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Cubate Limited Mobiles for Development December 20111
MOBILES FOR DEVELOPMENT
Global exponential expansion of mobile technology is a predominant trait of modernity but what major opportunities exist for those seeking effective and impact driven results in International Development?
“Mobile Connectivity is the single most important instrument for Development we have”
Jeffrey SachsDirector of the Earth Institute at Columbia UniversityAuthor of
‘
The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time
’
Executive Summary
Last year researchers at Cubate produced the first in a series of papers on timely topics. In December
2010 our ‘
Mobile Giving
’
paper
entered public debate on the potential of new technology to galvanise andincrease the UK populations giving habits. The paper entered wide ranging forums being mentioned in
online journals such as the ‘
ThirdSector
’
and ‘
Philanthropy UK
’ while also
entering UK Governmentdialogue through the Cabinet Office
’s Green Paper on ‘
Giving
’.
The goal of the second paper in Cubate’s series is to make use
of our global philanthropic experience,exploring examples of how organisations a
nd NGO’s have utilised mobile technology to help deli
versustainable services in the developing world. It will examine and highlight case studies while primarilyfocusing its attention on activity within the African continent.The paper goes on to suggest that the main benefit of mobile technologies is the facilitation of goodpeer to peer dialogue, flow of resources and increased transparency across the developing world.Especially in regions previously hindered by severe infrastructural challenges. Resting its attention onthe use of mobile phones in microfinance schemes it calls for concerted action to help realisemDevelopments full potential in the area of microfinance and mobile money transfers.
The use of mobiles in development is simply one dimension of the age of technologicalempowerment and the increasing personalisation of technology. As this occurs we usher in theonset of the data economy and the social web paradigm.
Cubate Limited Mobiles for Development December 20112
Contents Page
Mobiles for Development
.......................................................
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What is the overall problem? ............................................................................................................. 3Cubate
Case Study: The Acumen Fund ............................................................................................................ 5
An Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 6
FARM-Africa ...................................................................................................................................... 10FrontlineSMS \o/ ............................................................................................................................. 12JamiiX Social Exchange ...................................................................................................................... 14The SHM Foundation ........................................................................................................................ 14
Section Three
–
Peer to Peer Microloans in International Development
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Microfinance
–
History .........................................................................
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Case Study
–
Kiva The cutting edge of peer to peer lending ...............
Error! Bookmark not defined.
African Advancements in Mobile Money ................................
Error! Bookmark not defined.
Case Study
–
M-PESA ...........................................................................
Error! Bookmark not defined.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Mobile Money ..............................
Error! Bookmark not defined.
Existing cases of African Mobile Giving and Lending Schemes .
Error! Bookmark not defined.
Case Study
–
GiveDirectly ....................................................................
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Case Study - Musoni
–
the first exclusively Mobile and cash free Microfinance Institution ......
Error!Bookmark not defined.
Assessing whether an opportunity exists ................................
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Cubate Limited Mobiles for Development December 20113
Section One - The Vision to Provide Solutions
What is the overall problem?
1.4 billion
People, equivalent to 1 in 4, live in extreme poverty (on less than
$1.25
a day). Over
3 billion
people
live on less than $2.50 a day
.
1
The World Bank’s
Global Economic Prospects 2010 estimated that the poverty count was
64 millionhigher
than if there had been no financial crisis. This amounts to about
40 million
more working poorliving in extreme poverty in 2009 than would have been expected on the basis of pre-crisis trends
.
2
Nearly
a billion
people entered the 21st century unable
to read a book or sign their names
. On a globallevel
girls still lag behind boys
in secondary school participation.
3
With
81 million young people out of work globally in 2009
, youth unemployment remains a concern inalmost every country.
4
Women
comprise
70%
of the
1.4 billion people living in poverty
.Of the world's
27 million refugees80% are women.
5
Cubate
’
s Overarching Vision
"Who is my neighbour? In the old days maybe it was the guys down the street; but actually now it
is these guys in Africa. I feel responsible to connect in and be a part of the solution”.
6
Modern globalisation and the ease of transnational communication mean that the community I can connectwith in South Africa is essentially my poor neighbour. Global is now local, I can fly and be with them in a matterof hours and chat daily over Skype. Therefore, I feel personal responsibility to work towards a solution forcommunities trapped in cycles of poverty all over the developing world. We all need to use our expertise toconnect into solving endemic problems.-
David Erasmus speaking to the Ambassador(s) for Philanthropy, 2009
What is our vision for modern philanthropy?
It is crucial to champion the role of enterprise in the education of young people and to create hubs of entrepreneurial employment opportunities
which
expose individuals to an environment full of hope wherethey can develop a strong sense of
identity
.
At the root of poverty is despair and sense of dependant apathywhich needs to be addressed and overcome. Simply exposing people to an idea that they can do what theywant to and treating them with
dignity
is vitally important. Programmes must
promote relational activity,
as
sustainable results
can be found in
community partnership
which are
locally owned
and bring a sense of
interconnectedness.
In many developing countries communal styles of living are already an asset and if weharness these we can nurture environments where people
learn, share and thrive together
. For this reasonmany of the projects we support are found at a grass root level
.
At a
DNA
level the projects that we like to be involved with must be
Traceable, Transparent, Relational andCommunal.
7
An emphasis on fostering good quality relationships which help cement identity and promotedignity is pivotal.
http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/0,,contentMDK:21882162~pagePK:64165401~piPK:64165026~theSitePK:469382,00.html (accessed 22/11/11)
6
During the past two years David has been working alongside Dame Stephanie Shirley and the other Ambassadors forPhilanthropy. He is featured on the website:http://www.ambassadorforphilanthropy.com/d_erasmus.html
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