Per week in the past, CoinTelegraph revealed a “ladies who kicked ass in crypto” piece through which just one non-American or non-European lady (Maya Parbhoe) was talked about.
As a result of I really feel that what’s occurring with Bitcoin in Africa, Latin America, The Center East and Southeast Asia — areas the place bitcoin is extra usually used as a foreign money and a cash of final resort — is much extra thrilling than what’s occurring in the USA and Europe, I’m right here inform you about some girls within the Bitcoin house from these areas who kicked ass in 2024.
Farida Bemba Nabourema — Nabourema is a long-time activist and human rights defender, initially from Togo. She’s additionally the first organizer for the African Bitcoin Convention, which, for the final three years, has supplied Africans with an unimaginable alternative to current to and community with Bitcoiners from across the globe.
Reyna Chicas — Chicas is a Salvadoran was promoted to Director of Training for Mi Primer Bitcoin this yr, and he or she additionally sits on the group’s board of administrators. Her journey in Bitcoin began simply two years in the past when she went to the Adopting Bitcoin convention in El Salvador as an attendee.
Roya Mahboob — Mahboob is considered one of Afghanistan’s first feminine tech CEOs. She additionally based the Digital Citizen Fund, a non-profit aimed toward enhancing technological literacy of Afghan ladies. This yr, she’s continued in her efforts to create IT facilities for women in excessive faculties throughout Afghanistan and likewise convey her schooling mannequin to colleges in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal.
Dea Rezkitha — Rezkitha is the Neighborhood Grasp for Southeast Asia for Fedi and co-founder of the Indonesian Bitcoin Neighborhood and the Indonesia Bitcoin Convention. Except for maintaining together with her duties for Fedi this yr, Rezkitha toured the world talking about her work at occasions just like the Oslo Freedom Discussion board and Bitcoin 2024.
Lorraine Marcel — Marcel, based mostly in Kenya, is the founding father of Bitcoin Dada, a digital Bitcoin schooling platform and sisterhood for African ladies. She was additionally awarded the Most Impactful African Bitcoiner of 2024 award by the African Bitcoiners group.
Kenyan Lorraine Marcel (@marcelorraine) is our Most Impactful African Bitcoiner of 2024!
By means of @btc_dada and @DadaDevs she empowers leaders like @waithiraah, @LindaKariu54810, @noelynesumba and plenty of others, making a ripple impact which is altering Africa ceaselessly.
Extra👇 pic.twitter.com/W84gicWVs1— African Bitcoiners ⚡ (@afribitcoiners) December 11, 2024
Isabella Santos — Santos is a co-founder of the Mexican Bitcoin neighborhood BTC Isla, based mostly in Isla Mujeres in addition to a co-founder of the Bitcoin media outlet Get Based mostly (which just lately launched a killer documentary entitled “How The Federal Reserve Secretly Enslaved The World”). Past that, she continued to tour the globe this yr because the host of Bitcoin Backstage, bringing you some juicy takes from backstage on the world’s largest Bitcoin conferences.
Noelyne Sumba — Sumba, based mostly in Kenya, oversees “orange-pilling operations” for Machankura, a Bitcoin Lightning pockets that can be utilized on characteristic telephones. Additionally, in 2024, Saifedean Ammous’ basic The Bitcoin Normal was revealed in Swahili and Abdi because of Sumba’s assist in translating the textual content.
Hadiya Masieh — Masieh is predicated in London however was born to Mauritian and Ugandan dad and mom. She’s the founding father of the Groundswell Challenge, a company that works to foster peace and empathy amongst numerous communities. She gave a chat on the “Oslo Freedom Discussion board” this yr entitled “How Bitcoin Can Fund Counter-Terrorism”, through which she highlighted how she’s taught Somali ladies use bitcoin for political fundraising to assist assist feminine candidates within the nation.
Janet Maingi — Maingi, based mostly in Kenya, is a co-founder of Gridless Compute, an organization that not solely mined bitcoin in Africa profitably this previous yr but in addition helped convey electrification to rural areas of Africa.
Mary Imasuen — Imasuen, who’s of Nigerian and Filipino descent and based mostly in Nigeria, is the International Advertising and marketing Supervisor for Fedi and a self-described “bitcoin-only gamer” who usually speaks in assist of THNDR Video games. Whereas Imasuen wasn’t touring the world discussing her work in 2024, you could possibly hear from her as a podcast visitor or on a gaming stream
Honorable mentions: Renata Rodrigues (Head of Advertising and marketing and Neighborhood at Fedi, initially from Brazil), Lorena Ortiz (Latin America Neighborhood Grasp at Fedi, based mostly in Mexico), Edith Mpumwire (Ugandan Neighborhood Supervisor for Bitcoin Dada and supporter of Bitcoin Kampala), Sabina Gitau (co-founder of Tando, based mostly in Kenya), Efrat Fenigson (host of the “You’re The Voice” podcast, based mostly in Israel)
And I’m going to offer a fast shout out to some unhealthy ass girls who crushed it this yr from Europe, the U.S. or elsewhere: Caitlin Lengthy (the US-based CEO of Custodia Financial institution began a lawsuit towards the Federal Reserve in 2024), Susie Violet Ward (the UK-based Bitcoin journalist and CEO of Bitcoin Coverage UK wrote extensively in regards to the risks of over-regulating the Bitcoin business within the UK and Europe this yr), Umi Miyahara (the Japanese-American Enterprise Growth Lead at Breez, who helped facilitate many new partnerships for Breez in 2024), DJ Valerie B Love (the US-based artistic who launched an distinctive digital convention this yr), NiftyNei (who launched the Base58 schooling platform this yr), Gloria Zhao (a Bitcoin core dev who does a wonderful job in distilling how Bitcoin works), Ella Hough (who helped Cornell College launch its first unbiased Bitcoin-focused examine program) and L0la L33tz (the unbiased journalist did an unimaginable work in overlaying privateness because it pertains to Bitcoin and crypto for her publication The Rage).
I do know there are an innumerable variety of ladies within the Bitcoin house who neither I nor CoinTelegraph acknowledged.
To these ladies, I apologize for not with the ability to fit your needs into this piece, however I thanks on your work and contributions to the Bitcoin house.
This text is a Take. Opinions expressed are totally the writer’s and don’t essentially mirror these of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Journal.