Peruvian Non-Profit Motiv Builds Bitcoin Circular Economy Serving 750 Families Weekly

A non-profit organization in Peru has transformed a simple humanitarian effort into one of Latin America's most successful grassroots Bitcoin adoption initiatives, serving over 750 families weekly across approximately 10 active zones throughout the country.

Motiv Peru, co-founded by Rich Swisher and Valentin Popescu, began in 2019 as a footwear donation program called Happy Steps, providing quality shoes to children in remote Andean villages. The organization's pivot to Bitcoin came unexpectedly during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when a donor offered to fund both shoes and essential food supplies with one condition: all purchases had to be made using Bitcoin.

With no Bitcoin-accepting merchants available at scale, Motiv began educating local vendors about cryptocurrency as a payment tool. The first partner was Olger, a shoemaker who had lost his job and wife during the pandemic. He became a crucial ally in the Happy Steps program while accepting Bitcoin payments.

By 2025, the initiative had grown to a team of 50 plus volunteers, operating educational programs in 15 locations from Monday to Saturday. Motiv's events reached over 6,000 people last year, generating between 25,000 and 30,000 individual Bitcoin transactions. The organization has established hubs in Lima, Cusco, and Huanchaco, with satellite programs in Tarapoto and Iquitos, effectively demonstrating Bitcoin's viability for everyday commerce in developing regions.