In countries where nobody trust each other any longer, poverty reigns and people struggle to make it through the day, solutions are hard to come by. Commerce is often the first casualty in countries with hyperinflation and people scramble to seek refuge in trading of one product for another.

The goal of PolloPollo is to introduce trust in a setting where trust wouldn’t be possible. By use of distributed ledger technology (often called blockchain) people won’t have to trust each other - they only have to trust the protocol of the open platform.

PolloPollo is an open, free to use and fully transparent platform allowing donations of specific products to specific receivers. It can best be explained as a stranger standing at the checkout counter, paying for the products in the customer’s shopping basket. The customer receives the products without having to pay for it. The merchant receives payment for the products and the donor will know that he helped someone in need, get the bare necessities to make life slightly better - perhaps even possible.

How the platform works

The process

It all starts with the Producer joining the platform by creating a profile. He then adds products and their price. These products can now be seen on the PolloPollo platform.

A person in need can join the platform by creating a Receiver profile. Receivers then browse the products and can apply for products by a simple click.

Applications for products are visible to potential Donors. As a donor, it is not required to create a profile on the platform. The donor simply browses the applications and clicks “Donate” on an application.

A payment is now made from the donor to the producer who will provide the product that the receiver applied for. But the payment is made conditional. The conditions are simple:

• If the receiver confirms reception of the product, the producer gets the money.
• If the receiver doesn’t confirm reception within 30 days, funds are returned to the donor.
  In no way will anyone other be able to get the funds.

Who keeps the money until reception is confirmed?

Actually, nobody does. The underlying distributed ledger platform will create a temporary wallet on which the donated money is send to. Only the donor and the producer will be able to withdraw from that wallet. And only when their respective conditions are met.

Who can join the platform

Anyone are allowed to join the platform. Producers can add any product they know are in demand. It could be livestock, agricultural products, farming equipment, produce, meat, medicine, services, manual labour, gas, smartphones, power banks, mobile airtime or basically anything that the producer feels could help someone in need but knows they cannot afford themselves.

But receivers can also play an active part. If a farmer just received a donation of 20 laying hens but doesn’t have money for gas to go and pick it up, he can go and ask a gas station to join the platform and add a product allowing him to apply for 20 liters of gas. This way, everyone will help the platform grow to the benefit of everyone else.

Are there any requirements?

Producers must have access to a smartphone or desktop computer that can access the internet. It isn’t required to be online all the time. Producers need to install an Obyte wallet. Obyte is the underlying distributed ledger platform that provides all the technological features required to carry out the trustless conditional payments. Donations from donors are converted to a digital currency which can easily be converted to the Venezuelan currency Bolivar which gets transferred directly to Producers’ bank account.

Receivers doesn’t need a smartphone or computer of their own. They still need to be able to access the PolloPollo website, which can be done from any device with internet connection and a browser. It is advisable to check the platform at least once a week to know if a donation has been made for your applications and you can go and pick up your product(s) at the Producer.

Help us help others!

The true power of this radical different approach to charitable donation rests on the power of the people. We therefore ask you to help bring merchants to the platform and to let people in need know of the opportunity to request donations for products on the platform. Donors are of course also welcome, but we mainly need people interested in helping this non-profit project reach its true potential - to help people in difficult situations.

Spanish translation of this post would also be greatly appreciated.

Thank you