs)
4. Number of new African projects seeded in 2022
5. Local impact through user activity and reach
6. Local partnerships formed 

[IMPACT] What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?

Anticipated risks include the following:

1.  Lack of interest and/or difficulty in learning to use new technology: Being seniors, we anticipate that not everyone we contact will be interested in or find it easy to learn to use new technology which the block chain represents. We intend to mitigate this challenge through the initial screening of participants using the profile of the ideal senior which we will develop. The completed questionnaires during the initial meeting with the seniors will provide us with enough information to identify those who may not have what it takes to participate fully in the project. To manage the issue of difficulty in learning new technology, onboarding activities will be designed to provide just the right amount of information at intervals so as not to overwhelm and discourage them. In person- meetings and the variety of learning methods we propose to use will also provide the participants with a social network as well as the relevant level of engagement and learning support they may require.

2. Distrust associated with cryptocurrency: Given the level of distrust associated with cryptocurrency and blockchain, it is possible that some people may be wary of getting involved in the project. We intend to allay their fears by emphasizing on Wada Ghana’s track record of past and ongoing projects through pictures and videos. In-person meetings rather than virtual meetings will also serve to minimize if not completely eliminate their suspicions. 

3. Technology difficulties and/or power outages – slow connectivity: Emphasis on in-person meetings will minimize the effect of this challenge. Meeting venue will have good internet connectivity as well as a stand by generator to mitigate this challenge.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed plan, including timeline and key milestones for delivering your proposal.

The first part of this project is expected to be executed within a period of six (6) months. The following key activities will be undertaken:

1. Preparatory Activities: Five (5) weeks

A number of preparatory activities need to be undertaken prior to the actual onboarding programme and it is estimated that a timeframe of five weeks will be required to complete them.

Tasks Estimated time required

1) Development and/or compilation of relevant material for the project 2 weeks

2) Identification and contact with professional bodies to obtain 1 week

contacts of retirees 

3) Contacting retirees via telephone, email, whatsapp etc. to 2 weeks

provide an initial overview of the project and receipt of feedback

4) Initial project meeting with interested candidates to screen and 1 day

select core group

2. Onboarding Activities: Month 2 – 5

Bi-weekly meetings will be held each month except in month 2 where there will be only one meeting. This is because preparatory activities will continue into month two and with only 3 weeks remaining, it may not be prudent to overwhelm participants with two meetings within a space of 3 weeks. However, materials and videos will be posted on the WhatsApp platform within this to ensure continuous learning. It is expected that during this stage, a total of seven (7) meetings will be held. Each meeting will be for a maximum duration of two (2) hours.

Tasks When

1.  Introductory meeting with core group (1) Month 2

2. Bi-weekly in-person meetings (6) Month 3 - 5

Onboarding will continue virtually in between in-person meetings, with information and quizzes posted on the WhatsApp group platform every week. Winners of quizzes will be rewarded with Ada to help participants familiarize themselves with how to use their wallets as well as whet their appetite to earn more through their involvement in Project Catalyst.

3. Proposal Development and Peer Screening – Month 6

The project will be winding down in month six during which participants will identify a problem and solution, and develop a proposal for submission on Project Catalyst. A lot of the activity at this stage will take place virtually because it is assumed that by this time, participants are conversant with the project and will be comfortable using virtual meetings. Participants will be mentored to prepare and submit their proposals. Participants will also be required to introduce at least one person to the project for the next phase. The final project meeting will be done in-person, during which participants’ peers will also be present for a project briefing and screening in readiness for the next round.

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown.

A. Preparatory Activities

Task No. Days Required Total ($)

1) Compile/develop material 10 3,200

2) Contact Professional Associations/

Organizations 5 1,600

3) Contact individual retirees 7 2,240

4) Organise initial project meeting

(preparatory activities and actual meeting) 1 320

5) Review questionnaires completed by

participants, eliminate candidates who do not fit the profile

and identify those who fit the profile to become core

group members. 5 1,600

6) Contact core group to schedule initial meeting 1 320

Total of Preparatory Activities 9,280

B. Onboarding Activities: Month 2 -5

Task No. Days/Hours Required Total ($)

