Every area has a school like this, very under funded and kids with very complex needs, I regularly work with kids from one school, it’s mostly a residential school, a lot of kids families can not cope. 

Austrian economists never consider these people. One of the biggest reasons I’m not a ‘Bitcoin fixes everything’ type person. 

 Yeah 100%. Social safety net is so so important 

 I don’t think its correct to say “Austrians never consider these people”. Hayek immediately comes to mind in his writings about philanthropy. In my opinion people would be much more charitable if they felt financially stable and not worrying as much about an economic disaster, which I believe is at least partially solved by Austrian economics. 

 Exactly. There's a difference between not considering such people and not wanting government to reduce everyone else to the lowest common denominator. That's what usually happens with "social safety net" thinking and policies.

Bitcoin won't fix every problem directly, but it certainly will indirectly solve most of them by promoting abundance. 

 Well in what I’ve heard in various podcasts with Austrians and various libertarians I can’t think of any where they’ve discussed these issues.

I do remember Saifedean Ammoys saying he never donates to charity though…

 

 I would think a lot of libertarians and Austrians feel as though they are already taxed, which is meant to provide the “social safety net”. I think we can agree based on the story that sparked this conversation, that safety net often fails. But we cannot opt out of paying those taxes which go to failed/failing welfare efforts. If you return economic freedom, I think the majority of all people regardless of political or economic beliefs want to help their fellow human. 

 The only social safety net I've ever seen work is a local community. Whether that's family, close friends, church, or a village, beyond that people are to far away or to occupied to care.   Returning purchasing power to the individual communities will do more to heal the world than all the big charities in the world combined.

You're an absolute legend Joe bringing light to what bitcoin could do, not simply what it's doing today. 

 Brutal. I’ve been to places like this.
The way I see it is bitcoin will fix this, but it’s gonna take time, generations.. 
in the meantime, things will sadly still suck for many 😞 

 How will it fix it? 

 This is the type of super-real post to read, amplify, and respond to.

nostr:note1n8mast5ft44va730k5fp7tu6w3rcne9m2e2r80saqn0983scut3q35wu7t  

 All we can do is make the best impact we can, 
each day, 
and chip away at the mountain in front of us… 
zoom out, 
breathe deep, 
and keep helping others 🫡 

 Nostr is for real shit.

I love this post, as hard as it is to read. 

 real and heavy af

Brining attention to these realities is a great act 

 Human greed and folly sucks! 

 And here I was slightly bothered that my daughter's school doesn't have an actual gymnasium. Perspective matters and it's important to learn about these harsher realities out there. 

 At least you did a good thing and tried even more. They will come around eventually. Good job! 💪 

 Nobody says it fixes "everything" but nothing fix as much things as bitcoin.

I hope the best for those kids. 🫂🫶 

 Telling good stories is a crucial part of this whole journey. Reality. What’s going on? Who’s there? How are they surviving?

Well done Joe. You’re doing a great job. Some parts of life are simply unfair. Hard to witness in a sense. But if you can be proud of your interaction, then what’s more?

Is there a geyser link to donate to the school? 

 I work in schools, in the midwest United States.  I see mass incompetence, waste, and useless things being pumped into kids’ heads……..
BUT, the people who care for and teach the special needs kids are like angels in human form.  Those kids make me reset my mood, feel so blessed, and restore my faith in humanity.  They make me want to work harder and make a better world for them and all children.  
Bitcoin can be a part of making this a better world.  It isn’t ‘number go up’.  
Stay humble, stack sats, give, and help until it hurts.  Build a better world.  To whom much is given, much is expected. 

 Bitcoin doesn’t fix things, people fix things. Bitcoin is just an amazing tool. It stills needs to be used by people to enact any change.  Keep doing what you do, it’s making a difference. You are the people that can use Bitcoin for good change. 

 Thanks for shining a light on it ! 

 Thanks for sharing Joe. 

Sadly, assistance and services for disabled children, and adults, are under-funded and under-staffed even in developed countries.

This is an issue that is close to my heart and that I am very familiar with. My little brother has been part of many such schools and institutions for heavy mental disability.

