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Hello, everybody. My name is Daniel Prince, and I'm the host of the Once Bitten podcast.

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This is a podcast focused on Bitcoin. It's my mission to interview as many people as I can

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around the different aspects of Bitcoin and help people understand exactly what Bitcoin could mean

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for them and for their families and for their future. I hope you enjoy the show. Thank you so

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much for listening. Hello everybody and welcome to this episode of the Once Bitten Podcast.

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Joining me today is Brendan, the founder of Bitcoin Kampala, based in Uganda. And I'm dropping this

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the day after Uganda has shut down the internet across the whole country. Now we've seen this

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happened in Iran recently and now it's happening in Uganda. They have shut down the internet,

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nobody is allowed or able to get on the internet because there is an election coming up and the

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powers that be, whoever they are, because it's never the incumbent government, believe me,

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there's always people pulling strings against them, there are always agendas way higher than

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just your government puppets that have decided that the good people of Uganda should be shot

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off from the internet it's absolutely i mean speechless really absolutely speechless

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if you never if you if you were in any doubt at all as to whether you lived in a tyrannical world

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run by complete and utter lunatics then you know have another rethink and start reading some books

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start getting your hands on books like operation gladio by paul williams or red symphony by jay

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landowski these these books open up a different way of looking at how if you want to john perkins

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as well. Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins. And you can go and listen to John.

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He's been on Preston Pish's show, his Bitcoin show. And read Alex Gladstein's work about the IMF.

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Figuring out who's actually behind what's going on out there in the political realm,

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in air quotes, will help you get a better understanding of what's going on in the world

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and why it's happening.

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I would also highly recommend you go back

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and listen to my episode with Simon Dixon.

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He has the Bitcoin Hard Talk podcast.

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He goes live every Friday

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and you can catch his own show,

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the Bitcoin Hard Talk,

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where he goes through all the geopolitics

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and the interconnected world

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and the fiat currency system

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and the proof of weapons network,

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as he calls it,

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and what we're fighting against here

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with Bitcoin.

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the silent revolution just opting out of that system and opting into a fair one bitcoin that's

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all you need to do and if you're not stacking your sats you 100 should be and that is my segue

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into shilling relay for you r-e-l-a-i dot ch forward slash bits and relay are across europe

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they are serving europeans over here on this side of the pond this side of the world now's the time

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guys now is the time to get rid of your fiat currency of whatever currency or whatever

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country you're living in if you're not based in europe find the service that is uh near you

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in your own jurisdiction where you try and get peer-to-peer if you can uh if not find a bitcoin

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only exchange one that's trusted over in the us you have swan bitcoin for example they've been

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around for many years you can set up a dollar cost average you've got services in new zealand

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Australia, all over the world. Just go find them. You now have built Bitcoin in Canada and across

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Europe as well. So there are options for you. Relay.ch forward slash bits and relay have been

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around for a long time and they're going to help you start stacking your sats. The next step is to

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get really serious. Self-custody your Bitcoin. Look, you can own Bitcoin. You can have a loyal

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title over Bitcoin. It's yours. There's Bitcoin and then there's everything else.

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so get some bitcoin because the everything else you might have like a finger on but it's not yours

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your bank account the money in your bank account isn't yours only keeping your bank account the

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amount of fiat that you are willing to lose it's that simple get hold of your bitcoin you need to

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be in control you need to have the private keys bitbox.swiss forward slash bitten you can use the

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code BITTON at checkout for 5% off the Bitbox O2 or the Bitbox Nova. Both Bitcoin only additions,

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hardware wallets, and again, Bitbox have been around for a long time. Now, if you want to start

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accepting goods and services for accepting Bitcoin for your goods and services, the best place to do

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that is paywithflash.com. It's that simple. Paywithflash.com. Get over there, set yourselves up,

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start invoicing in Bitcoin, start earning Bitcoin, start telling your suppliers, your customers,

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whoever it is that you're interacting with, that you want to start accepting Bitcoin. Sure,

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they're not going to do it straight away, but you've got to set the stage. And the last shout

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out, hit the link in the show notes, go and join Club Orange, come and find us, hang out with 20,000

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Bitcoiners around the world. Meanwhile, enjoy this rip with Brendan. All right, Brendan, we are

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recording we were going to record this conversation we've had a conversation before which we should

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have just hit record on but you were actually in a car i remember you were you were up somewhere

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i'm i'm always somewhere it's only today that uh because we had scheduled it ahead of time

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i chose a very nice background inside the inside the biggest university where part of

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the work that we do is based.

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So yeah, it's awesome to finally hit record and talk about this story.

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Yes, right.

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And what a story to share.

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Hard to know where to begin.

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I guess we should let people know who you are.

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I think that's probably the best place to start and where you are as well.

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All right.

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So my name is Brendan.

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I'm a Bitcoiner, of course, based in Uganda.

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Discovered Bitcoin in 2016 and entered a marriage with Bitcoin.

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Bitcoin is my first wife.

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I'm here to find my second.

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I've been serving the Bitcoin space, I think, for now seven years.

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In and out of the crypto Ponzi scheme grift.

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And 2021, I really decided to focus on Bitcoin.

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so the journey of our community has evolved since 2021 into PAKOS visit in 2022 2023 we

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start the circular economy efforts in 2021 would we decided to create a Bitcoin only company which

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is now GorillaSats that's our biggest flagship Bitcoin product so my personal background is

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really very tied to the community because i've always been a community-based person everything

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i've learned in the bitcoin space i tend to want to transfer it so the story will be if i try to

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tell my personal story i'll end up telling the whole story why not why not we're not in any rush

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we are not in any rush okay so um i'll skip the crypto the crypto space it's boring i discovered

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bitcoin through a scam and that scam led me to do a bit of research i ended up finding bitcoin

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myself buying my first bitcoin on local bitcoins putting it in a blockchain.com wallet and i then

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sent it to scammers who had promised to send me more money. I learned my lesson the hard way,

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but I had retained a very small portion of Bitcoin in that wallet and it eventually grew in value,

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which pushed me over the cliff to kind of research how Bitcoin works. And I thought I was going to be

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a millionaire if I kept saving in Bitcoin. I'm a millionaire now in such a few millions in my

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wallet yet to hit a few million bitcoins hopefully but I have a million certs at least to my name

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and right now our community has evolved from that personal story where I went on to share what I

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had learned about bitcoin with my friends it went from my friends to my community started

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trying to do on ground education at some point I had university kids in a room teaching them how to

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download wallets and sent them some certs and provided them an avenue on how to spend those

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certs. And that is when, while on Twitter, I landed on a very interesting Twitter call

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from Bitcoin Ecclesi, who was asking for any people who are interested in building a circular

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economy in their country. And we were supposed to pitch how we were supposed to do it. So I went on,

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went through that process i imagined as um as the winner and won my ticket to my first bitcoin

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conference which is btc prague in 2023 so in june when we did that um when i did that trip

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that a whole big story around that because i crowdfunded i crowdfunded that trip on geyser and the campaign was funded in a day So after I won the poll to go to BTC Prague and experience the Bitcoin circular economy booth I had to find ways of getting to Prague because

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what I had won was the ticket, not the flight, not the accommodation. I just had the conference

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ticket. So I went on Geyser because I'd been posting a lot of the work we were doing online.

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I had a lot of support. People donated to my campaign and that was the first real impact of Bitcoin on my life.

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I flew out of Uganda to my first Bitcoin conference. It was my first time on a plane.

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It was my first time to leave the continent. It was my first time to get on a subway.

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A lot of first times in 2023 and a lot of learning.

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So I met Haman in Prague.

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I met Fernando in Prague.

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And they shared what they had been building both in South Africa and Brazil.

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And they taught me, they gave me the confidence that we were already building a circular economy.

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But we didn't know that we were.

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And we were missing a few pieces to complete the circle.

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So when I came back in June 2023, we started on a path to actually find where to build a circular economy.

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and the orphanage comes into the picture.

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How does the orphanage come into the picture?

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The orphanage caretaker throughout the COVID period

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had been trying to look for different ways of donations

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and luckily through Facebook posts and Twitter posts,

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a Bitcoiner landed on the work they were doing

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and in 2023 had sent them some Bitcoin.

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Now, during the process of the caretaker

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trying to cash out the Bitcoin, they had been put in touch with myself and a friend of mine

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who works at Machankura because Machankura was enabling Bitcoin payments without the internet.

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And the orphanage is in a place where there is no smartphone penetration, there is no

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internet penetration. So the three factors came together and yeah, we decided to go and see the

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orphanage the bitcoin accepting orphanage and it was the perfect place it was really the perfect

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place to start the circular economy because there was already a need for donations there was already

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a need for getting these kids in a better state of life when i spoke to her man and and fernando

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were about it, they were like, that's where you should start because it is a point of impact.

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It is a project that has already existed since 2007. And it really has an impact on the community

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and it will change something. So 2023, the first time I visited the orphanage, I visited with more

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Bitcoin books than food. I still tell that story up to now that I'm very ashamed because how dare

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I visit orphaned children with more Bitcoin books than food.

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But yeah, that was the best decision I think we took for the project

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because then we now had a really impactful cause

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to put Bitcoin behind.

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And we didn't hesitate from the first day that we reached the orphanage,

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we implemented the model that was being used in Brazil,

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which is the fruits for sats.

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So now we bring the Fruits for Sats project to the orphanage and we start off the children at the orphanage, giving them daily fruits and making Bitcoin payments using bolt cards.

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At that point, I think we had 14 bolt cards and they would have to do rounds with the same bolt cards paying to the Bitcoinized POS machine.

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And it was really fun to see that enthusiasm that came, especially for the fruits, but paired with Bitcoin.

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And we went on to redo the orphanage premises.

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The orphanage was in a very bad condition.

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The kids were sleeping down.

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So, yeah, we asked for donations online, received all of them in Bitcoin.

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We used that Bitcoin to buy the children beds, bed sheets, mattresses.

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We did a very strong fruits diet for the whole year.

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We paid outstanding bills in health.

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We went on to pay the outstanding tuition fees at the school where they were going.

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So we really dug deep and focused on the project and tried to solve all the already existing problems before we could get into the Bitcoin circular economy.

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And it is something that I mentioned such that whoever is learning from this podcast might know that bringing Bitcoin to a community requires you to get close to their problems first.

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Try to solve those problems with Bitcoin and it will be easy for the community to actually grasp Bitcoin.

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So we get out of that, what I like to call putting out fires phase, because we are putting out a lot of fires. And thanks to Bitcoin, we got the kids back in health, we got them back in school. And yeah, the project was a success.

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I would say by the end of 2023 into early 2024, we had a successful project that had received about 1.4 BTC.

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We had put that BTC to use.

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We had improved children's lives.

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And then we encounter a very big shocker.

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We get a distress call from the owner of the school where the children were going.

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the owner of the school had been supporting the orphanage throughout the covid time and a lot of

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the finances had gone wrong because the orphanage was the biggest customer or the biggest client

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of the school so when the owner of the school realized that now the orphanage has a support

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system from elsewhere they decided to throw in the towel they gave us a distress call and said

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You know, you see that director's health has deteriorated because of the COVID weakening and would like to close the school.

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So here we are on top of one mountain.

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We have climbed one victory and now we are being taken back down.

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So we now get into another management of that situation.

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So we actually signed an agreement with the owner of the school to let us use the school for two years as we tried to figure out whether we could buy the school or we could find another school.

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And of course, the owner of the school was almost like a mother to these kids because she had looked after them for a while.

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She said yes. So we took on the school for, I think, one year and a few months up until recently.

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An announcement that we have not made official. It's just still in the corners.

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We were able to buy the school. So right now we have a full school that we are going to add onto the Bitcoin standard.

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designed a Bitcoin.

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We are going to design a Bitcoin focused curriculum.

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We are putting in hands-on activities

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to skill the orphan children

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and the community around us.

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So now that's on one side,

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the orphanage and the school

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are now fully Bitcoinized entities.

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The teachers are being paid in Bitcoin.

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We still have our transparent system

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that we've had all the way from the start

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where you can check our geyser

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see how many certs we've received check the crowdfunding platforms that we have on the

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bitcoin confederation i'll share with you all those links such that people can check them out

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you would see really how much we have received and the impact it has done

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on the ground the kids are really really in better health because right now we've

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we've reduced our health cases to about to a manageable rate of course children will still

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get sick, you'll still have malaria, you'll still have a few coughs here and there, but it is not as

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bad as it used to be. And even when we get those emergencies, we do not have all the money, but we

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have some emergency funds that can at least help us through the first stages. We've been having

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the fruits program run since June 2023 non-stop. We've added an eggs for such project on top of

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that to bring protein into the kids diet. We've onboarded our suppliers, the supplier ecosystem

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built around the school and orphanage to also accept Bitcoin. So right now we pay for our fruits,

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our eggs. The person who does our engineering projects, if we need to do small constructions,

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they take Bitcoin. The food that we eat, all of it is paid in Bitcoin. And along the way,

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we were also able to get a kind donor who bought us a piece of land where we are now doing our own

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farming. So we are still paying for our food in Bitcoin, but we are trying to reduce the food

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budget by growing our own food. Going out of 2025, when we started the daily administration of the

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school, we thought, why not look for a partner? Because my major is not running a school. The

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caretaker is used to running the orphanage. So we've since also written another partnership

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agreement with a model school here. There's a school that is based in the capital that is

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pioneering a different style of education. So the children are learning carpentry, ICT skills,

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pigery, farming, all the interesting things that Bitcoiners usually like to do. These guys are

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teaching them in a schooling model that has run for eight years So they have experience So we walked to them boldly It was not easy but we managed to close them So they will be

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our direct partner when it comes to running the school and modeling the activities of the

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school, such that even when the kids are getting out of the lower primary section and they

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are transitioning into high school, they already have skills that they can sell for Bitcoin.

