Giga, an Initiative by UNICEF and ITU, Implements Lido Impact Staking to Finance Global School Connectivity

Geneva, Switzerland, May 5th, 2025, Chainwire

TheGigainitiative, dedicated to connecting every school to the internet by 2030, has adoptedLido Impact Staking (LIS)as anew, innovative financing model. By leveragingEthereum staking returns, Giga can secure long-term funding while enabling donors to contributewithout giving away their principal capital.

A New Model for Sustainable Impact

Giga, a partnership between UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), helps governments to design, plan, negotiate funding and implement connectivity for schools worldwide.

ThroughLido Impact Staking, institutional donors and individualscanstake their ETHand contribute a portion of their staking rewards to Giga. This approach introduces asustainable funding model, where donors – now “impact stakers” – cansupport global connectivity efforts while keeping their capital intact.

“Innovative financing models like Lido Impact Staking allow us to accelerate school connectivity at scale,” said Gerben Kijne, Blockchain Product Lead at Unicef. “By leveraging blockchain technology and staking rewards, we can unlock new sources of funding to bridge the digital divide.”

How Lido Impact Staking Works

Lido Impact Staking enables ETH holders to allocate a percentage of their staking yield tohigh-impact projectslike Giga. Unlike traditional donations,stakers retain full ownership of their principal, while their staking rewards are directed toward funding internet access for underserved schools.

With UNICEF Giga’s participation, LIS is establishing itself as areal-world use case for crypto-powered philanthropy, demonstrating howEthereum staking can drive long-term social impact.

A Call for Institutional Support

Giga’s adoption of LIS also opens doors forinstitutional donors– corporations, foundations, and Web3 communities – seekingscalable, capital-efficient waysto support global initiatives. Organizations can now stake ETH for Giga and ensuresustained funding for school connectivitywithout touching their original assets.

Background

Impact Staking emerged as an innovative initiative following Ethereum’s transition to Proof of Stake, pioneered by the team atLaunchnodes. Founded in April 2020, Launchnodes empowers users worldwide to solo stake Ethereum and operate their own Ethereum nodes without compromising custody or control over their assets.

In 2023, the Lido Ecosystem Grants Organization (LEGO) awarded Launchnodes a grant to develop an Impact Staking middleware that integrates seamlessly with Lido’s scalable, battle-tested middleware. This led to the creation of Lido Impact Staking (LIS).

Today, the LIS team collaborates with NGOs, governments, philanthropic foundations, family offices, and social impact donors who recognize the transformative potential of Impact Staking. By channelling staking rewards into meaningful causes, this model introduces a sustainable, blockchain-driven approach to philanthropy.

About Giga and Lido Impact Staking

Launched in 2019,Gigaseeks to connect the estimated three million schools still without internet access. Online learning opens a world of information to students and teachers, and enables inclusive lifelong learning and socio-economic growth. Giga is currently engaged in 39 countries.Lido Impact Staking (LIS)is a decentralized impact funding mechanism that facilitates philanthropy by allowing ETH stakers to donate a portion of their staking rewards to social impact projects. Built onLido’s liquid staking protocol, LIS enables sustainable, long-term funding for initiatives like Giga.

To learn more and become animpact stakerfor Giga, users can visit:
https://stake.giga.global/

Contacts

Akunna Ibe
Giga – UNICEF/ITU
[email protected]

Andrei Druta
Lido Impact Staking
[email protected]