On 11 September 2026, BTC Shule announced the Nakamoto Hope Center, a rural learning hub in Winteko village, Burundi, where young people will access tech training, digital skills, entrepreneurship, and Bitcoin education. The building is nearly complete, and the focus has moved to equipping it.

What BTC Shule is

BTC Shule describes itself as a Bitcoin‑powered circular economy that starts in Winteko and spreads across Burundi through education, meetups, and real‑world adoption. It is based in Gitega and operates in Kirundi, French, and English. Its stated mission is Bitcoin education, self‑custody training, and open‑source tools for long‑term financial resilience, and it is led by Belyi Nobel Kubwayo.

Its programs include a Winteko circular economy, Trezor Academy training on self‑custody and security, a BitDevs chapter in Gitega for developers, and translation of Bitcoin material into Kirundi. The project also built My Satoshi, an open‑source tool that helps Burundians calculate Bitcoin conversions.

The listed partners include the Human Rights Foundation, Trezor, Bitcoin Beach, Bitcoin Ekasi, Blink, Machankura, Mi Primer Bitcoin, and the Federation of Bitcoin.

The circular economy in Winteko

The idea is a closed loop where Bitcoin is earned, spent, and saved inside the community rather than immediately cashed out. The site reports that 14 shops and a hotel in Winteko accept Bitcoin, with payments made over the Lightning Network through wallets like Blink and Machankura, and the merchants mapped on BTC Map.

The project's own posts regularly show children and parents buying everyday goods such as juice, biscuits, and produce with sats. When the village internet goes down, the community keeps transacting offline using Cashu ecash through the Minibits wallet, an approach that drew notice from Cashu's creator after a young learner bought candy for four sats offline.

The approach follows Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador and Bitcoin Ekasi in South Africa, which BTC Shule names as its inspiration. A related effort, Rurbit, adds USSD access so people without smartphones can still send and receive Lightning payments.

The Nakamoto Hope Center

Named after Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator, the Nakamoto Hope Center is a brick‑and‑mortar classroom and community space in Winteko. The structure itself is nearly finished, having moved through groundwork, masonry, and plastering over the build, and BTC Shule documents the progress publicly week by week. The focus has now shifted from building to equipping.

The center is designed around four uses: Bitcoin (education, Lightning, self‑custody, meetups, and open‑source work), digital education (computer training and digital skills), community (workshops, events, and screenings), and local opportunity (a space for learning and entrepreneurship). BTC Shule frames it within a four‑step model: build, equip, activate, sustain, with the finished space meant to host paid training and events that help fund the wider project over time.

Equipping it is the current push, with a target of about $22,470. The published list of needs includes a solar power system ($4,300), 20 tablets ($6,400), satellite internet ($1,200) and a local Wi‑Fi network, computers for the team ($2,000), a projector, furniture, a dedicated Bitcoin full node ($500), and three hardware wallets to teach self‑custody ($900). Funding runs through Geyser, and the campaign is still in its early days.

Why it matters

Burundi is among the poorest countries in the world, with high inflation, a weak national currency, and large unbanked rural populations, and many villages sit far from the nearest bank. BTC Shule treats Bitcoin as working money rather than an investment to hold, the same practical approach seen in other African circular economies.

The work is early‑stage and small‑scale, and its success depends on continued local merchant participation plus reliable power and connectivity. What sets it apart from most announcements is the on‑the‑ground evidence: a mapped merchant network, regular spending videos, and a building that is nearly up.

How to support

You can back the build through the campaign at nakamotohope.center, where you can fund a specific item or give to the general fund, or through the donation page at btcshule.com. BTC Shule also receives Lightning payments at btcshule@blink.sv.

Frequently asked questions

What is BTC Shule?

A Bitcoin circular‑economy and education project based in Gitega, Burundi, with its flagship work in the village of Winteko.

What is the Nakamoto Hope Center?

A rural learning and community hub under construction in Winteko for tech, digital skills, entrepreneurship, and Bitcoin education.

Where is it?

Winteko village, Burundi. BTC Shule itself is based in Gitega.

What wallets does the community use?

Lightning wallets including Blink and Machankura, with merchants mapped on BTC Map. When the internet is down, they pay offline with Cashu ecash through the Minibits wallet.

How can I support it?

Through the campaign at nakamotohope.center or the donation page at btcshule.com.