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They already know how to farm. They already know how to use their computers. They already know how to have animals and raise them well. So there's this whole ecosystem that is emerging out of the small seed that was sown by Ascan in 2016. I've not done the story justice, but I feel like I've been talking for long. Yeah, so that's where we are right now.

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I'll pull on a few threads here.

218
00:21:39,245 --> 00:21:41,685
So how many kids are we talking about?

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Because like there would have been a set amount of kids in the orphanage

220
00:21:44,405 --> 00:21:47,825
and then even more kids in the school, I'm assuming from following the story.

221
00:21:48,005 --> 00:21:51,385
So how many kids were in the orphanage to begin with?

222
00:21:52,605 --> 00:21:55,365
76 children were in the orphanage to begin with.

223
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76 kids?

224
00:21:57,105 --> 00:21:57,425
Yes.

225
00:21:57,785 --> 00:21:58,825
All sleeping on the floor?

226
00:21:59,825 --> 00:22:00,325
Yes, bro.

227
00:22:01,645 --> 00:22:02,625
Oh my God.

228
00:22:04,065 --> 00:22:05,405
Yeah, and Bitcoin saved that.

229
00:22:05,405 --> 00:22:08,265
I don't know whether Bitcoin has taken enough credit.

230
00:22:08,625 --> 00:22:11,185
I don't know whether I'm the right marketing department

231
00:22:11,185 --> 00:22:13,805
to make Bitcoin take credit for such a thing.

232
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But we literally got 77.

233
00:22:16,745 --> 00:22:20,225
There were 77 and we lost one.

234
00:22:20,385 --> 00:22:21,665
So now 76.

235
00:22:22,405 --> 00:22:29,225
So 76 children now sleeping on beds with mattresses,

236
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with bedsheets.

237
00:22:30,565 --> 00:22:32,285
Oh, we need to buy new bedsheets.

238
00:22:32,285 --> 00:22:40,005
the old ones are we the ones we bought in 2023 have since grown but yeah all that was paid for

239
00:22:40,005 --> 00:22:46,805
in bitcoin and that was paid for from from like a geyser fund a geyser project it was

240
00:22:46,805 --> 00:22:55,605
so we did um we have the geyser site and we also have a btc pay integration where we built a simple

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Bitcoin website where we would list the priorities that we had and the update of what we have so far

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00:23:04,865 --> 00:23:11,465
collected. We've since transitioned to the Bitcoin Confederation, but that website still exists.

243
00:23:12,145 --> 00:23:21,905
It's called bitcoincampala.org. So it has all the priorities that started with all the money that

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we raised, all the achievements. We managed to capture all that on Twitter as well. So the

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advantage we have about Bitcoin Kampala is from day one, from the day we visited the orphanage,

246
00:23:32,965 --> 00:23:38,785
if you go back to Twitter, you will see from day one of when the project started up to where we are.

247
00:23:38,785 --> 00:23:44,885
So the beauty is everything from a printer that we bought, from QR codes that we printed, to

248
00:23:44,885 --> 00:23:48,905
the first time we paid for fruits using Bitcoin.

249
00:23:49,125 --> 00:23:52,925
All that is captured on the Bitcoin Kampala Twitter handle.

250
00:23:53,285 --> 00:23:56,945
So when we take on the school, the school was initially a big institution,

251
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but throughout COVID, a lot of parents took their kids out of school.

252
00:24:02,645 --> 00:24:04,725
And the strategy for the school had been,

253
00:24:05,765 --> 00:24:09,705
because they had external children bringing in revenue,

254
00:24:09,705 --> 00:24:14,825
they also took on 36 to 37 orphans.

255
00:24:14,885 --> 00:24:17,125
so out of COVID

256
00:24:17,125 --> 00:24:19,465
when all the children

257
00:24:19,465 --> 00:24:21,445
of the community left the school

258
00:24:21,445 --> 00:24:23,405
the total of orphans

259
00:24:23,405 --> 00:24:25,045
that were studying from the school

260
00:24:25,045 --> 00:24:27,065
plus ours were 115

261
00:24:27,065 --> 00:24:29,405
and when we took on that school

262
00:24:29,405 --> 00:24:31,385
we eventually took on

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00:24:31,385 --> 00:24:32,325
those kids as well

264
00:24:32,325 --> 00:24:35,385
so we have now

265
00:24:35,385 --> 00:24:37,545
a total of 115 children

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00:24:37,545 --> 00:24:38,585
that we look after

267
00:24:38,585 --> 00:24:41,885
so the number went from 76 to 115

268
00:24:41,885 --> 00:24:43,065
because of that

269
00:24:43,065 --> 00:24:50,545
us taking on the school um yeah so that's that's the number that we are working with 115

270
00:24:50,545 --> 00:24:58,165
so what's the age range because uh when you took over the orphanage that's a lot of orphans like

271
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you know what's the main what's the main reason for the the reason is one the region where the

272
00:25:06,105 --> 00:25:13,885
orphanage is, is a rural area. It's a rural area with no active sensitization about family planning.

273
00:25:14,865 --> 00:25:21,765
The region is also kind of deserted by the government facilities, so there's not so much

274
00:25:21,765 --> 00:25:26,865
development. There's not so many schools. That's why we are talking about a previously private

275
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school that is owned by a local who was also trying to solve a local problem. So it's far off

276
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from the capital and the government assistance.

277
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And the region is mostly full of young parents.

278
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So it's a vicious cycle that already exists

279
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that reinforces early marriages,

280
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lack of family planning,

281
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and back to a lot of children,

282
00:26:00,665 --> 00:26:03,605
children that parents can't eventually take care of,

283
00:26:03,605 --> 00:26:10,285
a high death risk system. So it's like a vicious, bad circular economy that creates all these young

284
00:26:10,285 --> 00:26:17,425
children in the community. In fact, it is an astounding ratio. It is a ratio of two adults

285
00:26:17,425 --> 00:26:23,905
to 10 children. So for every two adults in that community, there's 10 children.

286
00:26:23,905 --> 00:26:33,365
And that ratio means typically the adults cannot take care of their kids, or the adults

287
00:26:33,365 --> 00:26:39,125
are dying at a young age and they're leaving the children

288
00:26:39,125 --> 00:26:41,605
and taken care of.

289
00:26:41,725 --> 00:26:45,865
So the hind story behind majority of these orphans

290
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is some of them were found at church doors

291
00:26:49,505 --> 00:26:50,745
left by their parents.

292
00:26:51,265 --> 00:26:53,405
Some of them were collected from the community

293
00:26:53,405 --> 00:26:55,945
and they had run away from home because they couldn't eat.

294
00:26:56,505 --> 00:27:00,645
So all those children were brought together under an orphanage.

295
00:27:00,825 --> 00:27:02,685
And the story behind the orphanage is

296
00:27:02,685 --> 00:27:08,465
the initial founder of the orphanage was a barren lady who could not bear children.

297
00:27:09,205 --> 00:27:15,805
So as a way of giving back and also enjoying that family love, she took on an initial group of orphans,

298
00:27:16,545 --> 00:27:19,085
raised them, and took on another group.

299
00:27:19,685 --> 00:27:23,085
So when she took on another group, she unfortunately passed on.

300
00:27:23,085 --> 00:27:29,105
But when she passed on, the now caretaker of the orphanage stepped in to look after the orphans.

301
00:27:30,105 --> 00:27:32,145
So that's the behind story.

302
00:27:32,685 --> 00:27:45,965
Wow. What's the, what, I mean, might be a morbid question to ask, but I think it's probably something people are thinking about. What would be the main cause of death there at an early age?

303
00:27:45,965 --> 00:27:58,545
well um i would like to put it at just poor health habits that's one there is um of course

304
00:27:58,545 --> 00:28:08,845
aids because of the the sexual practices that are not very well sensitized against there is um

305
00:28:08,845 --> 00:28:17,265
of course drug abuse for the mostly on the men's side so you'll find a lot of ladies out of the

306
00:28:17,265 --> 00:28:24,045
adults you'll find more adult women than more adult men because men tend to go towards the

307
00:28:24,045 --> 00:28:30,625
drug abuse route especially when you have a big family that you've created out of an early marriage

308
00:28:30,625 --> 00:28:38,565
and then you have to take care of the family so there is a drug problem there is early marriages

309
00:28:38,565 --> 00:28:43,845
and child marriages as well, not just early marriages.

310
00:28:43,845 --> 00:28:47,525
So you'll find a 16-year-old already has two kids.

311
00:28:48,065 --> 00:28:51,705
So if you start at 16 and you started off on the wrong pace,

312
00:28:52,945 --> 00:28:57,045
it's just a vicious cycle that is becoming hard to solve.

313
00:28:59,925 --> 00:29:00,445
Damn.

314
00:29:02,005 --> 00:29:03,285
Sorry, I was just...

315
00:29:03,285 --> 00:29:06,585
Someone just pulled up.

316
00:29:06,585 --> 00:29:09,165
Someone's just about to do donuts through the park.

317
00:29:13,085 --> 00:29:15,165
Wow, that's such a great story, man.

318
00:29:15,405 --> 00:29:19,385
Like, you know, first of all, hats off for everything that you've done

319
00:29:19,385 --> 00:29:20,285
and that you've achieved.

320
00:29:20,625 --> 00:29:21,605
I'm not alone.

321
00:29:21,865 --> 00:29:24,645
I wish those hats were off for me alone.

322
00:29:25,265 --> 00:29:29,885
I'm trying to do a better story to get the people that are involved

323
00:29:29,885 --> 00:29:31,485
in the story to get their credit.

324
00:29:32,505 --> 00:29:35,045
We have the caretaker who is called Isma.

325
00:29:35,045 --> 00:29:37,445
He runs the Offens of Uganda Twitter handle.

326
00:29:38,125 --> 00:29:41,845
We have Edith, who is very big in the space.

327
00:29:41,985 --> 00:29:47,085
She studied the Bitcoin data course, and she came in to help with the orphanage.

328
00:29:47,165 --> 00:29:47,945
We have Afan.

329
00:29:48,525 --> 00:29:49,765
Afan is my day one.

330
00:29:49,985 --> 00:29:52,245
He's the first person I taught about Bitcoin.

331
00:29:52,785 --> 00:29:54,445
We've built Gorilla Sats together.

332
00:29:54,865 --> 00:29:57,705
We've grown the community together.

333
00:29:58,085 --> 00:30:01,805
And we have contributions across the board from a lot of people.

334
00:30:01,805 --> 00:30:07,885
We have Haman and, of course, Fernando, who introduced me to the whole concept.

335
00:30:08,345 --> 00:30:09,425
We have Bitcoin Beach.

336
00:30:09,945 --> 00:30:13,065
They've been our greatest patron in terms of funding.

337
00:30:13,645 --> 00:30:14,945
And they're our ambassador.

338
00:30:15,285 --> 00:30:19,405
They really give the project a lot of platform.

339
00:30:20,245 --> 00:30:26,245
So it's a very communal, global communal activity.

340
00:30:26,245 --> 00:30:33,965
I am just the person who is willing to take the stress of making it happen.

341
00:30:34,125 --> 00:30:37,745
And of course, to people like you who are giving us the platform to tell this story.

342
00:30:38,205 --> 00:30:43,145
Because I think there are many more people like me out there who could be solving a community

343
00:30:43,145 --> 00:30:48,485
problem, who could be using Bitcoin to empower their community.

344
00:30:49,285 --> 00:30:51,045
And they just need a wake up call.

345
00:30:51,745 --> 00:30:53,565
And there's still work that I've not highlighted.

346
00:30:53,565 --> 00:30:55,985
There's still work that we do around the university.

347
00:30:55,985 --> 00:30:57,905
We did not abandon the university.

348
00:30:58,065 --> 00:30:58,765
That's why I'm here.

349
00:30:59,425 --> 00:31:01,465
The background that we have is from the university.

350
00:31:01,645 --> 00:31:02,445
I'm actually inside.

351
00:31:03,305 --> 00:31:23,558
We still do merchant education and we still teach the university students how to spend Bitcoin And they are actually building they are actually spending in the circular economy around the university So we still do education and merchant onboarding around there

352
00:31:23,878 --> 00:31:27,778
But that's like 10% of the total project focus

353
00:31:27,778 --> 00:31:30,998
because it's easier to do it here.

354
00:31:31,458 --> 00:31:33,198
It's harder to do it on the other side.

355
00:31:33,318 --> 00:31:36,138
So we focus all our efforts on the other side.

356
00:31:36,318 --> 00:31:39,018
All the funding we get, majority of it goes that side.

357
00:31:39,018 --> 00:31:43,718
But yeah, not that we've neglected the university area as well.

358
00:31:44,298 --> 00:31:46,378
So what's your link to the university?

359
00:31:46,578 --> 00:31:48,618
Did you study there as well before?

360
00:31:49,418 --> 00:31:49,578
Yeah?

361
00:31:49,878 --> 00:31:50,098
Yes.

362
00:31:50,478 --> 00:31:50,838
Okay.

363
00:31:50,958 --> 00:31:51,678
What were you studying?

364
00:31:51,938 --> 00:31:55,298
So I studied Chinese.

365
00:31:56,518 --> 00:32:00,678
I studied a bachelor's of Chinese and Asian studies for three years.

366
00:32:01,398 --> 00:32:05,998
And I did that after dropping out of law school.

367
00:32:05,998 --> 00:32:08,598
I had initially enrolled for law school.

368
00:32:09,018 --> 00:32:23,498
Went in two weeks. The environment was not what I expected. I expected education to be exciting. And the way the law is presented when you're in the courts is not the same way it is taught.

369
00:32:23,498 --> 00:32:31,398
She started using very old information, very, I would say, outdated information.

370
00:32:31,798 --> 00:32:45,678
And for me, from the start, I realized I can't wait five years of studying and going through this whole, I want to call it archaic system, before I could touch some money.

371
00:32:45,678 --> 00:32:55,938
So I assessed the law school approach and I decided to drop out and go for a bachelor's in Chinese and Asian studies.

