New Blockchain Wallet Could Streamline Disaster Relief

A new digital ID system could have a significant impact on disaster relief.

Kare Survivor Wallet, developed in collaboration with Singaporean technology company AID:Tech, aims to streamline and improve the efficiency and transparency of aid distribution. Based on blockchain technology, the Kare Survivor Wallet uses a mobile app to allow families affected by natural disasters to verify their identity and receive credits redeemable for critical supplies directly from Amazon, reducing the time it takes for end-to-end distribution from several months to as little as 24 hours.

The first beneficiaries of the platform are families in Tennessee and Florida who were referred by DSC SVDP-USA national and local partners. Plans are in place to expand the project to hundreds of families across Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi by late spring. Kare Survivor Wallet combines digital identity technology with the payment of aids, and exploits the immutability of the Algorand blockchain

Ultimately, the goal is to allow disaster relief organizations to set up a form on the platform to collect information from survivors in the event of a natural disaster. Applicants can submit their information via their Kare digital ID, and a given agency can review the applications and allocate funds as needed, directly to the application’s digital wallets.

The platform is the product of a collaboration between the Algorand Foundation, the Disaster Services Corporation Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA (DSC SVDP-USA), and the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD), with funding from the American Red Cross.

The Algorand Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mandate is to support the development and growth of the Algorand blockchain ecosystem. The organization has supported other firms that want to innovate in the digital identity space; in 2021, for example, it provided a grant to LoginID for the development of authentication APIs and SDKs adapted to the blockchain platform.

DSC SVDP-USA, meanwhile, is an American disaster relief organization that provides programs and services to families and communities in need. National VOAD coordinates with more than 130 state and national organizations active in disaster relief, representing nearly 10 million volunteers across the United States