We’re happy to announce that, alongside the Built With Bitcoin Foundation, we’re donating to the Human Rights Foundation in support of its mission to protect human rights across the globe.
The donation will fund the Qala Fellowship, a program that will find and grow local Nigerian talent, starting with the developers who want to build a career in crypto. This program will give them the opportunity to build their own companies, contribute to the open-source network, and get jobs working with Bitcoin-focused companies.
The Qala Fellowship offers an intensive six-month course as well as all of the resources a developer will need to succeed. The program includes connections for internships and full-time roles, exclusive talks from experienced players, guidance on contributing to Bitcoin projects, and more.
More About the Qala Fellowship
The Qala Fellowship is just the beginning. The next stop will be to scale this program so that its framework and curriculum can be replicated and implemented in other parts of the world.
“Paxful follows energy and it’s clear that the Nigerian youth will make a profound impact on the global economy through Bitcoin. They have entrepreneurship baked into their DNA but they have not been given the chance to showcase their talent on the global stage. First and foremost, the Qala Fellowship is a career roadmap for Nigerian developers. But it also is a way to support the local economy and a means for Bitcoin to capture more developer mindshare. We’re proud to fund this project and cannot wait to see what these developers create.” – Ray Youssef, Co-Founder and CEO of Paxful
“If Bitcoin is going to be a global currency, then it needs to be built by people around the world. There are millions upon millions of Bitcoin users in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and other nations, but relatively few Bitcoin developers and contributors coming from these regions. We are delighted to support the Qala Fellowship to bring more African perspectives and talents into the Bitcoin project and ecosystem.” – Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation
“Growing up in Nigeria, I have a fierce sense of pride for local developers looking to make a difference. I’ve also seen what Bitcoin is capable of doing – with far reaching implications beyond speculation. I’m incredibly proud to lead the development and enactment of this program as I believe that Africa has a lot to contribute to the Bitcoin economy. And we’re just getting started.” – Bernard Parah, Program Lead of the Qala Fellowship and the Co-Founder and CEO of Bitnob
We hope this partnership with the Human Rights Foundation will usher in a new generation of talented, young developers and give them the chance to showcase their skills on a global stage.