372
00:32:56,498 --> 00:32:59,938
I'd been very attentive towards global politics.

373
00:32:59,938 --> 00:33:05,218
So I knew the position that China was taking with the disadvantage that they have.

374
00:33:05,998 --> 00:33:07,738
China has economic power.

375
00:33:07,738 --> 00:33:31,738
It has the financial power and they call it their democratic, political, there's a way they refer to it. It's a communist capitalist country. Yeah, so their communist capitalist approach accumulated them all this economic power in the world, but they still have one big disadvantage.

376
00:33:31,738 --> 00:33:33,578
they can't talk to the world.

377
00:33:34,398 --> 00:33:36,878
So I thought if they can't talk to the world,

378
00:33:36,958 --> 00:33:38,998
because majority of them don't speak English,

379
00:33:39,918 --> 00:33:47,758
and English and I think Spanish and should be Italian

380
00:33:47,758 --> 00:33:53,698
are the widely spoken languages across the world after Chinese.

381
00:33:54,098 --> 00:33:58,818
So if China needed to do business with Africa and to be specific Uganda,

382
00:33:58,818 --> 00:34:05,098
they needed to communicate it was a good opportunity for me to learn their language

383
00:34:05,098 --> 00:34:11,018
learn their economics and learn their culture to become a bridge and I did become a bridge

384
00:34:11,018 --> 00:34:18,398
for about one year or two I think I did my internship in a Chinese company where I translated

385
00:34:18,398 --> 00:34:24,998
and then in my third year just before I graduated I worked with the Chinese companies for a year

386
00:34:24,998 --> 00:34:32,358
So I would do work throughout the day and then study the evening part of the course.

387
00:34:32,918 --> 00:34:36,638
And that's what I studied.

388
00:34:38,598 --> 00:34:41,578
Man, that's full on.

389
00:34:42,858 --> 00:34:51,818
You're clearly a guy that puts your head to something and sticks to it and sees the light at the end of the tunnel.

390
00:34:52,098 --> 00:34:53,958
And that's what you've seen with Bitcoin, obviously.

391
00:34:53,958 --> 00:34:59,838
I mean, Bitcoin is, for me, Bitcoin is the ingredient.

392
00:35:00,578 --> 00:35:03,978
There is a lot that Bitcoin will change.

393
00:35:04,178 --> 00:35:05,658
It has already changed in my life.

394
00:35:06,638 --> 00:35:12,938
I don't think the average youth, I still consider myself a youth because I'm only 26.

395
00:35:13,938 --> 00:35:21,858
There is a lot of opportunity on the table for anyone who earlier on in their life actually

396
00:35:21,858 --> 00:35:28,498
takes on Bitcoin because Bitcoin opens networks, Bitcoin opens funding, Bitcoin opens your

397
00:35:28,498 --> 00:35:36,318
mind towards the realities of economics, towards the realities of how money is actually controlling

398
00:35:36,318 --> 00:35:39,178
or suppressing our financial freedoms.

399
00:35:39,438 --> 00:35:44,818
When it comes to the dollar hegemony and understanding how that plays out in my country, how that

400
00:35:44,818 --> 00:35:51,158
affects the amount of money I get paid as a salary, all that kind of repurposes how

401
00:35:51,158 --> 00:35:56,418
you think and positions you better for whether you're an entrepreneur, whether you're in a career,

402
00:35:57,318 --> 00:36:02,458
for you to be able to take the most advantage of the value that you create in the world. So for me,

403
00:36:02,578 --> 00:36:08,958
that core ingredient, it expands into all the other things I want to do. I'm more healthy because of

404
00:36:08,958 --> 00:36:15,098
Bitcoin. I'm more empowered because of Bitcoin. I have friends across the world because of Bitcoin.

405
00:36:15,098 --> 00:36:20,698
So, yeah, that's definitely what I think Bitcoin presents to me.

406
00:36:21,138 --> 00:36:31,598
And the understanding I had of China and the global geopolitics really helped me to understand why Bitcoin was important.

407
00:36:32,298 --> 00:36:39,318
Because there is that traditional power struggle that goes on in the economic side between the countries.

408
00:36:39,538 --> 00:36:43,078
And knowing that Bitcoin is a country without borders.

409
00:36:43,078 --> 00:36:52,018
it's an economy with users without a jurisdiction, and this country or this mindset of people

410
00:36:52,018 --> 00:36:59,318
is participating in the global geopolitics, it gave me a different perspective of what

411
00:36:59,318 --> 00:37:05,958
global political and economic power could look like. So me, I think of Bitcoin as a country,

412
00:37:05,958 --> 00:37:15,518
and everyone who is part of that country can rival or compete against the Chinas and the

413
00:37:15,518 --> 00:37:16,658
USes of this world.

414
00:37:17,858 --> 00:37:25,778
I think an interesting kind of, I'd love to get your viewpoint on this last year, particularly

415
00:37:25,778 --> 00:37:28,998
we've had paper Bitcoin summer.

416
00:37:28,998 --> 00:37:42,398
We've had a lot of reverse listings on specific forces around the world from companies that are just stacking Bitcoin for the sake of stacking Bitcoin, from what I can tell.

417
00:37:44,158 --> 00:37:50,058
And a lot of the narrative is all around Bitcoin being, you know, a store of value.

418
00:37:50,058 --> 00:37:57,758
you're here on the ground building a circular economy and i'm sure you're beating the drum that

419
00:37:57,758 --> 00:38:05,638
bitcoin is a medium exchange and needs to become a medium exchange so with your with your like

420
00:38:05,638 --> 00:38:11,158
unique viewpoint from from where you are the travel that you've done the people that you've met

421
00:38:11,158 --> 00:38:17,418
uh the conversations that you've had the work that you've seen the impact that you've seen it have

422
00:38:17,418 --> 00:38:29,238
over you know 77 kids lives um where do you kind of like fall morally ethically on this whole

423
00:38:29,238 --> 00:38:38,738
kind of medium exchange store of value kind of scale well i think the scale has been imbalanced

424
00:38:38,738 --> 00:38:45,198
um the reason a scale is a scale is because it has a weight and a counterweight so i think the

425
00:38:45,198 --> 00:38:53,038
scale has been really imbalanced for the past few years. Bitcoin by default had to take advantage of

426
00:38:53,038 --> 00:39:01,518
the store of value feature for people to notice it. But now the hard time that the world will have

427
00:39:01,518 --> 00:39:09,498
is to come to places like Uganda and Africa in general and try to convince the store of value

428
00:39:09,498 --> 00:39:11,258
narrative on people

429
00:39:11,258 --> 00:39:12,418
because

430
00:39:12,418 --> 00:39:15,358
the value that people have here

431
00:39:15,358 --> 00:39:16,778
is value in skills

432
00:39:16,778 --> 00:39:18,958
is value in

433
00:39:18,958 --> 00:39:21,358
land, is value in

434
00:39:21,358 --> 00:39:21,938
agriculture

435
00:39:21,938 --> 00:39:25,358
now convincing those people that they need

436
00:39:25,358 --> 00:39:26,898
to keep their money in Bitcoin

437
00:39:26,898 --> 00:39:29,298
means you're convincing them to sell

438
00:39:29,298 --> 00:39:30,498
maybe

439
00:39:30,498 --> 00:39:33,198
a piece of land they have and buy

440
00:39:33,198 --> 00:39:35,198
Bitcoin which then takes

441
00:39:35,198 --> 00:39:37,098
away let's say

442
00:39:37,098 --> 00:39:38,638
their land for farming

443
00:39:39,498 --> 00:39:43,798
We are not a cash-heavy continent.

444
00:39:44,398 --> 00:39:49,878
We don't have our resources and our riches in paper money like the Western world does.

445
00:39:50,618 --> 00:39:53,418
I think Africa is rich in resources.

446
00:39:53,918 --> 00:39:55,038
It's rich in land.

447
00:39:55,178 --> 00:39:57,218
It's rich in capital and human labor.

448
00:39:57,438 --> 00:40:04,078
Now, those cannot be used on the Bitcoin layer as stores of value.

449
00:40:04,458 --> 00:40:06,718
They have to be used as medium of exchange.

450
00:40:06,718 --> 00:40:10,078
We have to exchange Bitcoin for resources.

451
00:40:10,358 --> 00:40:12,738
We have to exchange Bitcoin for skills.

452
00:40:12,918 --> 00:40:20,258
We have to exchange Bitcoin for all these wealth, forms of wealth that we have on the

453
00:40:20,258 --> 00:40:21,878
continent, unlike the West.

454
00:40:22,138 --> 00:40:29,578
It makes sense for someone who had a stock, for someone who had dollars in their account

455
00:40:29,578 --> 00:40:31,618
to convert it into Bitcoin.

456
00:40:31,618 --> 00:40:38,198
but it doesn't make sense for someone who has a piece of land to sell it and keep in Bitcoin and

457
00:40:38,198 --> 00:40:44,278
they are not making revenue. It is rather smarter for this person to farm crops on their land,

458
00:40:44,898 --> 00:40:49,418
sell those crops and convert it into Bitcoin. Are we struggling with internet?

459
00:40:50,878 --> 00:40:52,898
No, no, it's fine. I can see you.

460
00:40:52,898 --> 00:41:05,698
All right. So the whole idea is one side of the scale had to be heavy for us to start thinking about the counterweight of the scale.

461
00:41:05,698 --> 00:41:12,698
So I think it's not a bad thing that all these companies are taking that route.

462
00:41:12,698 --> 00:41:18,858
that route, it's actually a good thing for everyone who is using Bitcoin as medium of exchange on this side,

463
00:41:18,858 --> 00:41:24,378
because the value of what they are exchanging is actually going up.

464
00:41:24,378 --> 00:41:30,378
So I think it's just a representation of the typical Austrian economics of what good money does.

465
00:41:30,378 --> 00:41:39,898
That good money on one side is being used to store value, and on the side where there is value, value is moving on that layer.

466
00:41:39,971 --> 00:41:43,311
And maybe it is switching between the two different places.

467
00:41:44,211 --> 00:41:50,891
Maybe it is attracting the people who would rather be storing value to come into the continent and build.

468
00:41:51,331 --> 00:41:52,311
And that's what I've witnessed.

469
00:41:53,051 --> 00:42:01,531
We had the couple from Canada, student of Bitcoin, and they came, Anuja and Santosh.

470
00:42:02,131 --> 00:42:07,171
And to them in Canada, it would have been, let's keep our Bitcoin and it will grow in value.

471
00:42:07,171 --> 00:42:30,111
When they got here, there was value to be created. They sold some of their Bitcoin and we built a Bitcoin business. Now that Bitcoin business is receiving Bitcoin payments on a daily basis. It is bootstrapping the circular economy here. It is helping the students around the university to understand the value of money and to understand the value of Bitcoin.

472
00:42:30,111 --> 00:42:32,711
so it's not

473
00:42:32,711 --> 00:42:34,651
it's not bad

474
00:42:34,651 --> 00:42:36,491
it's not my worry as well

475
00:42:36,491 --> 00:42:39,091
I would like for everyone who comes from the west to know

476
00:42:39,091 --> 00:42:40,511
it's not my worry

477
00:42:40,511 --> 00:42:42,931
that these guys are choosing to use Bitcoin

478
00:42:42,931 --> 00:42:43,771
the way they are

479
00:42:43,771 --> 00:42:46,791
I'm sure that the model we are taking in Africa

480
00:42:46,791 --> 00:42:47,391
is different

481
00:42:47,391 --> 00:42:50,311
we are using Bitcoin as a medium of exchange

482
00:42:50,311 --> 00:42:51,231
and it works

483
00:42:51,231 --> 00:42:52,891
and it is empowering people

484
00:42:52,891 --> 00:42:54,571
it is feeding orphans

485
00:42:54,571 --> 00:42:57,411
it is helping children in South Africa

486
00:42:57,411 --> 00:42:59,031
serve and learn a new skill

487
00:42:59,031 --> 00:43:01,551
which can put them on a global stage.

488
00:43:01,851 --> 00:43:06,031
It is in the biggest slum in East Africa, in Kibera.

489
00:43:06,431 --> 00:43:10,071
It is empowering merchants there, and they are spending it on a daily basis.

490
00:43:10,811 --> 00:43:19,191
It is bringing electrification to villages that would otherwise be ignored

491
00:43:19,191 --> 00:43:22,631
by the national grid through projects like Gridless.

492
00:43:23,191 --> 00:43:26,931
So the model of Bitcoin in Africa is completely different

493
00:43:26,931 --> 00:43:29,511
to the model of Bitcoin in the Western world.

494
00:43:30,111 --> 00:43:32,831
And whether that is right or wrong is not for us to judge.

495
00:43:33,111 --> 00:43:38,171
I think economics has a way of evening out the playing field.

496
00:43:38,731 --> 00:43:41,051
I think as a medium of exchange here,

497
00:43:41,131 --> 00:43:42,391
Bitcoin makes a bigger case

498
00:43:42,391 --> 00:43:45,211
because people don't have value to store.

499
00:43:45,311 --> 00:43:48,211
They have value to give so they can receive Bitcoin,

500
00:43:48,211 --> 00:43:52,111
but they don't yet have accumulated value to store in Bitcoin.

501
00:43:52,991 --> 00:43:54,411
So yeah, that would be my response.

502
00:43:54,411 --> 00:43:59,391
It's just the weight is evening out.

503
00:44:00,511 --> 00:44:03,671
Well, it's amazing to hear that, you know, as a medium exchange,

504
00:44:03,671 --> 00:44:05,171
it's made such an impact.

505
00:44:05,391 --> 00:44:06,951
And so what's GorillaSats then?

506
00:44:07,111 --> 00:44:08,471
Let's learn about that.

507
00:44:10,671 --> 00:44:11,951
GorillaSats is my baby.

508
00:44:14,511 --> 00:44:19,791
So GorillaSats is, I will talk about the company bit,

509
00:44:19,891 --> 00:44:21,391
but GorillaSats is a statement.