1) Preparatory activities and initial meeting

with core group 1 320

2) Six additional in-person meetings 6 1,920

(preparatory activities & actual meeting)

*Weekly input of approximately 8 hours for 3 months

3 weeks @ $40 an hour: 

3) Month 2: 3 weeks 24 hours 960

4) Month 3: 4 weeks 32 hours 1,280

5) Month 4: 4 weeks 32 hours 1,280

6) Month 5: 4 weeks 32 hours 1,280

Total of Onboarding Activities 7,040

C. Proposal Development & Peer Screening - Month 6

Task No. Days/Hours Required Total ($)

1) Weekly input of 8 hours for 3 weeks

@ $40 an hour:  24 hours 960

2) Completion in-person meeting 1 day 320

(preparation & actual meeting)

Total of Proposal Development & Peer Screening 1,280

Total of Tasks A, B & C 17,600

Adminstrative Expenses/ Meeting Venue & Incidentals (12% of cost) 2,112

Rewards, Stipends & Cardano branded paraphernalia for participants 2,500

Overall Total 22,212

[FEASIBILITY] Please provide details of the people who will work on the project.

Faakor Fiadzigbey: Human Resources Management Practitioner and Team Lead. Member of the Wada Ghana team, Challenge team member and Proposal Assessor for fund 8.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/faakor-fiadzigbey-b9b09328/

Afia Owusu: Currently lead in organising CATH for the past 3 months. Wada West Africa Lead, Environmentalist, CA for funds 6, 7 and 8. vCA for fund 7&8, Idea Fest Host for funds 6, 7, & 8, active in most Catalyst meetings (C4C, Town Halls, Idea Fest programs).

Wada Ghana Team: Wada Ghana has a team of very active members of the Cardano community. The team includes Funded Proposers, Proposal Assessors, vPAs, Voters, Challenge team leaders and members, Idea Fest Hosts among others. Members of the Wada team will be co-opted to work on this project as often as required.

[FEASIBILITY] If you are funded, will you return to Catalyst in a later round for further funding? Please explain why / why not.

Yes, we will return for further funding. This project is the first of a number of such projects targeted at seniors in Africa. A second round is therefore expected to take place immediately after the completion of this first round so we can build on the momentum gathered and quickly expand within Ghana and Africa.

It is however expected that the project will gradually become self-sustaining over time. A sustainability model will be developed and shared with the community.

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or any member of your team working on any other proposals in this Fund9?

[FEASIBILITY] Are you or your team working on any other proposals from previous Funds?

[AUDITABILITY] Please describe what you will measure to track your project's progress, and how will you measure these?

To ensure that the Cardano community is able to audit the project, we intend to collect and share the following information on a monthly basis.

Month 1: 

1. Number of professional organizations and/or trade unions contacted
2. Number of seniors present at initial project meeting

Month 2:

1. Output obtained from screening of seniors during initial project meeting and number of seniors obtained for core group
2. Output from initial meeting with core group including pictures
3. Output from end-of-workshop questionnaires completed by participants

Month 3 – 5:

The number of seniors attending the in-person bi-weekly meetings will be obtained and compared over the period to ensure that each candidate is present at every session. These statistics will be shared on a monthly basis.

Post meeting/workshop feedback from participants will also be obtained and shared to provide the community with information on the extent to which learning is effective.

Month 6:

Links to proposals submitted by participants on Ideascale will be shared with the community and the number of new members obtained for the next round of onboarding will also be shared.  

[AUDITABILITY] What does success for this project look like?

By the end of this project:

• All seniors who participated will understand to a large extent block chain technology, particularly the Cardano block chain and how to use it solve the problems of our continent

• All participating seniors will demonstrate their understanding of concepts learnt by submitting well researched and developed proposals to Catalyst aimed at solving identified problems in their communities

• All participating seniors (between 25 - 30 seniors) will have Yoroi wallets and be able to use them 

[AUDITABILITY] Please provide information on whether this proposal is a continuation of a previously funded project in Catalyst or an entirely new one.

Entirely new proposal

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Rating

1. SDG Goal 1 - No Poverty
2. SGD Goal 2 - No Hunger
3. SDG Goal 5 - Gender Equality
4. SDG Goal 8 - Decent Work & Economic Growth
5. SDG Goal 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure