Crypto Education in Latin America (Part II): Innovative Projects in Venezuela and Peru

PART 1

In our first article on crypto education in Latin America, we explored efforts in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Uruguay, where local governments and private companies are leading the way through hackathons and university programs. Now, we’re turning our attention to Venezuela and Peru. Here, initiatives from organizations like Solana Allstars and the NGO Motiv are bringing crypto knowledge to places previously without access. These efforts demonstrate a strong commitment to integrating decentralized economics into the region’s educational landscape.

Next on our educational journey is Venezuela, where in late March, Solana Allstars—a key initiative focused on promoting crypto education, especially in unbanked communities—held a meetup in Caracas. During the event, the team announced a countrywide tour and was pleasantly surprised by the warm reception they received. They hadn’t expected to find such a well-established crypto community in the city, which only confirms what many in the industry already know: even with the mixed signals from the authorities, Venezuelans are eager to learn more. Solana Allstars has hosted events across Venezuela, visiting cities like Maracay, Lechería, Cumaná, Guayana, Coro, Maracaibo, and El Tigre.

“When we started our journey through Venezuela, I hoped we’d reach Caracas, but I never expected to find such a vibrant community. This is just the beginning, and I’m grateful to Solana Allstars and everyone who made this possible”.

–Jesús Silva, Solana Allstars manager in Venezuela.

If you’re in Venezuela, follow this team’s updates. You can find their Instagram page here. They’ve announced many talks covering topics such as DeFi, NFTs, Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN), and staking.

Now, let’s move on to the Andes, home to towering peaks like Huascarán and historic sites such as Machu Picchu. We’re talking about Peru, where Inca culture is engaging with crypto. Thanks to the NGO Motiv, over 60,000 people have been introduced to Bitcoin and decentralization. Founded in 2020 by Rich Swisher and Vali Popescu, Motiv focuses on collaborating with Indigenous community leaders to make large-scale education more accessible. The organization has made an impact in rural areas like Quebrada Verde, as well as in cities such as Tarapoto and Iquitos in the Amazon region.

Just a quick update: Remember the “My First Bitcoin” team from El Salvador? They recently held classes in the stunning Sacred Valley of Cusco, renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, Incan ruins, and vibrant Indigenous culture. You can see pictures on Motiv’s social media.

“The ideation and creation of Motiv happened when its co-founders, Rich Swisher and Vali Popescu were dispatched to a remote village high up in the Andes mountains in Peru to work with the local Kechua people to install a playground in front of their schoolhouse.  When they encountered children with tragic stories Both Swisher and Popescu discovered the village had become accustomed to losing roughly five out of 100 children each year to various medical conditions stemming from exposure to cold and infection primarily for the lack of shoes. Though this was fixable, it was not being fixed, and nobody stepped in to fix the issue that staring costing children their life which is when Swisher and Popescu created Motiv to help those in need”.

Excerpt from Motiv’s website, reflecting a harsh reality: governments often overlook rural populations.

• We recommend checking out this film on Motiv’s work in Peru, recently uploaded to YouTube.

In a podcast from July 2023, Vali Popescu mentioned:

“We chose Peru because it’s an ideal place to test how new technologies are adopted. In the Andean region, people can be wary of new tech, so we need to approach them with tailored strategies. Bitcoin allows us to show that we’re not asking for anything from them; we just want to help them understand the technology so they can be less dependent on what the state provides”.

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