510
00:44:21,391 --> 00:44:27,831
For me in my life, it's a very key point where we went from crypto to Bitcoin only.

511
00:44:28,771 --> 00:44:33,631
And we created GorillaSats as an extension of the education work we had been doing.

512
00:44:33,931 --> 00:44:35,951
But we had an interest in tourism.

513
00:44:36,531 --> 00:44:42,251
So GorillaSats was our bridge from Bitcoin education to having a real Bitcoin company

514
00:44:42,251 --> 00:44:44,291
that had Bitcoin values.

515
00:44:44,431 --> 00:44:48,611
So we went from a crypto education company, which was called Skillhaven.

516
00:44:48,611 --> 00:44:57,891
we announced publicly that we were not doing crypto anymore we pivoted to a company that

517
00:44:57,891 --> 00:45:06,531
we called one after our dream and our belief so we believe a lot in the tourism space in

518
00:45:06,531 --> 00:45:12,571
east africa and africa in general i think africa is the next biggest destination for the world

519
00:45:12,571 --> 00:45:15,451
because it's undiscovered, it's untapped,

520
00:45:15,551 --> 00:45:17,071
a lot of economic opportunities,

521
00:45:17,451 --> 00:45:20,671
a lot of nature in its original form,

522
00:45:21,011 --> 00:45:22,171
as I would like to say.

523
00:45:22,171 --> 00:45:27,471
So our belief was tourism is one of the big industries

524
00:45:27,471 --> 00:45:31,271
that will revitalize Africa, and hence the gorilla.

525
00:45:31,691 --> 00:45:35,851
The gorilla is particular for the unique primates

526
00:45:35,851 --> 00:45:42,031
that share 98% DNA with human beings.

527
00:45:42,571 --> 00:45:45,991
and they are only located in East Africa.

528
00:45:47,291 --> 00:45:53,351
And more than 60% of those gorillas exist in my country, in Uganda.

529
00:45:53,351 --> 00:45:57,711
So we chose gorilla to represent those beliefs

530
00:45:57,711 --> 00:46:01,651
and to also speak to the general tourism space.

531
00:46:02,031 --> 00:46:06,191
And the SATs is to represent our values

532
00:46:06,191 --> 00:46:10,551
and Bitcoin being where we draw our principles from.

533
00:46:10,551 --> 00:46:13,411
and it is not SATs by mistake.

534
00:46:13,591 --> 00:46:15,231
It could have been gorilla Bitcoin.

535
00:46:15,911 --> 00:46:18,591
The SATs is, we think SATs is going to be

536
00:46:18,591 --> 00:46:21,751
the layer of transaction on the African continent.

537
00:46:22,291 --> 00:46:25,231
While the early developers and the early West

538
00:46:25,231 --> 00:46:29,191
were able to spend 10,000 Bitcoin on pizza,

539
00:46:29,631 --> 00:46:32,631
for us, we think the dominating layer of transaction

540
00:46:32,631 --> 00:46:35,671
when it comes to Bitcoin going forward in the world

541
00:46:35,671 --> 00:46:38,011
and especially in Africa will be SATs.

542
00:46:38,011 --> 00:46:47,931
So when Africa catches up with using certs, they will know that we had been a Bitcoin company from the start.

543
00:46:48,731 --> 00:46:56,391
And our vision is hopefully it becomes so weird that people are asking us why we are naming our company after money.

544
00:46:57,351 --> 00:47:02,711
Kind of what it would have been like calling a company back in the day Gorilla Dollar.

545
00:47:02,711 --> 00:47:08,531
so we want to get to a point where we've done so much work and people understand bitcoin so much

546
00:47:08,531 --> 00:47:16,391
that having a name like sats or bitcoin something is is so weird it's like naming a company after

547
00:47:16,391 --> 00:47:23,311
after a form of money so yeah that's the background but it's a tourism company strictly

548
00:47:23,311 --> 00:47:31,811
that focuses on east africa we do rwanda tanzania kenya and uganda we started out in uganda and

549
00:47:31,811 --> 00:47:40,411
And our competitive advantage is we save our client money because they send us money in Bitcoin.

550
00:47:40,631 --> 00:47:44,651
So we remove that 5% to 10% fees they could have paid.

551
00:47:45,531 --> 00:47:54,231
But initially, what our clients didn't know or what the general tourism space goes through is whenever the client pays the fees,

552
00:47:54,491 --> 00:48:01,011
the tour operator or the service, the person who is delivering the service also pays a fee.

553
00:48:01,011 --> 00:48:18,011
So we realized if we combine the fee the client pays and the fee that we pay to receive money from them and get it out of the bank and pay other service providers, we end up losing about 25% of the total transaction fees.

554
00:48:18,011 --> 00:48:25,951
So sorry, of the total amount paid. So if someone is paying me a thousand dollars and let's say.

555
00:48:27,411 --> 00:48:32,391
Two hundred and fifty dollars are going into transactions in total around the whole trip.

556
00:48:33,011 --> 00:48:38,871
That should stop. And that is why we decided to create an alternative route.

557
00:48:39,471 --> 00:48:45,331
We don't force it on our clients, but we always recommend that our clients opt to pay us in Bitcoin.

558
00:48:45,331 --> 00:49:01,951
It saves them money. It also saves us money. And we've transferred that by whoever pays us in Bitcoin, they can get a discount because then we don't need to make a very big profit margin to cater for the transaction fees.

559
00:49:01,951 --> 00:49:20,071
So really the whole idea is when you add Bitcoin payments into the tourism space, you're saving the industry about 15% of transaction fees going back to Visa, going back to MasterCard, delayed transactions.

560
00:49:20,071 --> 00:49:26,531
I mean, there's no reason why Uber should be settling the drivers on Uber after every two weeks.

561
00:49:27,011 --> 00:49:32,951
There's no reason why Airbnb should be settling the hosts every after two months or one month.

562
00:49:33,451 --> 00:49:36,471
There is no reason why Booking.com should do the same.

563
00:49:36,571 --> 00:49:38,931
We think Bitcoin is that secret ingredient.

564
00:49:39,731 --> 00:49:48,491
And eventually, if all these platforms that enable travel and cultural exchanges adjust to reflect that instant payment,

565
00:49:48,491 --> 00:49:52,811
then that means the service provider doesn't have to overcharge.

566
00:49:53,251 --> 00:49:59,051
I think things are expensive in general because people have to always cater for transaction fees.

567
00:49:59,551 --> 00:50:04,511
They have to cater for what they lose when they process giving a service to you.

568
00:50:05,111 --> 00:50:08,011
So that's the mindset behind GorillaSats.

569
00:50:08,871 --> 00:50:15,791
By extension, doing all that work, trying to get people to tour different places,

570
00:50:15,791 --> 00:50:24,571
we've created a very small merchant merchant ecosystem when we go to different parts of these

571
00:50:24,571 --> 00:50:31,551
countries you're able to pay in bitcoin and in uganda when we started by the pilot in uganda

572
00:50:31,551 --> 00:50:37,291
we had a big problem the people we were paying in bitcoin didn't have where to sell their bitcoin

573
00:50:37,291 --> 00:50:44,791
from so we had to take a choice between pushing them to binance and hoping they don't touch all

574
00:50:44,791 --> 00:50:52,011
the other 10,000 shitcoins that wasted our time or building a simple platform that would help them

575
00:50:52,011 --> 00:50:59,551
on-ramp and off-ramp. So part of the service that we offer only exclusively in Uganda is people can

576
00:50:59,551 --> 00:51:07,291
on and off-ramp via Lightning from GorillaSats. It's a service that we've put in the market

577
00:51:07,291 --> 00:51:10,691
because everyone seems to have a form of USDT,

578
00:51:11,271 --> 00:51:15,731
a form of crypto that is embedded in their wallet.

579
00:51:15,931 --> 00:51:19,091
And for us, that distraction to the people we teach about Bitcoin

580
00:51:19,091 --> 00:51:19,951
is not necessary.

581
00:51:20,971 --> 00:51:24,011
And yeah, we've still continued with the education efforts

582
00:51:24,011 --> 00:51:25,311
that we started with.

583
00:51:26,171 --> 00:51:29,771
We are now extending to partner with circular economies

584
00:51:29,771 --> 00:51:33,611
such that I can get you, Daniel, from wherever you are in the world,

585
00:51:34,451 --> 00:51:36,051
organize your trip to Kenya,

586
00:51:36,051 --> 00:51:40,511
take you to Afribeat, take you to Nairobi National Park.

587
00:51:41,291 --> 00:51:46,071
And in doing that, I have bootstrapped a circular economy

588
00:51:46,071 --> 00:51:49,751
and I have also made a bit of profit on that trip

589
00:51:49,751 --> 00:51:52,231
while you're also having fun as a Bitcoiner.

590
00:51:52,571 --> 00:51:56,271
So our typical client right now is becoming more and more

591
00:51:56,271 --> 00:51:58,951
a Bitcoiner who wants to explore East Africa,

592
00:51:58,951 --> 00:52:13,397
but we still take on bigger clients And by being a pioneer something that the world doesn know by being a pioneer in the Bitcoin technology and being a youth company we were able to partner and

593
00:52:13,397 --> 00:52:20,597
work with National Geography. National Geography took interest in our project and they were able

594
00:52:20,597 --> 00:52:28,917
to give us our first contract. We worked with them last year. We handled, I think, two weeks'

595
00:52:28,917 --> 00:52:34,437
worth of activities for them, but they still paid us in fiat, but we made our Bitcoin case.

596
00:52:35,117 --> 00:52:43,277
And the hope with the growth of the company is, yes, we will serve the Bitcoin market,

597
00:52:43,277 --> 00:52:49,997
but we also want to show potential clients from the fiat side that if they pay in Bitcoin,

598
00:52:50,197 --> 00:52:56,837
they save money. And that's the case we are making to currently our biggest client.

599
00:52:56,837 --> 00:53:01,677
Our biggest client is a water entrepreneurship company.

600
00:53:02,357 --> 00:53:06,197
And we've worked with them throughout 2024 and now 2025.

601
00:53:07,417 --> 00:53:13,297
And the whole idea is we've been teaching them how Bitcoin works in our company.

602
00:53:13,877 --> 00:53:17,957
And right now, they know us as the Bitcoin taking company.

603
00:53:18,457 --> 00:53:23,017
So the next step for us is by us offering them the good service.

604
00:53:23,017 --> 00:53:24,157
Sorry about the car.

605
00:53:24,337 --> 00:53:25,497
I don't know if you can hear it.

606
00:53:25,497 --> 00:53:31,537
by us giving them the good service that we've given them for the last two years,

607
00:53:31,617 --> 00:53:32,497
they now trust us.

608
00:53:32,497 --> 00:53:38,337
So they know that Bitcoin is not a scam by extension of us being their service provider.

609
00:53:38,937 --> 00:53:43,497
And I think if we have more service providers that are structuring relationships like those,

610
00:53:43,997 --> 00:53:47,677
where they don't outrightly force their clients to pay them in Bitcoin,

611
00:53:48,297 --> 00:53:53,497
but by being good service providers and consistently providing good services,

612
00:53:53,497 --> 00:53:57,417
make a case for these people to actually explore Bitcoin.

613
00:53:58,097 --> 00:54:01,077
I think that's also another way we will win by,

614
00:54:01,677 --> 00:54:05,217
like we will win trying to onboard people to use Bitcoin.

615
00:54:05,837 --> 00:54:07,097
So yeah, that's GorillaSats.

616
00:54:07,197 --> 00:54:08,937
I can speak about GorillaSats forever.

617
00:54:09,857 --> 00:54:13,177
We've taken crazy risks,

618
00:54:13,177 --> 00:54:15,397
like trying to pilot Bitcoin mining.

619
00:54:15,817 --> 00:54:18,637
That is completely new.

620
00:54:19,417 --> 00:54:23,197
We placed our first Bitcoin miner this year.

621
00:54:23,497 --> 00:54:33,537
we got interest from a local power generator who really got interested in our Bitcoin model.

622
00:54:33,997 --> 00:54:37,437
And when we spoke to them about Bitcoin mining, they said,

623
00:54:37,577 --> 00:54:40,617
why don't you come and try it at one of my sites?

624
00:54:41,137 --> 00:54:43,057
I have some excess energy going.

625
00:54:43,057 --> 00:54:44,017
I can...

626
00:54:53,497 --> 00:55:23,477
Thank you.

627
00:55:23,497 --> 00:55:29,297
Yep, the internet died for a minute.

628
00:55:29,777 --> 00:55:30,437
I got you.

629
00:55:30,677 --> 00:55:31,817
I got you back now.

630
00:55:33,257 --> 00:55:35,797
I lost you for about 45 seconds, I think.

631
00:55:36,457 --> 00:55:39,257
But what you just said was really interesting.

632
00:55:39,477 --> 00:55:40,777
You were just talking about...

633
00:55:40,777 --> 00:55:41,677
Can you hear me again?

634
00:55:42,617 --> 00:55:43,037
Yes, I can.

635
00:55:43,057 --> 00:55:43,537
Okay.

636
00:55:44,337 --> 00:55:47,237
You were talking about you started this new thing, mining,

637
00:55:47,697 --> 00:55:51,637
and you'd been invited across to a company that had some excess power.

638
00:55:51,637 --> 00:55:53,057
So explain that.

639
00:55:53,057 --> 00:55:54,057
What was the excess power?

640
00:55:57,357 --> 00:56:05,377
So they are generating power for a local community using bio waste and solar.

641
00:56:06,457 --> 00:56:10,317
I think there are many Bitcoiners around the world who don't know they are Bitcoiners.

642
00:56:10,577 --> 00:56:12,817
And this power generator is one of them.

643
00:56:12,817 --> 00:56:24,797
He's a former engineer at Rolls-Royce who then came back home to use his experience to actually grow his local community.

