*Nouns DAO, a web3 community that mints one non-fungible token (NFT) per day and uses the proceeds to fund projects, helped fund the full reconstruction of a rural school in Uganda in 2025. Through transparent community voting, the DAO approved and tracked over $350,000 USDC for the rebuild. The initiative began with a proposal from a local alumnus and led to a fully rebuilt school serving more than 500 children, showing how decentralized governance can be used to coordinate global capital for meaningful, real-world infrastructure.*
🏫 Nouns DAO funded the full reconstruction of Ndurumo Primary School in rural Uganda, serving over 500 kids (up from 315 before).
🗳️ The project was proposed, approved, and tracked entirely through decentralized governance (Proposals 477 & 646), using a multisignature wallet and public updates.
🛠️ Execution involved Ugandan contractors, Ministry approvals, and ongoing community engagement on the ground, ensuring local ownership and transparency.
*Image Credit: [Lilnouners on Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/lilnouners/p/C_HX7fax0Ls/building-the-first-nouns-funded-primary-school-in-kiyanga-uganda-when-constructi/?img_index=6>).*
In many underserved regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, pooling reliable, non-extractive capital for public education infrastructure is a longstanding challenge. Government resources are often stretched thin. Foreign aid can be unpredictable, bureaucratic, or misaligned. Meanwhile, rural schools continue to deteriorate.
That was the case at Ndurumo Primary School in Mitooma District, Uganda. The school’s structures were decaying and unsafe, serving over 300 students in need of basic education. In 2023, a former student, Davin Oyesigye, now a builder and contributor in the Nouns DAO ecosystem, proposed something uncommon: fund a complete rebuild of the school through onchain governance.
Launched in 2021, Nouns DAO is a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that auctions one NFT—called a “Noun”—every 24 hours, with proceeds going into a shared treasury. Each NFT grants its holder one vote, and all treasury decisions are made by the community through onchain proposals. The DAO supports a wide range of initiatives in art, education, and public goods, testing how online communities can pool resources and make decisions transparently.
*Initial model proposed for the reconstruction. Image Credit: [Davin Oyesigye](<https://x.com/davinoyesigye/status/1730988631609803166/photo/1>)*
Davin Oyesigye submitted Proposal 477, requesting 228,000 USDC to rebuild the school from scratch. He shared plans to build new classrooms, toilets, a kitchen, water infrastructure, and more. The work was executed locally with regular progress updates shared with the DAO. After a DAO-wide review, it passed onchain with strong support. A follow-up Proposal 646 added $128,000 USDC for finishing, furnishing, and final touches.
Funds were distributed via a 3-of-5 multisignature wallet (a shared wallet that enhances security) with trusted Nounish contributors. Materials were sourced locally, creating jobs. Over 50 local workers and 10 regional suppliers helped deliver the construction. The project followed a clear roadmap: design, approvals, demolition, phased construction, water/sanitation, and commissioning.