A new digital ID system could make a substantial impact in disaster relief.
The Kare Survivor Wallet, developed in partnership with Singapore technology company AID:Tech, aims to streamline and enhance the efficiency and transparency of aid distribution. Based on blockchain technology, the Kare Survivor Wallet uses a mobile app to allow families impacted by natural disasters to verify their identities and receive credits that can be redeemed for critical supplies directly from Amazon, reducing the time taken 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. The Kare Survivor Wallet combines digital identity technology with the disbursement of relief funds, leveraging the immutability of the Algorand blockchain
Ultimately, the aim is to empower disaster relief agencies to set up a form within 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 evaluate the applications and allocate funds as appropriate, directly to applications’ digital wallets.
The platform is the product of a collaboration between Algorand Foundation, Disaster Services Corporation Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA (DSC SVDP-USA), and 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 seeking 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 geared for its blockchain platform.
DSC SVDP-USA, meanwhile, is a U.S. 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 U.S.
