Connect with us

Technology

St. Vincent De Paul Disaster Services Launches Kokua, a Platform for Disaster Relief Disbursements Built on the Algorand Blockchain, to Bring Game-Changing Efficiency and Transparency to Relief Funding for People Impacted by Natural Disasters

Published

on

For the first time, families affected by deadly natural disasters will receive aid through a survivor wallet, integrated with Amazon and developed in partnership with AID:Tech and the Algorand Foundation, with aid funding from the American Red Cross

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — St. Vincent de Paul Disaster Services, a leading U.S. aid organization that helps people in situational poverty brought about by natural and man-made disasters, today announced the launch of the Kokua survivor wallet in partnership with AID:Tech, a provider of Web3 Onchain Reputation & Rewards infrastructure, and The Algorand Foundation. Kokua–which leverages the open, public Algorand blockchain–is a disbursement platform that simplifies the connection of natural disaster survivors to the relief that will aid their recovery. Survivors are able to validate their identity, receive digital aid funding via Algorand’s blockchain, and redeem them for critical items like furniture and other household goods, with orders fulfilled by Amazon–all within the Kokua survivor wallet.

The initial launch of Kokua will serve 100 Tennessee families who were affected by the deadly 2021 winter tornados. Survivors, identified by St. Vincent de Paul Disaster Services and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, will receive relief funded by the American Red Cross. Traditional aid distribution is fraught with lengthy identification and verification processes that impedes survivors from stabilizing quickly. Kokua bypasses logistical blockades that are the status quo by connecting to those in need directly via mobile app.

To launch Kokua, St. Vincent de Paul chose to partner with best-in-class technology providers. By leveraging the Algorand blockchain, which is carbon-negative, permissionless, and efficient–capable of processing 6,000 transactions per second with full finality–aid recipients can be sure their redemption transactions are secure, confirmed, and doing no harm to the environment. The novel identity process developed by AID:Tech enables survivors to verify who they are via decentralized identifiers (DIDs). Which are designed to be implemented without the control or inefficiencies of a centralized registry, identity provider, or certificate authority.

“As natural disasters continue to grow in intensity and frequency, blockchain technology is a practical solution to keeping up with the increasing need for aid,” said Elizabeth Disco-Shearer, CEO of St. Vincent de Paul Disaster Services. “Through Kokua, aid will reach the people who need it most with greater speed, enable more autonomy for disaster victims, and bring greater accountability to the aid space more broadly.”

Taken together, the technology and partners behind Kokua will bring efficiency and transparency to critical disaster relief processes like never before, and serve as a new model for how aid distribution can work in the digital age.

“Oftentimes it is not aggregating resources that impedes disaster relief, it is the distribution,” said Matt Keller, Director of Impact and Inclusion at the Algorand Foundation. “This Algorand-backed survivor wallet uniquely leverages blockchain technology to ensure aid is securely and efficiently distributed to those who need it with unprecedented transparency, as all distributions are publicly traceable on chain.”

“Using Algorand blockchain, we are giving control back to survivors by allowing them to own, control and manage their digital identity,” added Joseph Thompson, CEO of AID:Tech. “Once survivors are verified using our proprietary method, they can use Kokua seamlessly without the hassle of proving their identity to multiple entities.”

Kokua will be accessible to those receiving aid relief on both iOS and Android devices.

About St. Vincent de Paul Disaster Services

St. Vincent de Paul Disaster Services is a second-responder and a Catholic lay organization that provides person-to-person recovery services to families impacted by man-made and natural disasters across the United States. In addition, local Vincentians (members) dedicate thousands of volunteer hours to help families impacted by natural disasters. The program will continue to focus the Society’s efforts on the long-term case management needs of affected people after all of the first-responder agencies have departed. https://www.svdpdisaster.org/

About Algorand Foundation

The Algorand blockchain — designed by MIT professor and Turing Award winning cryptographer Silvio Micali — is uniquely capable of delivering on the promise of a borderless global economy. It achieves transaction throughputs at the speed of traditional finance, but with immediate finality, near zero transaction costs, and on a 24/7 basis. Its carbon-neutral platform and unique pure proof-of-stake consensus mechanism solves for the “blockchain trilemma” by achieving both security and scalability on a decentralized protocol, and without a second of downtime since it went live in 2019.