644
00:56:24,797 --> 00:56:32,137
So he went far off and went to a local place where the grid in otherwise would not reach.

645
00:56:32,917 --> 00:56:42,277
And he created a bio-waste and solar power generating project that is now supplying its community with power.

646
00:56:42,817 --> 00:56:55,617
And the only thing he's doing is he's taking the agriculture waste from that same community, turning it into electricity and giving it back to them at a rate that is even cheaper than the national grid rate.

647
00:56:56,017 --> 00:57:04,957
And because the area also has a very good quality of solar, he decided to add solar into the picture.

648
00:57:05,717 --> 00:57:12,097
So that alone is a Bitcoiner style of doing things.

649
00:57:12,097 --> 00:57:20,057
And the most interesting ingredient is that project is just next to the biggest national park.

650
00:57:20,477 --> 00:57:28,577
So right now we have an itinerary whereby we get clients to experience the national park.

651
00:57:28,777 --> 00:57:35,117
And just after experiencing the national park, we drive to the energy mining place and we experience that.

652
00:57:35,117 --> 00:57:38,097
And we also get a local community experience.

653
00:57:38,777 --> 00:57:41,517
Maybe people get to cook food, the local food.

654
00:57:41,677 --> 00:57:45,417
They get to interest themselves with the culture of that community.

655
00:57:45,837 --> 00:57:48,977
They get to see how electricity has transformed that community.

656
00:57:48,977 --> 00:57:59,657
And the eventual goal is, even if we get 20 miners or 30 miners there, we get a good mining operation going.

657
00:57:59,937 --> 00:58:02,637
And that's why we are crowdfunding for miners.

658
00:58:02,637 --> 00:58:16,497
If we get miners there, we create a proof of concept for the country because Uganda has a lot of excess energy, but we don't yet have anyone who is actively taking advantage of that using Bitcoin mining.

659
00:58:17,117 --> 00:58:25,077
So if we get the 30 miners, we create a physical place where we can drag everyone who has excess energy to see what Bitcoin can do.

660
00:58:25,077 --> 00:58:35,997
we create a ready revenue making entity for the power site we get to make a bit of money but that's

661
00:58:35,997 --> 00:58:43,097
not yet our goal we create a small project where the community in Uganda can learn from what

662
00:58:43,097 --> 00:58:50,997
bitcoin mining is what impact it has so generally we are still at proof of concept level on that

663
00:58:50,997 --> 00:58:58,417
I'm exploring multiple partnerships with different Bitcoin miners to get the proof of concept done.

664
00:58:58,477 --> 00:59:02,357
Because if we do the proof of concept, we have a lot of bio-waste in Uganda.

665
00:59:02,537 --> 00:59:03,517
We have a lot of solar.

666
00:59:04,237 --> 00:59:05,697
Uganda is crossed by the equator.

667
00:59:05,697 --> 00:59:10,697
So there is no better quality of sun that you will have in the world.

668
00:59:11,057 --> 00:59:13,357
We have a lot of running water.

669
00:59:14,017 --> 00:59:17,977
Uganda is the source of the Nile, the longest river in Africa.

670
00:59:17,977 --> 00:59:38,277
We have the strongest waterfall, Makhshon Falls. That's where the energy site is. It's close to Makhshon Falls. The strongest waterfall in the world is in Uganda. So you have a lot of opportunities for energy, but the people who have the energy right now, the excess energy right now, they're old school.

671
00:59:38,277 --> 00:59:47,737
You can't convince them using internet pictures and a very good explanation like I'm trying to give.

672
00:59:48,237 --> 00:59:50,857
So we are trying to do that proof of concept.

673
00:59:51,377 --> 00:59:59,257
Just like we piloted Bitcoin tourism across the continent, we are trying to pilot Bitcoin mining within the country.

674
00:59:59,257 --> 01:00:03,737
and hopefully that proof of concept becomes

675
01:00:03,737 --> 01:00:07,157
if a Bitcoin miner is coming into Uganda,

676
01:00:07,597 --> 01:00:09,757
instead of sitting across the boardroom

677
01:00:09,757 --> 01:00:11,977
and trying to explain,

678
01:00:12,617 --> 01:00:14,197
they can book gorilla sets.

679
01:00:14,737 --> 01:00:16,997
We put the person they are trying to convince.

680
01:00:17,557 --> 01:00:18,997
We take them for a safari.

681
01:00:19,557 --> 01:00:22,677
After the safari, we take them to the energy site

682
01:00:22,677 --> 01:00:28,117
and we would be able to make the case

683
01:00:28,117 --> 01:00:30,497
for Bitcoin mining on ground.

684
01:00:30,737 --> 01:00:33,397
We are redoing our website to reflect all this.

685
01:00:34,057 --> 01:00:36,057
And I think we should be rolling out

686
01:00:36,057 --> 01:00:38,157
by the end of next week.

687
01:00:38,217 --> 01:00:41,737
So our new website will have itineraries

688
01:00:41,737 --> 01:00:45,157
that are curated for things like this,

689
01:00:45,277 --> 01:00:47,517
where you still do tourism,

690
01:00:47,697 --> 01:00:49,837
but you see some Bitcoin projects along the way.

691
01:00:49,917 --> 01:00:50,917
You still do tourism,

692
01:00:51,077 --> 01:00:53,977
but you see some energy projects along the way.

693
01:00:54,477 --> 01:00:56,437
We think there's huge potential for business.

694
01:00:56,437 --> 01:01:00,657
And if someone is coming for business tourism, we can facilitate that as well.

695
01:01:00,997 --> 01:01:06,157
So there's all these things that are ready to happen within the East African community.

696
01:01:06,957 --> 01:01:17,037
My keynote at Lugano was about inviting people who have experience doing business acceleration to come.

697
01:01:17,437 --> 01:01:24,417
Because East Africa has a lot of Bitcoin businesses that are at a level where I am right now, where we have a lot of ideas.

698
01:01:24,417 --> 01:01:30,817
we know how we want to do them but we just need structures we need funding we need advisory

699
01:01:30,817 --> 01:01:39,297
and they can turn into very big projects but yeah uh that's gorilla sets in a nutshell

700
01:01:39,297 --> 01:01:46,297
i don't know why that is a nutshell yeah you've got a hell of a lot going on my goodness i'm

701
01:01:46,297 --> 01:01:51,777
looking at the website now and it's very very cool so if it's already this cool and you're updating

702
01:01:51,777 --> 01:01:59,097
it even better but yeah you've got uh adventures here like gorilla trekking adventure uh ginger

703
01:01:59,097 --> 01:02:06,977
water rafting ginger is that how you pronounce it j-i-n-j-a yep yeah ginger ginger the ginger

704
01:02:06,977 --> 01:02:13,717
you the ginger on the other side the g-i-n-g-e-r so this is ginger with that spelling

705
01:02:13,717 --> 01:02:22,057
right okay it's the same pronunciation and is that the name of the river ginger ginger is the

706
01:02:22,057 --> 01:02:36,503
name of the city where the river starts where the source of the nile is right and and and the secret ingredient is ginger is along the way when you going to the orphanage So if you are going to the orphanage

707
01:02:37,023 --> 01:02:40,063
you would either make a stop at the source of the Nile

708
01:02:40,063 --> 01:02:44,003
before or after when you're returning back to the capital.

709
01:02:45,203 --> 01:02:47,763
So if people listening are thinking,

710
01:02:47,763 --> 01:02:49,683
right, it's time for an adventure,

711
01:02:50,163 --> 01:02:52,843
either it could be a solo adventure

712
01:02:52,843 --> 01:02:55,423
or couples adventure or family adventure,

713
01:02:55,863 --> 01:02:56,783
you've got it all covered.

714
01:02:56,963 --> 01:02:58,363
And it can all be done in Bitcoin.

715
01:02:59,083 --> 01:02:59,663
And you can...

716
01:02:59,663 --> 01:03:00,263
100%.

717
01:03:00,263 --> 01:03:02,383
And accommodation can be done in Bitcoin.

718
01:03:02,663 --> 01:03:04,003
The food can be done in Bitcoin.

719
01:03:04,463 --> 01:03:06,603
Like, I love it.

720
01:03:06,783 --> 01:03:08,223
I mean, what we have,

721
01:03:09,023 --> 01:03:12,663
the interesting thing that I'm trying to pilot,

722
01:03:12,843 --> 01:03:13,683
and you can help me,

723
01:03:14,223 --> 01:03:16,643
if you have Bitcoiners across the world

724
01:03:16,643 --> 01:03:19,903
who have not yet been able to convince their spouses

725
01:03:19,903 --> 01:03:22,323
and their families about Bitcoin,

726
01:03:22,843 --> 01:03:23,943
Tell them to sell this.

727
01:03:24,523 --> 01:03:29,423
They should just find a very small budget and a very good vacation time.

728
01:03:30,003 --> 01:03:38,003
I'm sure I can convince whoever they want to convince by actually showing them what Bitcoin really does.

729
01:03:38,103 --> 01:03:41,023
Because we've experienced this.

730
01:03:41,183 --> 01:03:47,083
We've had a couple come in and the wife was not very convinced about Bitcoin.

731
01:03:47,083 --> 01:03:55,623
They could understand the value proposition, but they didn't understand why the man was really obsessed with Bitcoin changing the world.

732
01:03:55,823 --> 01:03:57,103
You know how Bitcoiners can be.

733
01:03:58,583 --> 01:04:06,023
Funny enough, after experiencing Uganda, the wife went back and built a Bitcoin product.

734
01:04:06,703 --> 01:04:07,083
No way.

735
01:04:07,983 --> 01:04:11,043
So I'm going to let the cat out of the bag.

736
01:04:11,043 --> 01:04:17,703
Anuja was very convinced about Bitcoin, but a few pieces were missing.

737
01:04:18,543 --> 01:04:25,023
So when Santosh and Anuja, the student of Bitcoin, that's what is very common in the Bitcoin space,

738
01:04:25,463 --> 01:04:27,363
they took the Cape to Cairo trip.

739
01:04:27,803 --> 01:04:33,223
When they took the Cape to Cairo trip and came to Uganda along their way, they had come for two weeks.

740
01:04:33,683 --> 01:04:37,863
But when we took them through our ecosystem, we showed them the orphanage,

741
01:04:37,863 --> 01:04:41,003
We showed them what we were doing with the students around the university.

742
01:04:41,723 --> 01:04:42,943
They stayed for three months.

743
01:04:44,963 --> 01:04:46,583
They stayed for three months.

744
01:04:46,923 --> 01:04:49,063
We built a Bitcoin business called Juicy Bee.

745
01:04:50,983 --> 01:04:54,323
A student of Bitcoin got a new look, got a new focus.

746
01:04:54,943 --> 01:04:59,463
And Anuja was inspired to start Travel with Bitcoin.

747
01:05:00,463 --> 01:05:07,623
Now, Travel with Bitcoin has been doing a lot of trips based around conferences.

748
01:05:07,863 --> 01:05:20,983
So there was a trip in Lugano whereby after the Lugano conference, Travel with Bitcoin organizes a very short day trip that does the highlights of that city.

749
01:05:21,143 --> 01:05:31,383
So we went from trying to convince a very good woman about Bitcoin to now the lady is running a Bitcoin business.

750
01:05:31,703 --> 01:05:36,183
And she has now since immersed herself into the Bitcoin ecosystem.

751
01:05:36,183 --> 01:05:41,463
She's working with Club Orange, which is formerly Orange Peel Up.

752
01:05:41,883 --> 01:05:44,483
She's actively engaging in spaces.

753
01:05:44,743 --> 01:05:46,483
She's giving keynotes at conferences.

754
01:05:47,103 --> 01:05:56,123
So for me, it's like if you really want to show the impact of Bitcoin, bring the people

755
01:05:56,123 --> 01:06:00,763
to the opposite side of the world and let them see how valuable it is.

756
01:06:00,763 --> 01:06:16,103
I mean, I personally also became so inspired by what I found when I went to Prague, because I got to experience another level of obsession when it comes to Bitcoin, because I met all these Bitcoiners.

757
01:06:16,763 --> 01:06:23,763
I saw Sailor for the first time in a room and the way he was speaking about Bitcoin, that energy is infectious.

758
01:06:23,763 --> 01:06:32,543
is infectious. So when you take someone out of their usual environment and you bring them

759
01:06:32,543 --> 01:06:38,103
to another starkly different environment, and that environment still has Bitcoin, it

760
01:06:38,103 --> 01:06:43,323
tends to make a better case for them. But yeah, I also have a very good convincing time.

761
01:06:43,863 --> 01:06:49,603
I want to give myself credit. So I will make sure by the time your wife or husband leaves,

762
01:06:50,243 --> 01:06:52,123
or your children leave,

763
01:06:53,763 --> 01:06:56,743
they understand Bitcoin.

764
01:06:57,683 --> 01:06:58,403
Love it.

765
01:06:58,663 --> 01:07:00,083
And yeah, Anuja,

766
01:07:00,323 --> 01:07:03,003
I know she's now helping out Club Orange

767
01:07:03,003 --> 01:07:05,343
because I also help out there

768
01:07:05,343 --> 01:07:07,583
with monthly calls

769
01:07:07,583 --> 01:07:08,783
and just advisory calls

770
01:07:08,783 --> 01:07:09,743
and whatever else.

771
01:07:09,943 --> 01:07:10,523
But I didn't have,

772
01:07:10,663 --> 01:07:11,903
I didn't know this

773
01:07:11,903 --> 01:07:13,183
like part of her backstory.

774
01:07:13,583 --> 01:07:15,303
So now I'm going to have to get

775
01:07:15,303 --> 01:07:16,163
on the phone with her.

776
01:07:16,263 --> 01:07:16,923
I'm like, what?

777
01:07:17,423 --> 01:07:18,763
Why do you tell us like this?

778
01:07:18,863 --> 01:07:19,323
This is great.

779
01:07:19,383 --> 01:07:21,063
I'm looking at travel with Bitcoin.

