Submitted by Alice Newton on Tue, 2012-03-06 12:51
When I arrived to work for an NGO in Madagascar a few years ago, one of the first things I did was buy a cheap mobile phone and SIM, to connect with family and friends back home. Like many visitors to the developing world, I was struck by how many of the otherwise abjectly poor people I met also owned mobile phones. People who can afford very little nonetheless consider a mobile phone an essential item. And rightly so - I have come to see mobile phones as one of the most powerful tools for development, and in particular furthering development aims for women.
Not everyone agrees. Try fundraising for projects to get more phones in the hands of women of the developing world, and many people will think you’re mad. In this financial climate, individuals and countries have less money than ever to spend on aid – shouldn’t that all be going to things like increasing food production, medical care or skills training? But through a mobile phone, a woman can increase her crop yields, go through childbirth with less danger, or became an entrepreneur, because of her increased ability to access information, services and networks.
Submitted by Alice Newton on Mon, 2012-01-23 14:54
One of the most destructive effects of the global financial crisis on many countries has been a rise in unemployment. To address this, policy makers everywhere are putting a great deal of energy into devising policies that will increase the proportion of their adult population in jobs. With the publication of Women, Business and Law data, which was updated in 2011, we have fresh insight into one particular issue of employment: encouraging female labour force participation.
When I arrived to work for an NGO in Madagascar a few years ago, one of the first things I did was buy a cheap mobile phone and SIM, to connect with family and friends back home. Like many visitors to the developing world, I was struck by how many of the otherwise abjectly poor people I met also owned mobile phones. People who can afford very little nonetheless consider a mobile phone an essential item. And rightly so - I have come to see mobile phones as one of the most powerful tools for development, and in particular furthering development aims for women.