The Algorand Foundation is dedicated to helping fulfill the global promise of the Algorand blockchain by taking responsibility for its sound monetary supply economics, decentralized governance, and healthy and prosperous open-source ecosystem. For more information, visit https://algorand.foundation

About AID:Tech

AID:Tech is merging digital identity with payments and building an identity onramp from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0. AID:Tech focuses on real world use cases like disaster relief disbursements to bring the benefits of decentralisation and self-sovereign identity to non-crypto natives. AID:Tech’s Onchain Reputation & Rewards infrastructure enables people to build a reputation score and get rewarded for their time, effort and energy when contributing to society both physically and virtually. Learn more at https://aid.technology

Media Contact
alexa@algorand.foundation.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/st-vincent-de-paul-disaster-services-launches-kokua-a-platform-for-disaster-relief-disbursements-built-on-the-algorand-blockchain-to-bring-game-changing-efficiency-and-transparency-to-relief-funding-for-people-impacted-by-natur-301690364.html

SOURCE Algorand

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

Phase Two of Tech4Nature Jaguar Protection Project Launched in Mexico

Published

on

By

MERIDA, Mexico, April 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — At the recent 2025 Tech4Nature Summit, Huawei, International Union of Conservation for Nature (IUCN), and local partners launched Phase Two of the Mexico Tech4Nature project, which aims to strengthen the protection of jaguars in Dzilam de Bravo State Reserve and study the effects of climate change on biodiversity. 

Alongside Huawei and IUCN, the launch was officiated by Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the State Government of Yucatán, and local partner C-Minds.

“In Mexico, 42% of our country’s ecosystems face some degree of degradation that we have to work towards solving. This involves monitoring and a lot of restoration work, but it also means something more important, which is precisely what we’re seeing thanks to this alliance,” said Dr. Marina Robles García, Undersecretary of Biodiversity and Environmental Restoration for the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in Mexico.

Aligned with Huawei’s TECH4ALL initiative and the IUCN Green List, Tech4Nature is a global partnership launched by Huawei and IUCN in 2020 to scale up success in nature conservation through technological innovation.

“Today we celebrate a shared vision, a vision that understands that conservation can no longer depend solely on good intentions or isolated policies. We need science, technology, empowered communities, and committed governments,” said Joaquín Díaz Mena, Governor of Yucatán in Mexico, at the 2025 Tech4Nature Summit.

Due to habitat loss and fragmentation, the jaguar is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. To contribute to its conservation, the first phase of the project installed 60 audio devices and more than 20 camera traps in Dzilam de Bravo State Reserve. Using trained AI models, the system is able to recognize the vocalizations and images of species that inhabit the reserve. By April 2025, the solution had identified a total of 147 species and confirmed the presence of nine jaguars in the territory.

The second phase of the project focuses on gathering data about the distribution of jaguar populations, and providing data-driven insights to support decision-making and improve reserve management with a view to creating a biological corridor.

The 2025 Tech4Nature Summit brought together experts, scientists, and conservation leaders from around the world to share advances and strategies in technology-driven nature conservation.

“Digital technology is making biodiversity conservation much more efficient and helping governments and conservationists take faster, more targeted action,” said Tao Jingwen, Director of the Board and Director of the Corporate Sustainable Development Committee for Huawei. “I want to call on more of our partners to join the Tech4Nature initiative to make digital technology a common tool for global ecosystem conservation.”

As well as Mexico, the summit explored Tech4Nature Phase Two projects in Brazil, China, Spain, Kenya, and Türkiye, showcasing how digital technologies and AI analytics can be adapted to the specific needs of diverse ecosystems.

“Building on our momentum so far, we look forward to the second phase of this partnership with great anticipation. This new chapter will address six countries, promoting transformative change for species, ecosystems, and their communities,” said Úrsula Parrilla, Director, Regional Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean (ORMACC) for IUCN. “By integrating technology into large-scale conservation, we contribute to global goals that seek to put nature at the center of decision-making for sustainable development.” 

Tech4Nature phase two projects

Brazil will study the impact of climate change on Marajó Island and monitor the mangrove crab as an indicator of ecosystem health.

China uses networked digital solutions and AI analytics to track and support the repopulation of the world’s rarest primate, the Hainan gibbon, just 42 of which remain in existence.

Spain aims to protect the Bonelli’s eagle in Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac Natural Park by using digital technologies to analyze the impact of park visitors on the eagles’ reproductive success.

Kenya aims to improve monitoring in protected marine areas and coral reef in Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park and Reserve to help tackle issues such as illegal fishing and pressure from tourism, and monitor the parrot fish, which helps coral survive.

Türkiye represents a pioneering collaboration between NGOs, the private sector, and the government to evaluate biodiversity protection, with a focus on large mammals, including the fallow deer and wild goat in two pilot sites.

The 2025 Tech4Nature Summit attested to how collaboration between the technology sector, NGOs, governments, academic institutions, and local communities has created a new paradigm for protecting biodiversity and ecosystems.

About TECH4ALL

TECH4ALL is Huawei’s long-term digital inclusion initiative and action plan. Enabled by innovative technologies and partnerships, TECH4ALL is designed to enable inclusion and sustainability in the digital world.

