SCF Spotlights: Coala Pay

The Stellar Community Fund (SCF) is an open-application grants program that provides the support, community, and funding for founders to launch their projects on the Stellar network. In this content series, we’re shining a light on some incredible builders and entrepreneurs who have received SCF awards, exploring their projects, and showcasing the real-world impact they’re creating with blockchain technology!

Today, we’re kicking things off by spotlighting Melyn McKay, anthropologist and founder of Coala Pay, a public aid funding marketplace and weather oracle designed to make it easier to discover and fund grassroots aid initiatives.

With 15 years of experience in the aid sector, Melyn has witnessed firsthand the challenges of moving money where it’s needed most. While running an office in South Sudan just before the civil war broke out in 2013, she faced serious logistical hurdles—the country had no ATMs, forcing her to fly to Dubai to withdraw cash, then fly back to South Sudan, where she was greeted by men toting AK-47s. It was risky business that underscored the need for better financial infrastructure in the area, an issue she’s tackling with Coala Pay.

Coala Pay leverages Web3 to help the aid sector deliver funding faster and more affordably. Organizations can use Coala Pay to manage programs and payments through private marketplaces, ensuring that funds from large donors reach grassroots aid groups and local communities.

With funding and support from the SCF, Melyn and her team also created a weather oracle as part of Coala Pay to target flooding and drought in Somalia. Seasonal flooding and drought affect millions of people across the Horn of Africa. This, combined with the lack of financial access, can make it extremely difficult to respond to crises quickly. The Coala Pay weather oracle allows local humanitarian organizations to preemptively fund crisis response activities in less than 24 hours, something that used to take months.

Once Melyn decided to build on blockchain for her use case, the next step was choosing the right one. She sought a network that was supported by a foundation that understood the importance of delivering real-world solutions to the people who needed them most, especially in the humanitarian aid space. The Stellar network and Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) stood out as a blockchain and foundation designed for the users Coala Pay serves—people who may not have identification, access to an ATM, or even reliable WiFi.

As a female founder, Melyn was also drawn to the welcoming and professional environment that the SDF and SCF foster. The blockchain space can be intimidating for newcomers, with its memes and insider slang. While this can be great for building community, it can also, at times, feel exclusionary. Melyn appreciated that within the Stellar ecosystem, she could focus on building her product rather than worry about navigating the crypto culture.

To anyone new coming into SCF, Melyn stresses that you don’t need to be a developer to succeed in blockchain. By clearly articulating her vision and needs, she formed a productive partnership with someone with a technical background. Many Web3 developers are hungry for a meaningful challenge, and if you have a well-scoped, compelling idea, you can find the right collaborator to bring the best of both worlds together.

So, what’s next for Coala Pay? Melyn aims to build on their success in Somalia and expand into other regions, bringing greater financial access to those that experience heavy seasonal flooding in Africa. Follow Coala Pay on X to stay updated on their journey.

If Melyn’s story inspires you, there’s a place for you in the Stellar ecosystem! Whether you’re in the ideation phase or have a project ready for funding, you can find support through one of SDF’s grant programs. Learn more on the SCF website!