The problem

In Nepal, 15.1% of the total population reside in extreme poverty and are highly susceptible to disasters. The current response and recovery mechanisms are slow, taking months to actualise, thereby increasing the risk of these individuals being trapped in the poverty cycle. Drawing insights from Rumsan’s prior experiences with cash and voucher programmes
(CVA) in targeted areas, beneficiaries expressed the challenges of not having easy and timely access to cash and information in times of such crises, reinforcing the need for anticipatory actions, which could help them prepare and make them more resilient against such crisis and climate shocks. Moreover, traditional aid distribution mechanisms are inefficient, costly, and susceptible to fraud and mismanagement.

The organisation

Rumsan is a blockchain company focused on social impact. Their solution, Rahat envisions to build resilience against the impact of climate shocks through decentralised and transparent financial access for the last billion. As an open-source financial access platform, Rahat supports the most vulnerable with immediate access to finance during and before crisis with a transparent and inclusive aid distribution; promotes financial education for effective use of fintech through local community members; and builds resilience through our expansion with micro-insurance for small-holder farmers.

Project description

The GSMA is supporting Rumsan to:

• Update the Rahat platform with a blockchain powered AA module to support with timely humanitarian responses to prepare for a crisis.
• Support 5,000+ vulnerable beneficiaries in a flood prone area in Terai, Nepal with early warning signs and access to cash before the flood.
• Trigger sensing and confirmations that are linked to a smart contract to automatically send early warning signs in the form of voice recordings and SMS to beneficiaries.
• Transfer tokens to pre-assigned beneficiaries, saving time and speeding process management.

Team - 30 employees