Visit the Huawei TECH4ALL website at https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all .

Follow us on X at https://x.com/HUAWEI_TECH4ALL

Learn more about Tech4Nature: https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all/stories/tech4nature-technology-nature-conservation.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2663274/iMAGE1.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/phase-two-of-tech4nature-jaguar-protection-project-launched-in-mexico-302427022.html

Continue Reading

Technology

ASUS IoT Announces 2025 AIoT Partner Alliance Event

Published

on

By

Leading innovators converge in Prague to shape the future of AIoT

KEY POINTS

Strategic collaboration: ASUS IoT gathers global partners in Prague to advance AIoT and smart citiesCutting-edge solutions: Prestige partners showcase AI-driven innovations in AV, fleet management and industrial automationResilient innovation: Driving AIoT growth through long-term partnerships and smart technologies

SINGAPORE, April 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — ASUS IoT, the global AIoT solution provider, today announced its annual AIoT Partner Alliance Event in Prague, Czech Republic, taking place from April 9–11, 2025. The event will bring together more than 100 partners across Europe to engage in the co-winning approach to showcase innovative solutions focusing on smart cities.

ASUS IoT has established strong partnerships with industry leaders in the smart city ecosystem. In Czechia, ASUS IoT is working closely with the local government to accelerate smart city, robotics, and AI deployment.

Petr Ocko, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Czech Republic observed that: “Digitalization and smart cities belong among the most important priorities for the Czech Republic. We invite technology companies from around the world to assist us in achieving this goal and we create an attractive environment for these investors in the Czech Republic. I know that ASUS is renowned for its commitment and expertise in the AIoT field, and we fully support deepening our collaboration in advanced city management and operation, and more.”

“We are excited to showcase our ubiquitous AI possibilities in smart city solutions,” said Jackie Hsu, ASUS SVP and Co-Head of the Open Platform Business Group and AIoT Business Group. “Despite current political and economic challenges, we maintain business resilience and jointly discover business opportunities with our partners, thus reflecting the ASUS core values of innovation and long-term commitment to AIoT development.”

Empowering AIoT innovation through strategic partnerships

The AIoT Partner Alliance Event will act as a hub for industry experts to share knowledge and collaborate. Participants will have the chance to delve into the latest AIoT technology advancements and observe their effects across different sectors. The event will include keynote speeches and panel discussions, offering valuable insights into the future of AIoT.

The AIoT Partner Alliance Event will also feature key partners who have played a significant role in the successful development of a wide range of solutions created by ASUS IoT.

Partners include Cabolo, which will demonstrate its intelligent AV machine with offline and secure AI for law enforcement and AI transcription, leveraging ASUS NUC. Oring Networking will showcase its smart-grid technology, while Everfleet by Macnica Inc will spotlight its fleet-management platform leveraging the ASUS IoT PE1102N edge AI computer powered by NVIDIA® Jetson. Antra ID will present its cutting-edge manufacturing-process-inspection solution that integrates a computer-vision solution created by ASUS IoT, called AISVision, and the PE4000G edge AI computer.

For more information, please visit https://iot.asus.com.

About ASUS IoT

ASUS IoT is a sub-brand of ASUS dedicated to the creation of incredible solutions in the fields of AI and IoT. Our mission is to become a trusted provider of embedded systems and a partner in the AIoT solutions ecosystem. ASUS IoT strives to deliver best-in-class products and services across diverse vertical markets – providing convenient and efficient environments for people everywhere.

About ASUS

ASUS is a global technology leader that provides the world’s most innovative and intuitive devices, components, and solutions to deliver incredible experiences that enhance the lives of people everywhere. With its team of 5,000 in-house R&D experts, the company is world-renowned for continuously reimagining today’s technologies. Consistently ranked as one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, ASUS is also committed to sustaining an incredible future. The goal is to create a net zero enterprise that helps drive the shift towards a circular economy, with a responsible supply chain creating shared value for every one of us.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/asus-iot-announces-2025-aiot-partner-alliance-event-302427417.html

SOURCE ASUS

Continue Reading

Technology

MEXC Celebrates 7 Years of Innovation as Title Sponsor at Dubai’s Premier Crypto Event TOKEN2049

Published

on

By

VICTORIA, Seychelles, April 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — MEXC, a global leader in cryptocurrency exchange services, will proudly participate as one of the seven exclusive Title Sponsors at TOKEN2049 Dubai, taking place from April 29 to May 1, 2025, at the prestigious Madinat Jumeirah. This premier industry event coincides with MEXC’s milestone 7th Anniversary, providing an ideal platform to showcase the exchange’s continued commitment to innovation and user-centric solutions.

