Saturday dawned cloudy, typical of the month of August, but with an abrasive heat beneath that gray sky. Mozambique is like this during the months of November, December, and January, when the rainy season is widespread. Even so, the willingness to hold the Meetup was at one thousand percent, and nothing could make it stop.

December 20 was scheduled for the first Bitcoin Cash Meetup, which I named the “CHAPA BCH Meetup” because, in addition to talking exclusively about Bitcoin Cash, I would also take the opportunity to promote the transport service in which locals can pay using BCH, as well as other cryptocurrencies (converted into Bitcoin Cash) and local currencies and/or available mobile services.

Organizing a Community Bitcoin Cash Meetup

The afternoon was busy because I had to make a crucial decision. Should I hold the Meetup at the previously planned location or move it to a place where I would have full control and more freedom to speak comfortably? I decided to change the location to my own backyard. After all, I have plenty of space, and it would also allow neighbors and curious people to have access to it. However, I do not know whether it was the rain or not, but the neighbors who showed up were those who had already confirmed their presence.

Even the young man whom I had transported to a wedding ceremony did not show up, claiming a last-minute commitment, but he promised without fail to attend the next one. Well, I kept his T-shirt anyway, because he deserves it—just the simple fact that he called and showed seriousness about the event is worthy of respect.

At 4:25 p.m. local time, the arrangement of the space that would host the event began. I counted on the participation of my eldest daughter, who has always shown interest in the crypto universe, especially Bitcoin Cash, and together we got things moving. Chair here, table there, and little by little the space was ready to welcome the participants.

In fact, there were more than six people confirmed for the event, but only four attended, and two justified their absence. The giveaways were kept, as they were already meant to be delivered, and it made no sense to keep them. The event was scheduled for 4:30 p.m., but we only effectively started at a little after six, when the sky was already dark.

Explaining Bitcoin Cash to First-Time Users

The atmosphere was very exciting because some people in this small group were hearing about BCH for the first time and were curious about it. My presentation was brief but to the point. I talked about what BCH is, what it is used for, how to send and receive it, and part of the history of the emergence of Bitcoin. I did not want to overwhelm those present with too much information, but there was also time to talk about Paytaca, since they needed to know where to store and how to move BCH.

We also talked about CHAPA BCH Mozambique and how it was revolutionizing transportation in the region, as it is innovative and riders can pay using Bitcoin Cash—the same asset they were deepening their knowledge about.

Bitcoin Cash Adoption and the Need for Financial Education

One of the problems in African societies is the lack of information that does not reach people as it should. This Meetup not only showed that people are thirsty for knowledge, but also that the questions were well thought out. For example, one of them, after listening very attentively to the presentation, asked how Bitcoin Cash was different from M-Pesa and E-Mola, mobile money services that are very popular in Mozambican and African society (in the case of M-Pesa).

After a slow explanation with local examples—such as the ease of sending money at almost zero cost with Bitcoin Cash and the possibility of being your own bank using seed words as a vault—he understood that mobile money services are expensive, centralized, and have limited access, since they only work locally.

Watch these videos of the CHAPA BCH Meetup on Bastyon and X. Also check the reddit posts on r/BitcoinCash and r/BTC.

I give a positive rating to the Meetup, and as the participants suggested, “more meetings of this kind need to be held, because many young people need information to better secure the future.” We could spend the whole day talking about how good the Meetup was, but I prefer to let the photos and videos speak for themselves.

I would also like to thank everyone who, in one way or another, helped make the Meetup successful. I will also leave the BCH address that I use to receive funds for matters related to meetups and others, because I intend to continue with another one in some time. I will notify everyone in advance so the community stays informed, but funds can already start being channeled.

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Together we are stronger, and spreading information about Bitcoin Cash only ensures that more people are connected to the ecosystem and become an active part of it. As an old wise man once said, “we start small, but we certainly will not end that way.” Have an excellent day ahead.