Over the past four years a team of dedicated individuals have watched over the development of a global platform that can instantly add value to any electronic transaction. During the course of this development a humanitarian model evolved and when successfully deployed the model holds great promise of a better tomorrow for people living in extreme conditions in every corner of the globe. The GeN “X-2” platform has been designed as a private stored value engine, similar to the credit and debit card rails that are run by the bank networks. The network operates in a “third rail” environment and can offer the donor community alternative ways to deliver benefits while providing instant and detailed accountability to each participant of any program model.
Local Heroes International, drawing on 14 years of devoted education and understanding of how electronic transactions impact our society, hopes to soon launch its pilot program in Ghana. The company is now focused on its initial project in Lake Bosomtwe, near to Ghana and with a successful launch in Africa, could soon deliver the world a “global prototype” and give birth to a sustainable sharing model that could result in dramatic changes to human suffering as we know it today.
The first program of its kind, Hands 4 Hope 4 All Humanity has developed a sharing model that can immediately deliver a virtual form of currency to any person in any country in the world. Any person with internet access can instantly load value to a recipient cardholder, enabling the beneficiary the ability to instantly convert the value to purchase the basic necessities that they are lacking. In cases where currency is required to make a purchase, cardholders are allowed to withdraw money from white label ATM’s that can operate in any country and dispense any form of currency.
Merchants and vendors that participate in the program receive the associated funds from all transactions by way of a direct deposit which is credited to their bank account, (to the extent that they have one) within 24 hours of the original transaction. In the absence of a bank account, merchant funds are instantly loaded to their very own personalized debit card that can be used at secure white label ATM’s in close proximity to their location(s) or wherever MasterCard is accepted worldwide, including use at traditional ATM locations.
Transactions either travel over the rails of traditional credit, debit and ATM banking networks, as in some cases this route may be appropriate. Although a majority of transactions will be completed entirely within a private stored value environment contained in GeN “X-2” Platform. Card to card transfers are triple encrypted and are processed through a highly secure network with each card having its own Personal Identification Number (PIN).
The latest statistics, unimaginable, account for over 1.8 billion people in our world living in desperate and seemingly hopeless conditions (Scientific American “The Climax of Humanity” September. 2006 pgs 44-48). They lack basic necessities and live in conditions that rob them of their individual right to human dignity. So tragic, is that in relative terms the amount of support needed to provide an abundance of proper food, clothing, shelter, medicine, education and infrastructure is far less than most people think. More and more the donor community is becoming fearful that the donations they are making are not directly and entirely benefitting the original purpose intended.
The evolution of technology on a global basis is astounding, and the future is sure to bring even more technological innovations. Communication is almost instantaneous through a host of advanced communications, including internet protocols, (VOIP, RFID), and the placement of advanced satellite systems. In a few short years, computers have migrated from mainframes to laptops and hand-held’s. We can all look forward to a future that will bring a wealth of technological innovations designed to make our lives more convenient. The opportunities afforded by this global electronic marketplace have triggered a technological evolution with powerful implications.
This new marketplace is supported by a global infrastructure on which businesses, governments and customers can interact. Global malls and business sites are available to anyone with access to the technology. More and more, online marketing is becoming a new and effective delivery channel and users cross an increasing number of industry lines. In this electronic era, individuals and businesses can now target their communications to make an emotional connection with their customers, one person at a time. Consumers will retain control of how they wish to interact with the system. The future has arrived and businesses are now buying less time trying to reach customers, because customers are now spending more time to get the information or make the purchases they want. The electronic marketplace is transforming the way the world retrieves information, sells, works and plays.
This instant electronic world transcends both time and space as physical location has become less and less important and point-of-sale is increasingly becoming point-of-interaction. Technology now allows businesses to develop virtual personal relationships with consumers, meeting their needs based on their unique preferences. A new generation of marketing is here and businesses of all sizes have begun the shift towards incorporating electronic channels into their execution strategies. This is not a passing trend; it is a permanent shift in the way business and marketing will be conducted in the future. The choices for businesses and consumers are virtually unlimited, and we will all benefit from exciting new ways to conduct our business and run our lives.
Local Heroes International (LHI) is at the forefront of this shift, developing its technology and tailoring its program offerings to best position itself in an enormous market that up until now has been vastly under serviced. It is with great anticipation that we look forward to the challenges and opportunities this new marketplace will hold.
