The Solar Foundation Wins 1st Place in Blockchain for Good Hackathon
The Solar Foundation is thrilled to learn that we recently received 1st place in the Blockchain for Good track from the Blockchain for Good Alliance's EthDenver 2025 Hackathon. Our submission focused on the new Solar Saving Circles pilots in Tanzania as an illustration of how blockchain technology can help address real-world problems aligned with the United Nation's SDG Goals. Specifically, these pilots will help address SDG7: Universal access to clean and modern energy including clean cooking, as well as SDDG1: No poverty; SDG4: Quality Education; SDG5: Gender Equality and SDG13: Climate action.
The Solar Saving Circles Initiative is a blockchain-based solution that combines traditional saving groups + blockchain technology to empower entrepreneurial women in Africa with energy independence, financial sovereignty and community resilience including the ability to adapt and respond to climate change. We are working with developers from NEDA Labs to pilot their WashikaDAO protocol, a solution designed in Tanzania expressly for local saving circles.
This spring, we will launch a pilot of 5 saving circles of 15-20 women each in Tanzania in partnership with a local NGO called JUKUMU. JUKUMU is a network of over 200 groups within Tanzania and so there is potential to scale the Solar Saving Circle project to over 4,000 people just with this organization. We also have local trusted partners in Nigeria, Uganda and a school in another part of Tanzania who have expressed interest in participating once we have successfully rolled out the pilot and tested the solution.
We are proud to share this award with the NEDA Labs' WashikaDAO team and look forward to further collaboration to ensure that the Solar Saving Circle Initiative is regenerative, sustainable and successful in empowering rural African women with solar power and productive appliances for increasing true ROI: Ripples of Impact throughout their families and communities.