Leading the Way in Crypto Accessibility

As TOKEN2049 Dubai prepares to welcome 15,000 attendees from over 4,000 companies worldwide, MEXC will demonstrate why it has become the preferred platform for 36 million users across 170+ countries. Under the brand promise “Your Easiest Way to Crypto,” MEXC has consistently delivered a trading experience that is fast, economical, and user-friendly.

Visitors to MEXC’s booth will discover why the platform has earned its reputation for accessibility and innovation. The exchange offers a broad selection of trending tokens, regular airdrop opportunities, and competitive trading fees within a secure and efficient environment designed to meet the needs of both newcomers and experienced traders.

Celebrating 7 Years of Growth with Global Campaign and Exclusive Announcements

TOKEN2049 Dubai provides the perfect backdrop for MEXC to commemorate its 7th anniversary — a journey marked by consistent growth, technological advancement, and an unwavering focus on user satisfaction. From its founding in 2018, MEXC has evolved into one of the industry’s most trusted exchanges, known for its liquidity strength and comprehensive service offerings.

Tracy Jin, Chief Operating Officer of MEXC, who will be joining a panel at the mainstage, expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming event: “Our 7th anniversary represents a significant milestone in MEXC’s evolution from a startup to a global leader serving over 36 million users. We’re particularly excited to use TOKEN2049 Dubai as a platform to unveil several major announcements that will shape the future of our exchange and bring even more value to our users. The crypto community can expect groundbreaking new features and partnerships that reflect our commitment to continuous innovation.”

As part of the celebration, MEXC has launched a global anniversary campaign featuring a massive 10,000,000 USDT prize pool. The campaign, running from April 13 to May 7, 2025, invites users to participate in three exciting arenas: Team PNL Rate Competition, Collect, Assemble & Win, and Solo Leaderboard Battle. These competitive events offer opportunities for both individuals and teams to showcase their trading skills while earning substantial rewards, reinforcing MEXC’s commitment to community engagement and user empowerment.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, MEXC will also host special events including the “Celebra7eMEXC Party” on April 30th and an exclusive yacht experience for select partners on May 1st. These gatherings will provide valuable networking opportunities while highlighting MEXC’s appreciation for its global community of users and partners.

Revolutionary DEX+ Platform: Bridging Centralized and Decentralized Trading

The spotlight on MEXC’s TOKEN2049 presence will be on its DEX+ platform, launched in March 2025. This innovative hybrid solution seamlessly integrates centralized and decentralized trading capabilities, allowing users to access over 15,000 tokens across the Solana and BNB Chain ecosystems without leaving the familiar MEXC interface.

DEX+ represents a significant advancement in trading technology, enhancing user experience while expanding MEXC’s appeal to on-chain trading enthusiasts. By eliminating the traditional barriers between centralized and decentralized exchanges, MEXC continues to drive innovation that serves the evolving needs of the global crypto community.

Connect with MEXC at TOKEN2049 Dubai

TOKEN2049 Dubai attendees are encouraged to visit MEXC’s booth to explore the platform’s features, learn about the revolutionary DEX+ technology, and discover special promotions available exclusively during the event. As a special highlight of the 7th-anniversary celebration, MEXC will showcase a collection of seven limited-edition commemorative merchandise items, attractively displayed and available for visitors at the booth. MEXC representatives will be available throughout the conference to provide demonstrations, answer questions, discuss potential partnerships, and help attendees acquire these exclusive anniversary items.

TOKEN2049 Dubai presents an extraordinary opportunity for industry professionals and crypto enthusiasts to experience firsthand the innovations that have established MEXC as a leading exchange. Whether exploring cryptocurrency for the first time or seeking advanced trading solutions, visitors to MEXC’s booth will find knowledgeable representatives ready to demonstrate the platform’s capabilities and explain why MEXC continues to be “Your Easiest Way to Crypto” for millions of users worldwide.

About MEXC

Founded in 2018, MEXC is committed to being “Your Easiest Way to Crypto.” Serving over 36 million users across 170+ countries, MEXC is known for its broad selection of trending tokens, everyday airdrop opportunities, and low trading fees. Our user-friendly platform is designed to support both new traders and experienced investors, offering secure and efficient access to digital assets. MEXC prioritizes simplicity and innovation, making crypto trading more accessible and rewarding.

MEXC Official Website | X | Telegram | How to Sign Up on MEXC

Risk Disclaimer:

The information provided in this article regarding cryptocurrencies does not constitute investment advice. Given the highly volatile nature of the cryptocurrency market, investors are encouraged to carefully assess market fluctuations, the fundamentals of projects, and potential financial risks before making any trading decisions.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/mexc-celebrates-7-years-of-innovation-as-title-sponsor-at-dubais-premier-crypto-event-token2049-302427407.html

SOURCE MEXC

Continue Reading

Trending