May 13, 2020 — Binance Charity the world’s first blockchain-powered donation platform dedicated to advancing transparent philanthropy, has supported South Africa’s efforts in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic by donating 15,000 protective suits to hospitals in the country – as part of the organization’s Crypto Against COVID campaign.
Launched on March 24, 2020, Binance Charity’s Crypto Against COVID campaign was created to raise $5 million USD in cryptocurrencies (BNB, BTC, BUSD, and XRP) to be spent primarily on buying medical supplies for affected regions globally.
Binance led this effort with an initial donation of $1 million USD, plus an additional donation of $1 million USD through the #CryptoAgainstCOVID social media campaign. In addition, Binance vowed to match $2 million USD of public donations received.
According to the WHO, as of May 11, 2020, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa has exceeded 10,000 – with 194 deaths. Making the country the most affected on the African continent.
A total of $3.9 million USD has been raised from Binance and public donations, with more than 40 crypto companies joining together to support the campaign. As of May 12, medical supplies have been shipped to various affected countries, including 10,000 protective suits to Turkey, 400,000 masks to Italy and 15,000 suits to South Africa.
Binance Charity has also committed to PPE donations to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and launched a PPE token to support donation efforts for New York.
In addition to the 15,000 protective suits for South Africa – which will be donated to the Health Department in the Western Cape and other hospitals – a further 20,000 masks for South Africa have been ordered for delivery within the next few weeks.
“The most important element of human life is to show compassion and help others as we can, without the limitation or restriction of borders. Blockchain technology enables this in greater capacities than ever before and Binance Charity wishes to bring this to the masses,” said Helen Hai, Head of Binance Charity.
This Crypto Against COVID donation to South Africa comes months after Binance Charity announced a $1 million USD commitment for charity work and crypto education in the country at the Blockchain Africa Conference in Johannesburg in March 2020 – where Binance, the global blockchain company behind the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and users, announced the launch of a South African (ZAR) fiat-on-ramp with 5 trading pairs: BTC/ZAR, ETH/ZAR, BNB/ZAR, BUSD/ZAR and USDT/ZAR. Binance users in South Africa are able to deposit Rands (ZAR) from any South African bank account and enjoy features such as savings, spot, margin, lending, futures trading etc
On Binance’s commitment to South Africa and Binance Charity’s donation, Tanya Knowles, SA lead said: “Binance’s commitment to South Africa extends beyond our role as a cryptocurrency exchange. We are facing a healthcare and economic crisis which our generation has not witnessed before. We hope that this donation supports the many efforts being made in South Africa to fight the virus.”
Binance Charity maintains its mandate of 100% transparency. All transactions will be published in full transparency through the blockchain-based donation portal. Any hospital demands or sources of medical supplies and shipping aid willing to help in this cause may reach out to: bcf@binance.com.
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