These institutions can be private or public, and both have their own challenges. 

In Belgium, the public ones rely on government funding and, while it is generally considered a safer source of funding, they must follow strict criteria on the type of disabilities that can be accepted to join their establishment. As a result, certain types of disabilities have very few institutions, and for the few that exists, there is not enough funding, and thus not enough staff.

Some remain private to be able to accept a broader spectrum of disabilities. Those are constantly looking for funding, and as a result can be very expensive to join.

In France, there are so few schools and institutions that some parents travel all the way to Belgium to be sure their children can have the assistance that they need. They only see their children once a week, or less, because of the distance.

If this is true in Europe, you can only imagine what choices people are faced with in countries with much less means.

Despite it all, you will find the most kind hearted and dedicated staff in those places. People that work there are doing it from a place of love and compassion.

It's true that Bitcoin doesn't fix this, human compassion and care does. But my hope, and life work, is that a prosperous world and society can find the generosity to support those that will never be able to contribute back in equal amounts. 

 Bitcoin does not fix anything.  Bitcoin provides a solid capital foundation. so that we may build the solutions to the problems that we face. 

 I like this take a lot 

 Thank you for sharing this insight. We have much to be grateful for while using the blessings of saving in bitcoin to do good and help those less fortunate 

 Apparently the founding father of Singapore once said/joked that air conditioning was the secret to his country’s success.

Its funny but its true. It enabled humans to function properly in warm regions without the abovementioned discomfort.

Even machines need coolants to work properly.  

 Bitcoiners Fix This…

It’s not about the money, it’s about people like you who want to actually make a difference with their lives and help others. And even when you can’t do anything, you can make others aware. Stay strong.. you inspire me to want to help those around me too. 💪 

 Joe, check these guys out:: http://beekeebox.com/
May help with the intermittent electrical issues as their solution is battery-operated & rechargeable.  

 In the long run, it does 😉  

 Not for everyone. Not in time. 

 Bitcoin is a vehicle to help us fix things. For example stacking all the Bitcoin in the world won't make you happy. That' optional. 

In this case it won't make a solar panel work again, but it might replace one. It's there enable people to do more than they could had they never had it. 

The world is messy and things do utterly suck. What counts is that you are there in the trenches trying to make things suck less for these kids. We might not change everything in the world, just like Bitcoin won't. However, we can do our part in small ways to leave the world a bit better off, than if we had not been it.  

 Thank you kindly. Keep blessing the world what you are doing!👍 🙏  

 Hi Joe -,you are there, doing great things spreading your love and light. The people you mentioned didn’t sound nearly as disappointed as you. Keep choosing Love the anger will fade into the Light. It’s happening Joe and I am so grateful for you and ALL of the bitcoiners that have held this vision for the rest of us to come on board. Remember Joe, there’s a whole lot of programming that is unraveling and sometimes it’s dizzying and we have to pause, breathe and then ……take off again and let more and more of the old ways of thinking go. Keep on smiling, keep on laughing, keep on desiring the good for All and for sure Keep on Loving ❤️❤️❤️✌️ 

 Progress, not perfection! 

 Well done Joe. 

Regardless, Bitcoin fixes the world. We're just starting. 

 It might be too late. We must try hard in the time we have. 

 Thanks for the info, even ifit's depressing. I have spent a lot if time on Aruba, but I understand Curaco is very different. Any Geyser projects worth supporting? 

 Btc Curacao are doing wonderful things there!! Btccuracao.com 

 I once paid for breakfast with bitcoin at a pancake place in Aruba, but it looks like #btccuracao is really doing things.  

 I interviewed the owner on Friday! He’s a really great dude. Stephan I think his name is 

 I feel your frustration. But slowly, and surely and eventually, bitcoin's effect will rise through and stories like this will be a thing of the past.
We are so so sooo early, you know how great bitcoin is and transformative it can be, and to be up close in the face  of all the heartache and see how difficult it is for people. You must ask yourself why is this possible? Your article described this really well. 

