HopeChain: Decentralized Storage for Humanitarian Operations at Hope Foundation

# Open Grant Proposal

**Project Name:** HopeChain: Decentralized Storage for Humanitarian Operations at Hope Foundation

**Proposal Category:** Storage

**Individual or Entity Name:** Hope Foundation (charitable organization serving orphans and elderly in India)

**Proposer:** aria-agentworks

**Project Repo(s):** https://github.com/aria-agentworks/hopechain

**(Optional) Filecoin ecosystem affiliations:** None

**(Optional) Technical Sponsor:** None

**Do you agree to open source all work... under MIT/Apache-2 dual-license?** Yes

## Project Summary

Hope Foundation is a humanitarian charity serving orphaned children and elderly populations across India with food, shelter, education, and medical aid. Currently, beneficiary records, donor information, and donation tracking are stored on centralized servers, creating risks of data breaches, single points of failure, and lack of transparency. This project builds a decentralized storage layer using IPFS and Filecoin to: 1) Securely store personally identifiable beneficiary data via content-addressed encrypted records on IPFS with Filecoin archival, 2) Create a transparent, immutable donation tracking ledger, 3) Migrate operational documents (case files, medical records, distribution logs) to decentralized storage.

## Impact

This project brings Filecoin/IPFS to the humanitarian sector in India, a region with immense need for resilient, censorship-resistant data storage. By demonstrating that decentralized storage can serve vulnerable populations, we create a replicable model for NGOs worldwide. The transparent donation ledger builds donor trust, while encrypted beneficiary records protect privacy. This directly grows Filecoin ecosystem adoption in South Asia.

## Outcomes

- Encrypted IPFS-based storage for 5,000+ beneficiary records with Filecoin-backed redundancy
- Production-ready decentralized document management system at 3 operational centers in India
- Public donor dashboard showing verified donation trail anchored via Filecoin deals
- Open-source tooling (React + IPFS + Filecoin client) replicable by other humanitarian orgs
- ~100GB existing records migrated, ~10,000+ records added annually

## Data Onboarding

Month 1: 10GB (architecture & test data)
Month 3: 30GB (core records migrated)
Month 6: 60GB (all 3 centers onboarded)
Month 12: ~110GB (ongoing additions)

## Adoption, Reach, and Growth Strategies

Target audience: Indian NGOs and humanitarian organizations. Outreach via NGO networks in India, open-source communities, and Filecoin ecosystem events. We will publish case studies and technical guides for replication.

## Development Roadmap

| Milestone | Description | Deliverables | Completion Date | Funding |
|-----------|-------------|--------------|-----------------|--------|
| M1: Research & Architecture | Requirements gathering, security audit, architecture doc, encryption schema | Architecture document, security audit report, encryption schema specification | Month 2 | $3,000 |
| M2: Core Storage Engine | IPFS node, AES-256 encryption, Filecoin deal automation, REST API | Production storage engine with IPFS integration, encryption layer, Filecoin deal automation, REST API | Month 4 | $8,000 |
| M3: Donation Tracking Module | Donation ledger, donor portal, deal monitoring | Donation tracking system, donor dashboard, Filecoin deal monitoring | Month 5 | $4,000 |
| M4: Pilot Deployment | 3-center deployment, migration, training | Deployed system at 3 centers, migrated data, trained staff | Month 6 | $3,500 |
| M5: Documentation & Handover | Full docs, open-source release | Complete documentation, open-source repository, handover guide | Month 7 | $1,500 |

## Total Budget Requested

**$20,000**

## Maintenance and Upgrade Plans

Post-grant maintenance includes monthly IPFS pinning checks, quarterly Filecoin deal renewal, and ongoing security updates. Hope Foundation will allocate $200/month from operational budget for ongoing storage costs.

## Team

**Team Members:** Rajesh Kantubhukta

**Team Member LinkedIn Profiles:**

**Team Website:**

**Relevant Experience:** Rajesh Kantubhukta is experienced in web development, blockchain technology, and humanitarian tech solutions.

**Team code repositories:** https://github.com/aria-agentworks

## Additional Information

- How did you hear about this program? Filecoin ecosystem
- Best email for contact: rajesh@dharmasolutions.com
- Hope Foundation has faced challenges with government certification denial and operates outside state infrastructure, making decentralized solutions particularly valuable as they don't depend on centralized government-controlled systems. All data handling complies with Indian data protection laws.