As Turkey recovers from the earthquake that claimed thousands of lives, various blockchain projects have launched donation drives to help affected regions. This time Optimism Protocol took the lead.
Cryptographic protocols set an example
On February 11, Connext, a decentralized payment and exchange network, announced on Twitter that it had created a new system to allow TurkeyReliefDAO to accept donations across multiple chains. This development came in response to the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. In their statement, the Connext team expressed their condolences to those affected by the disaster.
Shortly after, Optimism Protocol, a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum, tweeted that they had set up a donation address through which people could send support directly to affected areas. They also expressed their appreciation to Connext for publishing the contract that allowed the donations.
This coordinated effort by Connext and the Optimism Protocol is an example of how blockchain can be harnessed for social good.
By creating a system for non-custodial donations, organizations allow individuals to contribute to relief efforts without relying on centralized intermediaries. This helps ensure transparency and accountability and allows funds to reach those who need them faster.
Optimism Launches Optimism Agora as On-Chain Activity Continues to Increase
On February 11, Optimism Protocol announced the launch of Optimism Agora, a new on-chain governance portal. The portal was built by Agora and brings Token House votes to the full chain, improving the governance process for DAOs and blockchains. The launch of Optimism Agora is the first step towards the transition to fully on-chain voting.
Previously, Optimism had a government portal from which they were migrating to a custom on-chain voting solution. All governance proposals are put to a vote. Optimism Collective makes decisions through government proposals that are accepted or rejected by the voting process. Transition to fully on-chain voting as described in the Operational Manual, which described the voting process and listed the correct proposal types.
Crypto Stars Unite to Shed Light on Turkey Earthquake Victims
Turkish rock star Haluk Levent turned to the cryptocurrency community for donations to support the victims. Levent and the Ahbap charity established a multi-signature wallet that accepted contributions in BNB Chain, Ethereum, and Avalanche from the cryptocurrency community.
Huobi pledged TRY 2 million, Bitfinex and Tether pledged TRY 5 million, and Bitget pledged to donate TRY 1 million. Binance also pledged Airdrop $100 (1883 TRY) in BNB to users in the affected region.
Yesterday, Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, also contributed to the crypto effort to help the victims of the deadly earthquake. From EtherScan, Buterin donated 99 ETH, equivalent to $150,000, in support of the Ahbap earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
The recipient’s wallet, which contains around 393 ETH, is valued at almost $600,000 based on current market prices. The combined value of the portfolio’s holdings is greater than $1.55 million.
As the world grapples with natural disasters and humanitarian crises, it is heartening to see the blockchain community come together to support those affected. The Connext and Optimism Protocol actions serve as a reminder that technology can be a powerful force for positive change.
