Hi Valessio,
I think this is a very valid point. We're a bit late for this for
DebConf20 Online but the COVID economic impact will stay for quite some
time. May be we should do activities in countries that are very affected
and have a lot of Debian contributors. E.g. I could imagine something
like Debian grants for certain development / administrative / creative
tasks. These could be administered by ICTL for Brazil. Other FLOSS
projects are doing that and we have been participating in Outreachy and
the Google programs which are similar.
Unfortunately it is quite complicated to "just" distribute money for
legal reasons. It's possible, but not as trivial as just the very final
step of sending money via Paypal. It's much easier if there is a payment
for a tangible contribution or an expense related to the charitable
mission of SPI (which is the legal framework for Debian).
We have support options for Debian Members and frequent contributors.
You didn't see that as you are not a DD yet (apply to join!), but we
have "COVID-19 crisis support funds" offers. I'll send you a private
email with contact info.
In the DebConf domain we have agreed to use the normal DPL-reimbursement
process. That means any contributor that wants to participate in
DebConf20 Online but cannot do so due to lack of Internet or not having
a suitable WebCam can apply for funding and (where justified) our DPL,
Jonathan, has indicated he will support people's chance to participate.
The same process applies to any Debian contributor. Up to 100 USD are
granted to enable participation in a Debian event (e.g. travelling to a
BSP). If that 100 USD is needed to attend DebConf20 Online, it should be
worth filing a request with leader@ and treasurer@ as per
https://wiki.debian.org/Teams/DPL/Reimbursement .
I hope the situation in Brazil clears up soon. Please stay safe and if I
can be of any help, do not hesitate to reach out!
Kind regards,
Daniel
Am 23.06.20 um 08:26 schrieb Valessio Brito:
Guys, how are you? I wish so.
I would like to share my discomfort with the pandemic situation that
has brought learning to everyone.
I will try not to be too long in the email, nor do I know if I can
participate in all possible questions; So consider it a provocation,
ignore it or go on thinking about the millions who are victims of
unemployment, hunger today and after the pandemic passes, we will have
much more. These direct collaborators of the project or just activist
and user, are people who cannot pay their internet bill in the next
month and probably could not follow the event online; And they either
left the project involuntarily to seek support.
Much effort has been made around thinking about making t-shirts and
other "gifts", this is important for an in-person event and a normal
situation. But the current scenario, I would like to suggest an effort
to support people who need to pay for their internet, for a meal or
even have the resources to continue producing Debian project shirts
and stickers locally.
I think the moment, if you allow it, is to have a grant / assistance
as a proposal for everyone who needs and wants to follow the next
DebConf online.
The total cost of previous DebConf (15,14,13) based on the final
reports[1] was over 100k USD; So considering that we can achieve this
fundraising goal, a $100 grant for those who apply, could help 1000
people. In developing countries this amount can help pay for up to 5
months of Internet (this is the case in Brazil for example), or
represents almost half the salary of an ordinary worker.
The logistics of sending shirts is as laborious as sending money; I
believe that today there are very quick solutions for money transfer;
But before discussing the legality and the process, it is important
that everyone knows the reality that the world is going through, we
are already millions of unemployed and many who are going through bad
times.
The scholarship request is optional, just as there could also be a
donation button to sponsor the scholarship. If a company sponsors a
Quota in this DebConf Online, the value of the Quota is helping to
help more people who directly or indirectly are in need of support.
Cheers,
Valessio Brito
[1] https://media.debconf.org/reports/