780
01:07:22,063 --> 01:07:23,743
Yeah, that's an incredible story.

781
01:07:23,763 --> 01:07:27,263
I love stories like that, obviously

782
01:07:27,263 --> 01:07:29,023
all Bitcoiners do

783
01:07:29,023 --> 01:07:31,563
and it's just so great to see

784
01:07:31,563 --> 01:07:33,903
that's why I tell people

785
01:07:33,903 --> 01:07:35,503
get to the conferences

786
01:07:35,503 --> 01:07:37,843
at the very least

787
01:07:37,843 --> 01:07:39,183
get to your local Bitcoin meetup

788
01:07:39,183 --> 01:07:39,763
start there

789
01:07:39,763 --> 01:07:41,043
and you can use Club Orange

790
01:07:41,043 --> 01:07:42,063
to find these people

791
01:07:42,063 --> 01:07:44,503
and then get to the conferences

792
01:07:44,503 --> 01:07:46,423
but if you go into the conference

793
01:07:46,423 --> 01:07:49,823
don't just beg a weekend away

794
01:07:49,823 --> 01:07:51,123
from the missus

795
01:07:51,123 --> 01:07:52,923
or the husband

796
01:07:52,923 --> 01:07:55,783
depending which spouse is down the rabbit hole.

797
01:07:56,243 --> 01:07:57,583
Try and make an event of it.

798
01:07:57,863 --> 01:08:02,483
Go for five days rather than just the two-day conference in and out.

799
01:08:03,003 --> 01:08:04,903
Meet people before and meet people afterwards.

800
01:08:05,523 --> 01:08:09,923
Explore that city and, you know, have a break, have a holiday,

801
01:08:10,083 --> 01:08:10,683
have a vacation.

802
01:08:11,603 --> 01:08:17,003
And that's what really made the difference with us in my family

803
01:08:17,003 --> 01:08:21,123
because, you know, you're not just that guy sitting at the dinner table

804
01:08:21,123 --> 01:08:23,423
banging on about Bitcoin all the time.

805
01:08:24,883 --> 01:08:26,543
I've just got to plug my computer in.

806
01:08:26,563 --> 01:08:27,603
I'm about to lose battery.

807
01:08:27,763 --> 01:08:29,443
So you'll lose my video for a second.

808
01:08:30,183 --> 01:08:36,623
But to wrap it up, I guess, I mean, the vision is clear,

809
01:08:36,703 --> 01:08:37,863
what you're trying to do.

810
01:08:38,483 --> 01:08:39,883
Everybody can feel that.

811
01:08:39,883 --> 01:08:44,323
And the work, the proof of work that you've put in is undeniable.

812
01:08:44,943 --> 01:08:49,403
So let's find out, first of all, where are you going to be next year?

813
01:08:49,403 --> 01:08:52,423
Obviously, people go and see Brendan there.

814
01:08:52,903 --> 01:08:55,703
That's the big thing people should be doing.

815
01:08:55,823 --> 01:08:58,443
Just go and visit Uganda and use your service.

816
01:08:58,863 --> 01:09:01,763
But will you be heading around the world and doing any conferences,

817
01:09:02,003 --> 01:09:02,663
any keynotes?

818
01:09:02,703 --> 01:09:04,643
Have you got anything planned for next year?

819
01:09:07,263 --> 01:09:09,223
Currently, we just have one.

820
01:09:09,543 --> 01:09:12,783
I will be in Cape Town at the beginning of the year,

821
01:09:12,883 --> 01:09:17,643
so January 30th to the 31st, adopting Bitcoin Cape Town.

822
01:09:17,643 --> 01:09:21,003
we have something there.

823
01:09:21,143 --> 01:09:22,103
I won't be speaking,

824
01:09:22,323 --> 01:09:24,883
but I will be actively networking

825
01:09:24,883 --> 01:09:27,943
and engaging and sharing my experiences.

826
01:09:28,583 --> 01:09:30,903
What I will be speaking at, though,

827
01:09:31,063 --> 01:09:33,143
is there is a small Bitcoin

828
01:09:33,143 --> 01:09:34,603
circular economy summit

829
01:09:34,603 --> 01:09:37,003
that we have paired

830
01:09:37,003 --> 01:09:38,863
with adopting Bitcoin Cape Town.

831
01:09:39,063 --> 01:09:41,003
So projects that are doing

832
01:09:41,003 --> 01:09:43,183
the circular economy work across Africa,

833
01:09:43,943 --> 01:09:46,203
some of them will make it to the conference

834
01:09:46,203 --> 01:09:50,663
and we tend to want to have a showcase of what we are doing,

835
01:09:50,863 --> 01:09:53,183
but to also speak in between ourselves.

836
01:09:53,523 --> 01:09:56,003
Where will that be, the Circular Economy Summit?

837
01:09:56,043 --> 01:10:00,543
It will still be in Cape Town, just around the conference.

838
01:10:00,863 --> 01:10:05,763
It's actually listed on the official Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town website.

839
01:10:06,523 --> 01:10:11,163
And the other interesting news that I have for the world,

840
01:10:11,723 --> 01:10:14,483
I'm going to pronounce it here publicly first,

841
01:10:14,483 --> 01:10:19,023
is the Adopting Bitcoin brand has given us a go-ahead

842
01:10:19,023 --> 01:10:23,423
to be able to organize Adopting Bitcoin East Africa.

843
01:10:24,163 --> 01:10:31,023
So, 2026, June, I think we'll do 23rd, 24th,

844
01:10:31,603 --> 01:10:35,363
we are going to have Adopting Bitcoin East Africa.

845
01:10:35,503 --> 01:10:37,423
So, if everything I just explained,

846
01:10:37,963 --> 01:10:43,283
if you want to go see the wheel that is crossing the Serengeti

847
01:10:43,283 --> 01:10:45,063
after go for a conference,

848
01:10:45,963 --> 01:10:48,123
please mark that date on your calendar.

849
01:10:48,763 --> 01:10:53,743
It is also just around the date of Bitcoin++

850
01:10:53,743 --> 01:10:56,563
that was announced at Africa Bitcoin Conference.

851
01:10:56,563 --> 01:10:58,803
So you'll have Bitcoin++,

852
01:10:59,183 --> 01:11:00,943
which is an open source edition

853
01:11:00,943 --> 01:11:04,463
for the East African edition.

854
01:11:04,963 --> 01:11:09,183
You'll have BTC++ on June 17th to the 20th.

855
01:11:09,603 --> 01:11:12,783
And then you will rest 21st, 22nd,

856
01:11:12,783 --> 01:11:15,483
21st is a Sunday, 22nd is a Monday.

857
01:11:16,623 --> 01:11:21,383
So we will do 23rd, 24th, a Tuesday and a Wednesday.

858
01:11:22,003 --> 01:11:26,863
And the model of the conference that we are working with is day one,

859
01:11:26,923 --> 01:11:34,183
we will have strictly keynotes and presentations from the East African Bitcoin builders.

860
01:11:34,823 --> 01:11:38,943
And day two, we are trying something crazy.

861
01:11:39,103 --> 01:11:40,763
We want to do a walking conference.

862
01:11:40,763 --> 01:11:51,023
We want to do a walking conference into Afribit Kibera, which is the biggest Bitcoin circular economy in Nairobi.

863
01:11:51,923 --> 01:11:54,743
So we are going to do a walking conference there.

864
01:11:55,103 --> 01:11:57,763
We'll speak to merchants, spend some Bitcoin.

865
01:11:58,743 --> 01:12:01,143
The fly is in my face.

866
01:12:03,703 --> 01:12:04,383
Sorry.

867
01:12:05,323 --> 01:12:09,963
So we'll do a speaking day, which is day one.

868
01:12:09,963 --> 01:12:12,543
and day two will be a working conference.

869
01:12:12,903 --> 01:12:14,443
We'll go to these circular economies

870
01:12:14,443 --> 01:12:17,183
and have people actually interact with the people

871
01:12:17,183 --> 01:12:18,543
who receive Bitcoin.

872
01:12:19,143 --> 01:12:20,883
We want to have a mural painting

873
01:12:20,883 --> 01:12:25,963
in the Afribit Kibera community.

874
01:12:26,563 --> 01:12:28,763
So we'll have a full day's activity,

875
01:12:29,003 --> 01:12:30,403
but in the circular economy.

876
01:12:31,143 --> 01:12:34,643
And it's still in early stages,

877
01:12:34,903 --> 01:12:39,223
but we already have confirmation from a few sponsors.

878
01:12:39,223 --> 01:12:41,983
we are still looking for other sponsors.

879
01:12:41,983 --> 01:12:43,563
Yeah, but the most exciting thing

880
01:12:43,563 --> 01:12:45,863
is the Adopting Bitcoin team is behind us.

881
01:12:45,863 --> 01:12:48,823
They are sharing their experience with us.

882
01:12:48,823 --> 01:13:02,289
They are guiding us on how to pull off the best Bitcoin conference that we can I working directly on that conference with Ronnie Ronnie from AfriBit Kibera as our host

883
01:13:03,009 --> 01:13:08,209
And Linda from BitServers EduHub, who is an educator.

884
01:13:08,749 --> 01:13:11,609
She's been a very avid educator in the Kenyan space.

885
01:13:12,109 --> 01:13:16,169
And she's organized multiple My First Bitcoin Diploma cohorts online.

886
01:13:16,169 --> 01:13:22,369
so that's the core team that i'm working with right now we have a core sponsor being treasure

887
01:13:22,369 --> 01:13:29,209
academy for now and i'm looking for more sponsors so if you want to give us a grant you can give us

888
01:13:29,209 --> 01:13:35,969
a shout out you can become our ambassador we're trying to make sure we get first we are focusing

889
01:13:35,969 --> 01:13:41,189
on the on the local east africans i don't want to say i want to get ambitious and try to get

890
01:13:41,189 --> 01:13:46,989
internationals here, I want to first focus on knowledge sharing. And that is why we created

891
01:13:46,989 --> 01:13:53,489
a walking conference. So maybe groups of 20 or 30 from the East African countries,

892
01:13:53,909 --> 01:13:58,249
bring them to Nairobi, have them share knowledge, have them share experiences.

893
01:13:58,949 --> 01:14:04,349
The next day, have them walk around and experience what the circular economy on that side looks like.

894
01:14:04,349 --> 01:14:09,289
So that's something that is also upcoming.

895
01:14:10,089 --> 01:14:16,369
So definitely we'll be communicating a lot more about that in the coming days.

896
01:14:16,989 --> 01:14:22,949
We'll announce it officially probably at the Cape Town conference for the world to know.

897
01:14:23,409 --> 01:14:25,909
But of course, the listeners of this podcast will already know.

898
01:14:26,249 --> 01:14:27,169
They will already know.

899
01:14:27,169 --> 01:14:31,989
So just to get this branded into people's brains,

900
01:14:32,989 --> 01:14:37,309
your Adopting East Africa conference is going to be June 23rd and 24th.

901
01:14:37,369 --> 01:14:40,169
What's the conference the handful of days before that?

902
01:14:40,629 --> 01:14:43,809
The handful of days before that is Bitcoin++.

903
01:14:44,369 --> 01:14:47,729
It's a developer open source edition for East Africans.

904
01:14:48,229 --> 01:14:51,269
And it is running from the 17th to the 20th.

905
01:14:51,969 --> 01:14:53,249
Right. And where's that going to be?

906
01:14:54,189 --> 01:14:55,769
It's still in Nairobi.

907
01:14:56,369 --> 01:14:56,929
Nairobi.

908
01:14:57,169 --> 01:14:59,909
And so where's Adopting East Africa going?

909
01:15:00,349 --> 01:15:01,749
It's going to be in Nairobi as well?

910
01:15:02,529 --> 01:15:02,769
Yes.

911
01:15:03,409 --> 01:15:05,989
So the goal is for us to pair those two events

912
01:15:05,989 --> 01:15:09,309
to make it more meaningful for Bitcoiners to come

913
01:15:09,309 --> 01:15:15,709
and to also make it meaningful for if you want to throw in a safari.

914
01:15:16,389 --> 01:15:21,049
Nairobi is prime because Nairobi has Nairobi National Park in the city

915
01:15:21,049 --> 01:15:26,269
and you have about four circular economies in Nairobi.

916
01:15:26,269 --> 01:15:31,469
You have Afribit Kibera, you have Bitbiashara, you have Bitcoin Githari and Bitcoin Babies.

917
01:15:31,749 --> 01:15:34,929
All these are interesting projects that have reasonable proof of work.

918
01:15:35,529 --> 01:15:41,629
So we are making that the first destination for adopting Bitcoin East Africa.

919
01:15:42,349 --> 01:15:44,269
The goal, though, is to rotate it.

920
01:15:44,389 --> 01:15:51,569
So if these people come from all these countries and they learn, the next edition should be in a different country,

921
01:15:51,569 --> 01:15:56,689
such that we visit that country and bring the same model,

922
01:15:56,949 --> 01:15:59,409
the same Bitcoin efforts to that country.

923
01:15:59,989 --> 01:16:02,769
So hopefully we'll be doing other East African countries

924
01:16:02,769 --> 01:16:03,829
in the coming editions.

925
01:16:04,329 --> 01:16:06,429
So that's the way I'm thinking of it.

926
01:16:06,809 --> 01:16:12,229
I am thinking of it more as a regional conference

927
01:16:12,229 --> 01:16:18,229
that highlights regional impact to the region's people.

928
01:16:18,229 --> 01:16:23,189
more of an inter-region conference

929
01:16:23,189 --> 01:16:24,809
that connects each of us

930
01:16:24,809 --> 01:16:27,709
and allows us to share knowledge

931
01:16:27,709 --> 01:16:29,249
rather than a global conference

932
01:16:29,249 --> 01:16:30,349
because we already have

933
01:16:30,349 --> 01:16:31,589
Africa Bitcoin Conference.

934
01:16:31,749 --> 01:16:33,249
We have Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town.