As bitcoin grows, adoption will increase, peoples trust will grow. Its because of people like you Joe that will make this a reality. Keep it up, you are helping make this revolution possible! ✊ 

 Do they at least have access to cold water and/or ice? If not, it's much cheaper to have enough fridges and/or freezers and/or ice makers to keep every student supplied with cold water, ice, cold wet towels, etc. The money it takes to give half the school ACs could give the entire school cold water and ice with money left over to fix the solar panels. The electricity from the solar panels is also more well-used this way because the heat pump compressors are basically focusing on using (thermally dense) water and ice to remove heat straight from the human body instead of (thermally weak) air to remove heat from entire rooms.

It's important to position these things well though. They're not so useful if they're in a closed room with the students, they need to be where the heat can get away from the students. ACs are made to have this figured out for you, just put in window and heat gets pumped out the window. Sufficient AC is also more comfortable, but simply not affordable for as many people. 

 Afterthought for anyone who might ever find this info useful: an ice maker can run on a small solar panel (much more easily than a fridge or AC), so supplying students with ice makers closer to their homes, and coolers to carry the ice, might be a really useful thing to do with a fundraiser for dealing with the heat. 

 I cannot zap your note but thank you! 

 It’s so f.sad!
You just want to help everyone Joe❤️ 

 Wow, this post hit hard. It’s inspiring to see grassroots Bitcoin initiatives like btccuracao making a real difference in communities that need it the most. The WiFi donation clearly had a huge impact, but it’s frustrating how there’s always more to fix—like the broken solar panels and insane heat. It really shows how systemic issues can overshadow even the most well-intentioned efforts.

As a Bitcoiner, I agree that Bitcoin isn't a fix-all solution, but it’s incredible to see the power it can have in real-world use cases. Especially when you hear stories of people using it in a way that’s meaningful and tangible. It must have been tough to witness the challenges those kids face every day, but what you’re doing is important. The world needs more people willing to actually see these issues and share them.

Mad respect for sharing this story. Keep doing what you're doing—change comes in small, powerful steps like this. 

 Read this in your voice Joe. The authenticity shines through. You do the people's work, sir. Great job sharing this story👏🏻  

 Where is a good place to learn about BTC projects like this one? 

 I grew up dealing with this reality back in the Dominican Republic. The saddest part is, it's still THE reality in most Latin American countries. It's something Americans and foreigners will never fully understand. And no, Bitcoin doesn’t fix this. 

 💯 Correct 🫂. You see the use cases should fit the needs and when the needs become several and varying (or complex and overwhelming), then pragmatism should prevail. Donors (be it public sector or private sector) should not be playing for the photographic power ball moment, they should be attempting to provide “fixes” in a comprehensive fashion. Otherwise there will be continuous and unecessarily disjointed “solutions”. 

 Does Starlink not help southern hemisphere and remote locations?  I guess not 

 crypto really has tarred BTC with its shitty brush  

 The poor kids. 😬🤯 

 I still would say Bitcoin fixes this, but that doesn´t come over night. By fixing the unequal distribution of wealth Bitcoin will eventually help this country to have more money. 

 That's how the tropics are, everything rots sooner... 

 @kdnolan @theschoolofbitcoin 

 Witnessing the injustices in the world can indeed feel overwhelming, which is why it’s essential to focus on what we can control. While we can’t solve all the world’s problems, we can make a meaningful impact within our own spheres of influence. By taking small, purposeful actions—whether through volunteering, advocacy, or simple acts of kindness—we can cultivate a sense of purpose and progress. Thank you,  @joenakamoto, for sharing your story and for reminding us that making a difference, no matter how small, is part of creating positive change. 

 There's a piece of research somewhere on the internets that states
If the temperature around you makes your body downregulate your body temp(sweat)
It severely affects brain performance: cognitive, logical, all of it.
I did myself experience this effect living on a beautiful caribbean sea town for some time.
AC will yield more roi here, imo. 

 This would be awesome for students in #boneohackerspace to collaborate.

We run multiple education programs through #Minecraft that could easily be shared.

Do they have the potential to run a video conference with their current setup? 

 Thank you for sharing this and for doing the work you do. Change comes slowly, but keep working at it … it does make a difference …