Grameen Foundation : Resource Center : Print Newsletter : Fall 2007 : Phones for Millions More
Phones for Millions More People
“My wife now knows some English, because she deals with customers at times who speak it. My daughter, who is one year old, can also say ‘hello,’ and I’m very proud of that.” - John Bosco Kaliwa, Village Phone Operator in Uganda
Imagine walking to your neighboring town or community each time you needed to exchange basic information, such as making a doctor’s appointment or figuring out what time a store closes. Most of us would simply pick up our cell phones rather than lose time walking to the businesses to speak in person. However, the latter scenario is all too real for millions of Africans due to unreliable, unaffordable or nonexistent phone service. Grameen Foundation’s Village Phone (VP) program is aimed at making telecommunications readily available in rural and developing areas. The program gives a person a microloan to purchase a cell phone and other materials to set up a pay phone business. The borrower then collects fees for calls made on her cell phone.
Grameen Foundation has successfully deployed VP in Uganda and Rwanda, and the program has sprouted an offshoot called Village Phone Direct (VPD). It provides all of the benefits of the traditional Village Phone program, but allows microfinance institutions the option to choose the telecommunications provider, an option that was not available under the traditional Village Phone program. Fonkoze in Haiti has had very encouraging early results in piloting Village Phone Direct. In the Philippines, Village Phone Operators of the microfinance institution Negros Women for Tomorrow (NWTF) saw their average earnings increase by around five to six dollars per week, in addition to a dramatic increase in sales from their primary business. NWTF is poised to deploy 250 phones through its network of local branches. For more information, please contact vpd@grameenfoundation.org and visit http://www.villagephonedirect.org
Grameen Foundation : Resource Center : Print Newsletter : Fall 2007 : Phones for Millions More
Grameen Foundation uses microfinance and innovative technology to fight global poverty and bring opportunities to the world's poorest people. With tiny loans and financial services, we help the poor, mostly women, start businesses and escape poverty. Our global network of 55 microfinance institution (MFI) partners including our Growth Guarantee partners has touched more than 34 million people in 24 countries. In addition, we introduced and now sustain technology initiatives (Mifos and Village Phone) in Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, bringing our total country outreach to 28.
+1-202-628-3560 www.grameenfoundation.org
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