935
01:16:33,669 --> 01:16:35,769
They are big enough to attract

936
01:16:35,769 --> 01:16:37,389
the global attention.

937
01:16:38,069 --> 01:16:40,429
I want to keep it granular and impactful.

938
01:16:41,289 --> 01:16:44,969
So if people want to come,

939
01:16:45,069 --> 01:16:46,169
they'll still be able to come.

940
01:16:46,269 --> 01:16:47,729
They'll still be able to buy tickets.

941
01:16:48,229 --> 01:16:55,749
but we are not looking to spending a budget on flying in speakers and maybe in five years or 10

942
01:16:55,749 --> 01:17:01,269
years but let's let's start with the region and really start slowly what we have going on yeah

943
01:17:01,829 --> 01:17:07,429
believe me uh i've i've spoken to a lot of the conference organizers and it's it's hard work

944
01:17:08,229 --> 01:17:14,629
and and people people have to remember as well if you've been to a conference and you've had any kind

945
01:17:14,629 --> 01:17:20,869
of negative feedback to give just remember the people organizing these things have never been

946
01:17:20,869 --> 01:17:26,709
event organizers in their lives right that these are just bitcoiners trying to do the absolute best

947
01:17:26,709 --> 01:17:32,309
for bitcoin and putting these events on so they're not all going to run perfectly there you know

948
01:17:32,309 --> 01:17:37,989
sometimes the lights are going to go off or the mics aren't going to work and you know it's uh

949
01:17:37,989 --> 01:17:45,249
I mean, I've always extended that olive branch to every conference organizer.

950
01:17:46,349 --> 01:17:55,989
The story behind our education project is the biggest group of people I have hosted in one room was 300.

951
01:17:56,609 --> 01:17:58,149
And it was a Bitcoin pizza day.

952
01:17:58,209 --> 01:18:01,809
I think Uganda has had two of the biggest Bitcoin pizza days ever.

953
01:18:01,809 --> 01:18:07,729
We recently had an orphanage edition Bitcoin pizza day.

954
01:18:07,729 --> 01:18:15,649
It was featured in a documentary that we have on YouTube.

955
01:18:15,649 --> 01:18:19,769
It was featured in Bitcoin Magazine, The Lightning Issue.

956
01:18:20,489 --> 01:18:29,149
So what we did is we brought the orphanage children from their home all the way to the capital city, to the zoo.

957
01:18:29,269 --> 01:18:30,749
So they got to see animals and everything.

958
01:18:31,109 --> 01:18:33,489
But we celebrated the biggest Bitcoin pizza day.

959
01:18:33,489 --> 01:18:38,969
The other was back in 2021, I think, 2021, 2022.

960
01:18:39,369 --> 01:18:40,749
I need to remember the year.

961
01:18:41,109 --> 01:18:46,369
But we put in the same room 300 people to celebrate Bitcoin Pizza Day.

962
01:18:46,969 --> 01:18:51,929
So I know what goes behind bringing 300 people in a room,

963
01:18:52,169 --> 01:18:56,169
keeping them entertained, bringing them to their satisfaction.

964
01:18:57,069 --> 01:18:59,469
But that's not what we're trying to achieve.

965
01:18:59,469 --> 01:19:05,689
our targets and goals for adopting Bitcoin East Africa, at least for the things that we have

966
01:19:05,689 --> 01:19:11,529
control over, which is like the East African attendance and the local presence, we are

967
01:19:11,529 --> 01:19:19,969
ballparking it at around 120, 150. If we have external visitors that join and bring that number

968
01:19:19,969 --> 01:19:28,229
up to 200 or 300, well and good. But our deep structured focus is to get at least a representation

969
01:19:28,229 --> 01:19:31,649
of 20 from each of the East African countries.

970
01:19:31,649 --> 01:19:38,489
If I can achieve a representation of 20 from each of the East African countries at the conference

971
01:19:38,489 --> 01:19:42,449
and for the working conference the next day, I am good.

972
01:19:42,909 --> 01:19:46,589
I think that knowledge transfer will be very impactful.

973
01:19:46,929 --> 01:19:53,549
So that's my measure of success for adopting Bitcoin 2026 East African countries.

974
01:19:53,549 --> 01:19:53,909
Amazing.

975
01:19:53,909 --> 01:20:00,309
well I look forward to you announcing it and I'll help you in any way I can to get the word out for

976
01:20:00,309 --> 01:20:06,089
you you know just make sure you drop me the link once the website is live and I'll tweet it out I'll

977
01:20:06,089 --> 01:20:13,569
put it in the show notes and yeah whatever I can do to help appreciate you no I you've already helped

978
01:20:13,569 --> 01:20:20,229
a million ways because the introductions you've done,

979
01:20:21,089 --> 01:20:24,889
the belief, first the introductions, but the belief.

980
01:20:25,049 --> 01:20:28,449
Most people underestimate what it means for someone to actually meet you

981
01:20:28,449 --> 01:20:33,009
and say thank you or recognize that you're putting in work.

982
01:20:33,389 --> 01:20:34,929
It is what keeps us going.

983
01:20:35,049 --> 01:20:39,189
At the end of the day, this Bitcoin thing is not easy to do.

984
01:20:39,509 --> 01:20:40,329
It's very hard.

985
01:20:40,329 --> 01:20:45,129
and doing it in East Africa, in Uganda,

986
01:20:45,749 --> 01:20:49,669
where people are not following the same script

987
01:20:49,669 --> 01:20:51,749
that the world adopts Bitcoin with.

988
01:20:52,449 --> 01:20:55,189
So you have to go meet them where they're at,

989
01:20:55,689 --> 01:20:58,829
but do it in a good enough way

990
01:20:58,829 --> 01:21:01,929
that it meets the Bitcoin principles.

991
01:21:02,829 --> 01:21:05,129
That best example is how self-custody works.

992
01:21:05,129 --> 01:21:09,209
Self-custody cannot be the way you introduce Bitcoin,

993
01:21:09,209 --> 01:21:12,249
at least for about six months to someone.

994
01:21:12,569 --> 01:21:15,769
But you still have to align the message

995
01:21:15,769 --> 01:21:18,429
that you give to the local person here

996
01:21:18,429 --> 01:21:21,669
to make them understand that it is not immediate,

997
01:21:22,129 --> 01:21:24,429
but you also have to keep the self-custody principle

998
01:21:24,429 --> 01:21:26,069
in the communication such that

999
01:21:26,069 --> 01:21:29,849
the Bitcoin are from Toronto or from Washington, D.C.

1000
01:21:29,849 --> 01:21:31,669
is not saying that we are teaching people

1001
01:21:31,669 --> 01:21:34,069
Bitcoin the wrong way.

1002
01:21:34,269 --> 01:21:37,829
So yeah, it's always appreciated

1003
01:21:37,829 --> 01:21:40,069
for people who give us that vote of confidence,

1004
01:21:40,369 --> 01:21:45,049
for people who speak about us in the rooms where we are not,

1005
01:21:45,289 --> 01:21:48,889
because that's where the most important conversations are happening.

1006
01:21:49,809 --> 01:21:51,429
And having a platform like this,

1007
01:21:51,429 --> 01:21:56,349
I sometimes still time away and learn from the podcast,

1008
01:21:56,869 --> 01:21:58,349
listen to other people's stories.

1009
01:21:58,869 --> 01:22:02,229
And it is that impact that really shows

1010
01:22:02,229 --> 01:22:05,629
when it comes to what we are doing on the ground.

1011
01:22:05,629 --> 01:22:11,949
So thank you too for having our projects because I speak for so many projects.

1012
01:22:13,649 --> 01:22:24,949
The work that I do with the Circular Bitcoin Africa Fund, the work that Haman is leading us as we do it,

1013
01:22:25,009 --> 01:22:29,049
because Haman is the one who is loosely bringing all of us together,

1014
01:22:29,169 --> 01:22:33,469
has taught me that we benefit more when we speak for all the projects

1015
01:22:33,469 --> 01:22:36,829
because the world doesn't yet know what is happening

1016
01:22:36,829 --> 01:22:40,129
when it comes to Bitcoin circular economies.

1017
01:22:40,749 --> 01:22:44,029
Most people think it's just merchants and spenders.

1018
01:22:44,829 --> 01:22:47,389
They don't know the importance of the relationships,

1019
01:22:47,789 --> 01:22:50,029
the importance of the repetition of transactions,

1020
01:22:50,769 --> 01:22:52,409
the importance of knowledge sharing,

1021
01:22:52,749 --> 01:22:56,269
the importance of creating a tightly knit community.

1022
01:22:57,069 --> 01:22:59,969
So whenever I get the opportunity to speak,

1023
01:22:59,969 --> 01:23:10,769
I try to speak across the board for as many products and as many projects that whether I'm involved in or not, I try to make sure they get the attention they need.

1024
01:23:11,329 --> 01:23:19,889
Yeah. And yeah, you've got great people down there. Herman, obviously founder of Bitcoin, Akasi. You got Ricky who's helping organize the

1025
01:23:19,915 --> 01:23:21,935
adopting Bitcoin conference.

1026
01:23:22,475 --> 01:23:24,475
We got my friend Andre.

1027
01:23:25,135 --> 01:23:26,935
Andre started BTC.

1028
01:23:28,555 --> 01:23:30,035
I'm missing so many people.

1029
01:23:30,375 --> 01:23:33,115
Quex, you know, what he's doing.

1030
01:23:33,795 --> 01:23:37,555
I mean, Quex has decided to make songs for all Bitcoin projects.

1031
01:23:37,675 --> 01:23:39,995
He just keeps dropping songs left, right, and center.

1032
01:23:40,515 --> 01:23:42,455
We were among the first Lacket projects

1033
01:23:42,455 --> 01:23:46,515
to get our own dedicated Gorilla Sat song.

1034
01:23:46,515 --> 01:23:54,395
so we have a man like quake's gorilla sat song it's our theme song we play it everywhere but

1035
01:23:54,395 --> 01:23:59,815
yeah there's a lot of interesting people going on on the continent and for me it's a pleasure

1036
01:23:59,815 --> 01:24:06,075
to share in their work whenever i get a chance to speak to people to speak on podcasts or to even

1037
01:24:06,075 --> 01:24:12,115
present on the stages that i've been able to present on all right last question if you had

1038
01:24:12,115 --> 01:24:16,395
one last orange pill left to give to somebody who would you give it to and why

1039
01:24:16,395 --> 01:24:21,575
i would give it to

1040
01:24:21,575 --> 01:24:30,895
that's a very hard question but i would want to give it to my son i don't yet have kids

1041
01:24:30,895 --> 01:24:39,195
if i had one last one i would keep it so far away that i give it to my son because

1042
01:24:39,195 --> 01:24:46,055
I've tried my level best to give the orange peel to as many people in the world.

1043
01:24:47,555 --> 01:24:53,095
But I would also want it to transfer down into the generation that comes after me,

1044
01:24:53,335 --> 01:24:54,455
especially from me.

1045
01:24:54,515 --> 01:24:58,915
So I would look at my son or daughter, depending on how God decides to reward me.

1046
01:24:59,095 --> 01:25:04,675
And I think if we build Bitcoin from a family foundations principle,

1047
01:25:04,915 --> 01:25:07,855
we don't need to go out to orange peel the world.

1048
01:25:07,855 --> 01:25:14,835
If the family unit understands Bitcoin, the family unit is the building structure of society.

1049
01:25:15,235 --> 01:25:25,935
So my son, I'm sure my son would transfer it to maybe the daughters or the siblings or the friends and it would grow.

1050
01:25:26,495 --> 01:25:28,435
And it would grow into the future.

1051
01:25:28,435 --> 01:25:38,495
I'm trying not to give it to someone who will at a point when I leave the world or at a point when our generation ends, the seed stays with our generation.

1052
01:25:38,695 --> 01:25:43,915
So I would really, really want to put so much effort on the next generation.

1053
01:25:44,115 --> 01:25:46,275
I think that's why I love the kids project.

1054
01:25:46,815 --> 01:25:49,395
That's why I go down there and I want to dance with them.

1055
01:25:49,495 --> 01:25:54,615
I want to speak with them directly because I think we might stay on the layer of trying to convince.

1056
01:25:54,615 --> 01:26:02,835
what is his name the gold bag what is his name Peter Schiff we might keep trying to convince

1057
01:26:02,835 --> 01:26:09,435
Peter Schiff but even if we convince Peter Schiff the 40 years are not secured if I convinced

1058
01:26:09,435 --> 01:26:16,795
a 10 year old they still have 40 years ahead of them so for me I would transfer it to my son

1059
01:26:16,795 --> 01:26:23,955
I love it mate that's such a great great response okay so how can people reach out to you I know

1060
01:26:23,955 --> 01:26:29,415
you on Club Orange so if anyone's on Club Orange they can just DM you straight up there what are

1061
01:26:29,415 --> 01:26:37,695
the other places for them to reach out I've started a crazy feat on TikTok I think we are

1062
01:26:37,695 --> 01:26:47,235
over-saturated on Twitter so I started by cutting out all my keynotes and just auto uploading them

1063
01:26:47,235 --> 01:27:02,623
to TikTok and they are reaching very new audiences So I happy to have some people join me on TikTok to do that But of course Nostar is our default platform for privacy

1064
01:27:02,823 --> 01:27:03,623
I'm on Nostar.

1065
01:27:03,923 --> 01:27:04,863
I'm on X.

1066
01:27:06,783 --> 01:27:12,283
We have the Bitcoin Kampala handles on both places as well, Nostar and X.

1067
01:27:13,183 --> 01:27:15,603
And I have a LinkedIn profile.

1068
01:27:15,603 --> 01:27:24,203
I'm also trying to put as many videos there as possible for the LinkedIn guys to loosen up a bit and talk about Bitcoin in the right way.

1069
01:27:26,063 --> 01:27:35,543
I've created a personal website where people can actually get around the work that I am doing because I realized it's too much.

