Nabilah S
In the island country of Vanuatu, where Tropical Cyclone caused damage, more than 1,000 homes and almost 90 sellers have signed up for digital cash transfers using blockchain technology.
Xinhua news agency says this happened because the government of Vanuatu decided that instead of sending food handouts to the affected people, it would give them cash through an online payment application of the Vanuatu Post.
The Vanuatu Daily Post said that the country’s Minister of Finance, John Salong, said that Tanna and Efate would have a general registration after the registration is done and evaluated.
People in Vanuatu who live in remote places don’t have access to financial services and often don’t have enough money for emergencies.
Even though the Internet is too expensive for most people, the government uses Starlink Internet to connect 66,000 homes to the Internet when there are problems. With this mobile cash transfer, the government can reach the most needy families for the first time. This growing humanitarian action has shown to be effective and on time.
After Category 4 Tropical Cyclone Judy and Tropical Cyclone Kevin hit Vanuatu in March, a state of emergency was announced.
These cyclones did a lot of damage. They uprooted trees and cut off phone service in parts of the country, including the main city of Port Vila.
Vanuatu is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. From November to April, when the monsoon season is in full swing, the country is often hit by storms.
Few people in this country of more than 80 islands were ready for the two Category 4 storms that hit within 72 hours of each other in early March.
