Project that Turns Recycling into Income Wins UNICEF's Youth Challenge Blockchain

A solution developed by young people to tackle environmental and social issues in a community in Bahia has been chosen as the winner of the first edition of the Youth Challenge Blockchain, an initiative by UNICEF in partnership with Blockchain.RIO, aimed at creating blockchain technology solutions to improve the lives of children and adolescents.

The project "Raízes do Futuro" (Roots of the Future), from Boipeba in southern Bahia, proposes to connect waste collection and recycling to income generation for families and to finance actions related to health and early childhood education.

The proposal was developed by four young individuals: Maria Clara Bastos, Milena Calasans, Amanda Folly, and Thaly; and utilizes blockchain and programmable money to create a traceable flow of resources.

The idea is that the value generated from recycling is transparently directed to the community, creating a model that combines environmental sustainability, income generation, and child protection.

"I thank UNICEF, Superteam Brasil, and Blockchain.RIO for the opportunity and for believing in the potential of projects that unite technology and social impact," said Maria Clara Bastos in a statement on social media.

In the next six months, the project aims to collect and validate over 12 tons of waste, with the potential to benefit 30 families and impact 60 children. Boipeba, located in the municipality of Cairu, faces challenges related to waste management, exacerbated by the region's tourist flow.

For UNICEF Brazil, one of the main differentiators of the proposal was the young people's ability to start from a concrete need in the territory and use technology as a tool to address it.

"In the Youth Challenge, we believe in the creative power of young people, in the innovation they produce every day, often out of necessity, to solve real problems. What is lacking is not creativity, but equity in access to technology and initiatives that drive these solutions. This is how promising ideas gain scale and transform into social impact," says Felipe Gonzalez, innovation officer at UNICEF Brazil.

The Youth Challenge Blockchain was created to bring Brazilian youth closer to the world of blockchain through challenges related to childhood and the rights of children and adolescents.

Throughout the journey, participants aged 18 to 24 received training, mentoring, and support to develop proposals aimed at real problems. The first edition saw the participation of over 200 young people.

In total, ten teams were selected for the final stage of the Youth Challenge Blockchain 2026. The final ranking was as follows:

• 1st place: Raízes do Futuro -- Prize: $1,000
• 2nd place: VitaLedger -- Prize: $700
• 3rd place: PulseImpact -- Prize: $300
• 4th place: EduPass -- Prize: $100
• 5th place: Merenda Aberta -- Prize: $100
• 6th place: ParaDevs / AccessGo -- Prize: $100
• 7th place: EloChain -- Prize: $100
• 8th place: Selo Infância Segura -- Prize: $100
• 9th place: EduChain -- Prize: $100
• 10th place: Ecoa -- Prize: $100

As part of the recognition, the winning team of the 1st place will be nominated for the imaGen Ventures Global Challenge, an international initiative linked to UNICEF's innovation ecosystem.

The results of the first edition already indicate the continuation of the program. UNICEF Brazil has confirmed a second edition of the Youth Challenge Blockchain in 2027, with new features that will be announced soon.