1070
01:27:36,223 --> 01:27:38,703
So it's brendonmuine.com.

1071
01:27:38,703 --> 01:27:45,743
So if you go there, you will find all the socials, you'll find all the videos, all the speaking events.

1072
01:27:45,983 --> 01:27:47,503
I've tried to just put it there.

1073
01:27:48,223 --> 01:27:56,263
And fun fact, I coded that website in six hours, inspired by Lucas from Blink.

1074
01:27:56,803 --> 01:28:00,963
Lucas looked me in the face and told me, Brendan, you're keeping your genius at bay.

1075
01:28:01,543 --> 01:28:08,363
Go download cloud, cloud code, and start doing what you have in your brain.

1076
01:28:08,363 --> 01:28:14,023
And so the first thing I did was I used six hours, coded that website.

1077
01:28:14,583 --> 01:28:18,803
So if you see something that is not perfect, it's AI.

1078
01:28:18,983 --> 01:28:21,103
It's not me, but I tried to make it look good.

1079
01:28:21,603 --> 01:28:24,443
So yeah, I wanted to give that shout out to Lucas.

1080
01:28:24,443 --> 01:28:28,423
He has pushed me to really go to the next level.

1081
01:28:28,783 --> 01:28:32,883
And this was just two days ago in Mauritius O3 when we spoke.

1082
01:28:33,463 --> 01:28:38,303
So the website is very new, brindonmine.com.

1083
01:28:38,363 --> 01:28:42,603
I'm going to try to collect everything that I have interest in,

1084
01:28:42,663 --> 01:28:45,203
all the resources, all my best podcasts,

1085
01:28:46,203 --> 01:28:48,563
all the things that I think people should look out for.

1086
01:28:48,643 --> 01:28:51,343
I think people should look out for Tether.

1087
01:28:51,343 --> 01:28:55,463
Tether is becoming a sand in the African shoe.

1088
01:28:56,163 --> 01:29:00,483
They are trying to replace Bitcoin adoption with stable coins.

1089
01:29:01,463 --> 01:29:04,943
It's something that we are also worried about

1090
01:29:04,943 --> 01:29:09,143
because if we keep pushing stable coins on the Africans,

1091
01:29:09,423 --> 01:29:13,483
people will use them because they are used to inflated currencies.

1092
01:29:14,223 --> 01:29:17,823
But that's like us delaying the problem.

1093
01:29:19,463 --> 01:29:21,023
Bitcoin is the stable coin.

1094
01:29:22,103 --> 01:29:26,263
I don't know why it's very hard for us to communicate that.

1095
01:29:27,003 --> 01:29:30,523
But yeah, that's where people can reach me.

1096
01:29:31,183 --> 01:29:34,103
And I always try to respond to every DM

1097
01:29:34,103 --> 01:29:41,603
except when it is telling me about a hidden 10 000 usdt with a password that i can redeem

1098
01:29:41,603 --> 01:29:51,883
all right brother well thank you so much for coming on and for everything that you've done

1099
01:29:51,883 --> 01:30:00,883
and i'll just before everyone we say goodbye get over to geyser.fund and go find the the projects

1100
01:30:00,883 --> 01:30:03,263
I've just topped up

1101
01:30:03,263 --> 01:30:05,123
sent a few more sats across

1102
01:30:05,123 --> 01:30:06,663
for the orphanage there

1103
01:30:06,663 --> 01:30:09,223
I think what you're doing is absolutely incredible

1104
01:30:09,223 --> 01:30:10,723
and a shout out to Geyser for

1105
01:30:10,723 --> 01:30:12,963
making this possible for us all to

1106
01:30:12,963 --> 01:30:15,283
support people like yourself and these projects

1107
01:30:15,283 --> 01:30:17,343
so I just want to push people there

1108
01:30:17,343 --> 01:30:19,143
I will put the link to that

1109
01:30:19,143 --> 01:30:21,143
in the show notes as well so go and

1110
01:30:21,143 --> 01:30:23,043
sling some sats and let's make sure

1111
01:30:23,043 --> 01:30:24,963
that the kids get new bed sheets

1112
01:30:24,963 --> 01:30:40,251
at the very least I appreciate that so much thank you for tolerating all the moving objects in the background no problem that that what we get it nice to see you outside doing a podcast that that so

1113
01:30:40,251 --> 01:30:46,851
cool so yeah i tried to do as many meetings outside as possible because uh why not why should

1114
01:30:46,851 --> 01:30:52,451
we always stay confined to our offices and what.

1115
01:30:52,751 --> 01:30:55,171
So, yeah, I try to do more meetings.

1116
01:30:55,531 --> 01:30:57,851
You've got the light and you've got the weather near the equator,

1117
01:30:57,851 --> 01:30:59,471
so you make the most of it.

1118
01:30:59,711 --> 01:31:02,791
Don't lock yourself inside under bright neon LEDs.

1119
01:31:03,791 --> 01:31:04,831
Like, yeah.

1120
01:31:05,111 --> 01:31:08,131
I'm inside at the moment because it's December in the south of England.

1121
01:31:08,291 --> 01:31:09,611
Oh, it should be cold.

1122
01:31:09,611 --> 01:31:10,071
It's blowing the cold.

1123
01:31:10,431 --> 01:31:10,631
Yes.

1124
01:31:10,971 --> 01:31:11,131
Oh.

1125
01:31:11,131 --> 01:31:19,891
i won't say it but uh you should consider moving to africa i yeah i know a good tour guide that

1126
01:31:19,891 --> 01:31:25,851
could uh show me around so i might get i might give him a call all right take care

1127
01:31:25,851 --> 01:31:28,851
okay thank you so much thank you man

1128
01:31:28,851 --> 01:31:38,291
there you go guys thank you so much for listening thank you brendan for coming on uh we are sending

1129
01:31:38,291 --> 01:31:44,551
love from this end of the world i i hope you're safe i don't know when you'll get to listen to

1130
01:31:44,551 --> 01:31:50,131
this because like i said at the beginning here internet has been closed down across uganda

1131
01:31:50,131 --> 01:31:58,071
again like go back to this story at the beginning of of how we started this interview

1132
01:31:58,071 --> 01:32:02,371
where Brendan told us

1133
01:32:02,371 --> 01:32:06,671
he got 76 kids off the floor.

1134
01:32:07,311 --> 01:32:09,171
76 kids were sleeping on the floor.

1135
01:32:10,751 --> 01:32:13,431
And it was the power of magic internet money

1136
01:32:13,431 --> 01:32:16,751
that lifted those children into beds.

1137
01:32:18,391 --> 01:32:20,991
And now we can't send it

1138
01:32:20,991 --> 01:32:25,051
because the internet has been cut in that country.

1139
01:32:25,051 --> 01:32:27,551
it's

1140
01:32:27,551 --> 01:32:32,591
get over to Geyser

1141
01:32:32,591 --> 01:32:34,571
go find it

1142
01:32:34,571 --> 01:32:36,511
Bitcoin Kampala

1143
01:32:36,511 --> 01:32:39,331
he's got that project up there

1144
01:32:39,331 --> 01:32:41,351
you can send some sats

1145
01:32:41,351 --> 01:32:42,911
when they come back online

1146
01:32:42,911 --> 01:32:44,811
those sats are just gonna ping

1147
01:32:44,811 --> 01:32:46,491
right there

1148
01:32:46,491 --> 01:32:47,491
they'll be there

1149
01:32:47,491 --> 01:32:49,031
they'll be ready for him

1150
01:32:49,031 --> 01:32:51,211
be waiting for him

1151
01:32:51,211 --> 01:32:53,271
and he can carry on with the work

1152
01:32:53,271 --> 01:32:56,951
that he has been doing for the last couple of years.

1153
01:32:57,331 --> 01:32:58,991
And if you've been moved by the story

1154
01:32:58,991 --> 01:33:00,951
and inspired to start something yourself,

1155
01:33:01,111 --> 01:33:02,211
that's even better.

1156
01:33:02,531 --> 01:33:06,331
You can get in touch with Brendan once he's back online.

1157
01:33:07,011 --> 01:33:08,171
Get in touch with me.

1158
01:33:08,271 --> 01:33:10,211
I'll put you in touch the best I can.

1159
01:33:10,871 --> 01:33:13,411
And yeah, let's just keep working.

1160
01:33:14,091 --> 01:33:15,431
Let's just keep working.

1161
01:33:15,671 --> 01:33:16,631
It won't last forever.

1162
01:33:16,811 --> 01:33:18,211
Obviously, the internet shut down.

1163
01:33:18,491 --> 01:33:19,631
And when they do come back,

1164
01:33:19,631 --> 01:33:23,151
we got to be bigger, better, and stronger than before.

1165
01:33:23,271 --> 01:33:30,451
and keep building out this network and keep connecting uh you know 2026 new year let's go

1166
01:33:30,451 --> 01:33:36,211
let's go hard let's keep connecting let's keep building let's get everybody over to NOSTA because

1167
01:33:36,211 --> 01:33:44,711
that is a much better place to be thinking building together than x or twitter which is an absolute

1168
01:33:44,711 --> 01:33:50,851
dumpster fire of noise and negativity get across to NOSTA if you're not there already

1169
01:33:50,851 --> 01:33:56,551
come and follow me over there and see who I'm following and follow that list of people as well.

1170
01:33:56,951 --> 01:34:00,691
Pick four or five people. If you're worried about like you're going to get over there and it's an

1171
01:34:00,691 --> 01:34:16,338
echo chamber whatever just get over there Test it If you not joined NOSTA at this stage there now is the time 2026 is the time get over to a new network leave the fiat networks behind

1172
01:34:16,338 --> 01:34:22,578
I'm not saying rage quit x or twitter I still have my account over there still use it but NOSTA

1173
01:34:22,578 --> 01:34:29,118
is a completely different beast and the more that that network grows it's like the bitcoin network

1174
01:34:29,118 --> 01:34:35,198
is just growing organically and it's decentralized and nobody can shut it down obviously you can if

1175
01:34:35,198 --> 01:34:40,238
you shut down the whole internet across the country but i'm sure they're all using bitchat

1176
01:34:40,238 --> 01:34:46,478
over there right now which uh operates across bluetooth the tools are being built against the

1177
01:34:46,478 --> 01:34:54,318
creep of tyranny so keep an eye on it and start using the tools start uh using your bitcoin sending

1178
01:34:54,318 --> 01:35:02,178
some sats across to uh this bitcoin campala initiative or getting on geyser and seeing what

1179
01:35:02,178 --> 01:35:07,658
else they have what other projects are out there that's geyser.fund you can start sending them some

1180
01:35:07,658 --> 01:35:13,818
sats send your magic internet money across nostr zaps and posts uh get in touch with people that

1181
01:35:13,818 --> 01:35:18,478
are building cool projects that you think you might be able to lean into and put your skills

1182
01:35:18,478 --> 01:35:24,418
and time and energy towards uh it's it's on us right that there's no one coming to save you

1183
01:35:24,418 --> 01:35:30,558
only you can do that and decentralizing yourself getting as self-sovereign as you possibly can

1184
01:35:30,558 --> 01:35:39,238
stacking bitcoin having control over that bitcoin using that bitcoin to build is what is going to

1185
01:35:39,238 --> 01:35:45,818
carry us forward and i think that is probably the best place to leave the message here don't forget

1186
01:35:45,818 --> 01:35:53,738
you can stack Bitcoin across Europe with Relay, R-E-L-A-I.ch forward slash Bitten. You can take

1187
01:35:53,738 --> 01:35:58,598
self-custody of your Bitcoin and I urge you please to take self-custody of your Bitcoin.

1188
01:35:59,238 --> 01:36:05,618
Bitbox.swiss forward slash Bitten. Go get the discount, go get the hardware wallet. You can

1189
01:36:05,618 --> 01:36:12,918
choose either the Bitbox O2 or the Bitbox Nova. There's tutorials of how to use it. If you're

1190
01:36:12,918 --> 01:36:19,818
worried if you're not tech savvy enough put that fear aside face it like that that is the signal

1191
01:36:19,818 --> 01:36:28,258
get self custody of your bitcoin paywithflash.com is the place for you to go if you want to start

1192
01:36:28,258 --> 01:36:33,858
accepting bitcoin for your goods and services and again like i said at the uh the end of the first

1193
01:36:33,858 --> 01:36:38,778
reel come and join us on club orange it used to be called orange pill app it's now club orange

1194
01:36:38,778 --> 01:36:46,138
there's almost 20,000 Bitcoiners across the world building out that social network and meeting each

1195
01:36:46,138 --> 01:36:50,358
other when they're traveling or if they've just found each other in their local towns there are

1196
01:36:50,358 --> 01:36:56,038
so many success stories it's a social network it's the Bitcoin network and it's something that you

1197
01:36:56,038 --> 01:37:02,878
need to be able to plug into and start getting in front of other Bitcoiners to figure out you know

1198
01:37:02,878 --> 01:37:08,758
what's next what can we build what can we do what can we put forward and to help this just in your

1199
01:37:08,758 --> 01:37:13,338
a tiny own little way, but you can't do it alone. You can't do it if you're the lonely Bitcoiner

1200
01:37:13,338 --> 01:37:17,578
sitting there getting side-eyed by your friends and the family because you won't just shut the

1201
01:37:17,578 --> 01:37:23,938
fuck up about Bitcoin. Go find your Bitcoiners. Club Orange fixes this. It's out there. It's been

1202
01:37:23,938 --> 01:37:28,738
around for two years. You can go listen to the episode before this one with Mateo, the founder,

1203
01:37:29,158 --> 01:37:33,818
and we'll go through the whole journey of the last two years of building out that social network.

1204
01:37:33,818 --> 01:37:36,518
that's enough I run out of music ages ago

1205
01:37:36,518 --> 01:37:38,658
love you guys thank you so much for listening

1206
01:37:38,658 --> 01:37:39,798
and I'll catch you on the next show