RighfulShare: An Income Movement is the first unconditional basic income transfer with GoodDollar in South Africa. The project is growing in strength, pioneering fairer income access bringing both resources and web3 solutions to the small town of Groblershoop in the Northern Cape.
“We need a new approach to addressing poverty in South Africa. The current system is not working and we can no longer pretend that there will be enough jobs for everyone. By bringing visibility to the benefits of a digital basic income transfer, we’re expanding the possibilities for South Africans”, says Karen Jooste, Founder of RightfulShare.
The participants are using their monthly basic income to alleviate day-to-day financial stress and open up space for creativity and entrepreneurship.
For example, Darryl Wessles who has been building his pig farm to address a gap in the market for smaller meat parcels for the community. Meanwhile Joyberne Neels has picked up an interest in cryptocurrencies and the potential global digital financial ecosystems can provide.
All the participants are bringing their own life experiences and outlooks, providing diverse stories and outcomes to this UBI project. However, each has spoken to how relieving the constant burden of unemployment has been life changing. See more testimony by participants here.
The project was recently recognized by the Swiss/South African Blockchain Innovation Challenge as one of the most innovative projects in the blockchain space.
Currently, RightfulShare is teaming up with GlobalGiving for Giving Tuesday, an effort to connect nonprofits to donors to create targeted meaningful impact. All donations go towards supporting more young entrepreneurs in South Africa kickstart their dream venture, escape poverty and overall reduce income inequality. It is super easy to donate, simply click on the link below. All donations will be matched on the 28th November 2023
“Time has always been political. Throughout history, how most people use their time has been defined and controlled by the powerful. Today is no exception. But we can reclaim control, and in this book, the pioneering economist Guy Standing shows us how.
The ancient Greeks organised time into five categories: work, labour, recreation, leisure and contemplation. Labour was onerous, while the keys to a good life were self-chosen work and leisure (schole), which included participation in public life and lifelong education. Yet now our jobs are supposed to provide all meaning in life; our time outside labour is considered simply ‘time off’, and politicians prioritise jobs above all else.
Today, we are experiencing the age of chronic uncertainty. Stress and mental illness are on the rise as more and more time is being stolen from us in myriad ways, particularly from the vulnerable and those in the precariat.”
In the city of the future, citizens would feel secure and able to flourish. That includes income security. Technology is both forcing and enabling lifestyle change. The best response is to maximise the gains it offers and mediate any loss it imposes. Automation will continue to offer a plethora of accessible services, but will also continue to change employment patterns, and the income which goes with employment. Some jobs will be lost; other new services will create jobs.
“We all need some extra money sometimes. Other times, we have a little extra to give. By connecting our finances using today’s technology, we can form a secure, anonymous network of generosity that automatically pools money and moves it to where it’s needed the most.”
In early September 2023 Comingle launched a crowndfund campaingn to raise US$75,000 to cover the development costs required to boost Comingle to the next phase, which will allow verification of user identities, detect fraud, address security concerns, and begin transferring real money on a weekly basis.
The ambitious goal is to get this launched and have at least 100,000 Americans living with a small UBI floor of around $50 a week by the end of 2025 that all those who join collectively make possible.
As of September 16, 57% of the goal had been reached with 19 days left to complete the job. Contributions are being matched (“Every time we hit another $1000 our matching donors will contribute $3000! Every dollar you donate now = $4!“). Comingle founder Conrad Shaw writes: “One of our $10K matching donors is doing a 1-1 match and remaining anonymous. The other $10K matching donor is doing a 2-1 match and is Katie Moussouris, who made a name for herself as a white hat hacker (the good kind of hacker) and is CEO/Founder of Luta Security.”
ITSA President and BIEN Member Scott Santens has a blog post supporting the campaign. He thinks is an important project, and writes that Forward Party Co-Chair Andrew Yang “dropped into one of our Spaces talking about this, and donated $5k live during the stream.”
