If they are hungry, give them mobiles
Posted on June 17, 2009
Filed Under Business Ideas, Economy |
I recently finished reading The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga. A book definitely worth reading that narrates, from the point of view of -as he calls himself- an indian entrepreneur, the life of those who are pushed down due to their chaste and the relations servant/master (mostly) in North India.
At a certain point Balram, the hero of the novel, says something worth mentioning. Paraphrasing:
In India, when people complain that they are hungry, the government gives them mobiles. It seems they don’t realize what they need is food, not phones. That’s the way things work here.
As said, it is not an accurate quote, but it reflects what the author means in the book.
In my opinion, the sentence, or the meaning of it, can be quite ambiguous, and I must say I differ with what is being expressed in it. I do think mobile phones can help fighting against hunger, although indirectly (and I don’t mean eating the pieces), by creating a link between those isolated from the resources needed in order to make them advance and improve their quality of life and hospitals, familiars or customers, for example.
From a different perspective, fundraising with a mobile phone is something now available to everyone. As Katrin Verclas put it:
Mobile fundraising is taking off — or so at least hope nonprofits hard hit by the economic downturn. Organizations are looking for a new channel for people to give on the spot, wherever they are, with their phones and a quick text message. There are a growing number of campaigns — and lots of experimentation. For example, some of the more interesting campaigns used mobiles to draw attention to their brand, or used mobiles as part of a one-time holiday campaign.
We have already been living with this phenomena for a while, though. Donateing money through a mobile phone or donating the phones to people that don’t have any. In this line, an interesting change in direction came by the hand of the Grameen Foundation through a project called Village Phone. Their idea: combining microcredits with entrepreneurship and technology by allowing a community be connected to the world. And all-in-one solution!
In few words, quoting them,
Village Phone allows everyone to benefit. VPOs have strong, thriving businesses. Microfinance institutions provide financial services and earn income on the loan interest, as well as commissions from the sale of prepaid airtime cards to their clients. They also attract new clients who are drawn by the opportunity to start a technology-oriented business. Telecommunications companies we partner with benefit by tapping a new market while at the same time furthering their social responsibility objectives. More importantly, individuals living in rural communities gain access to affordable telecommunication services linking them to their friends, family, business contacts and the world.
The way it works is simple: entrepreneurs are able to create some kind of call center by using second hand mobile phones. And, what’s more, the Foundation created a replication manual, basically a step-by-step guide of how to create your own Village Phone. This is a tool definitely useful for those without previous experience in the field of entrepreneurship, and the DIY guide can indeed motivate those who think lack the knowledge but not the motivation.
Another innovative idea is the one being developed by The Extraordinaries, delivering micro-volunteer opportunities to mobile phones that can be done on-demand and on-the-spot. By using (my beloved) crowdsourcing, micro-volunteering will allow people (not just those in underdeveloped countries but also to you and me) to do small volunteer tasks in small snatches of time through our mobile phones. Imagine you’re waiting for your bus to go to work. You’ll be able use your smart phone to quickly do a little translation for your chosen nonprofit, or maybe spot some urban birds for a university research project.
The world is mobile. We know that. But it is indeed refreshing to see that this little piece of hardware that accompanies us everywhere can be used for more than spending money. Doesn’t that make you love even more your little cell?
For more, don’t doubt to check Mobile Active, where you can find many other mobile-related ideas and stories.
Comments
Leave a Reply