UNICEF's blockchain initiatives

Various initiatives using the blockchain platform have taken advantage of the technology to apply it toward the common good, as is the case with the project Moeda, for example. Another case would be The HopePage, an initiative launched late last month by UNICEF Australia.

Instead of relying on donations, the project is based on visits to the website website, converting the visitor's computer processing power into Monero cryptocurrency mining. All mined coins are then automatically donated to UNICEF Australia, which will use the funds to provide water, food, and vaccines for vulnerable children.

But this is not the first time UNICEF has worked with cryptocurrencies to raise funds to support its child-aid initiatives. In February of this year, the UN's children's aid branch launched the project Game Chaingers, which raised funds to help children in Syria by using computer games. However, this initiative was not as successful because it required interested parties to play and download mining software. With The HopePage, UNICEF is using a more easily integrated mining tool that gives visitors the option to choose whether or not they want to use it—a feature that sparked controversy in a previous use of the same program without proper user authorization and awareness.

According to UNICEF's digital content and engagement manager, Tony Andres Tang, the difference lies in prioritizing transparency. "We are transparent about the fact that we are borrowing computer processing power and offering the ability to choose how much of that processing you want to donate."

Given UNICEF's reputation and credibility, it is likely that this project will be carried forward, as previous examples ended up failing for various reasons, including distrust or a lack of transparency from teams toward visitors and contributors. In January, a Reddit user even exposed a fake donation campaign supposedly based on cryptocurrency mining. But despite some bad actors, the idea is sound, as described in an article published on the Futurism website: "After all, who wouldn't want to make the world a better place while looking at cute animal photos on the internet? Answer: nobody."