Data-Driven Accurate Subsidy Allocation for Education

📖 The Story

Who, When, and Where — Context

Amply is a software platform addressing data collection issues in early childhood development (ECD) in South Africa, primarily in the Western Cape. Their signature blockchain project started in 2016 when they received the UNICEF Innovations Fund investment.

Why — Challenge

In South Africa, ECD centers receive a 15-rand subsidy (about 1 USD, as the story states) per child per day for qualified children's attendance. However, its underlying data collection process used to be done using hands-on paper, which caused accuracy issues such as overreporting and missing data. It was a significant operational burden for both teachers and governments.

What and How — Tech Solution

Amply implemented a mobile application on a blockchain protocol designed especially for impact data, called ixo. The app lets teachers record the attendance of students or children in the ECD centers. The data is then verified on a blockchain and exchanged for subsidies from the government. The blockchain-based database ensures transparency and accountability for stakeholders throughout the funding process.

💡 Key Insights

• 🗒️ The lack of a secure, accurate, and efficient data collection mechanism before, during, and after an activity is critical for organizations and governments in their development initiatives driven by external funds.

• 🖥️ A well-designed technology infrastructure, like the ixo protocol and its applications, streamlines a cross-organizational reporting process and minimizes the risk of human errors, whether intentional or not.

• 📊 Data collection can be the foundation of impact assessment. Since high-quality assessment leads projects to sustainable growth, it’s vital to invest in its data infrastructure to eliminate high-cost, labor-intensive tasks before, during, and after an activity.

✅ Try This

Check the Impact page on the ixo website and explore the potential use cases of the blockchain protocol designed particularly for impact data.

📊 Did You Know?

South Africa’s ECD Census in 2021 revealed several shocking facts about the reality of ECD in the country. For example, a university professor called “Mr President, don’t ignore six million vulnerable children,” citing the figures from the census report that showed “only 33% of ECD centers receive the ECD subsidy, 60% of ECD centers are not registered, just about half of the ECD teaching staff are qualified, and 23% of ECD centers have no books for children.”