Tag: POVERTY

Most of us rely on our cell phones to stay in touch with our friends, check our e-mail or play Angry Birds. But, in less economically developed parts of the world, mobile technology hasn't just created a new avenue for instant communication, but an entirely new banking sector, as well. Mobile banking first took off in 2001, when phone operators Globe and Smart both began offering mobile payment ...

Share Plenty of people are using cell phones today, but many of the world's poorest mobile users don't actually have their own phones. Instead of shelling out $25 (or more) for their own personal handsets, many impoverished users simply purchase one phone, and share it amongst their friends or family. It may be a cost-efficient way of connecting to the world, but it isn't exactly convenient, nor ...

The plight of poor countries is an issue that has always puzzled economists and policymakers, and one that has spurred a centuries-old debate. Some argue that the road to economic development begins with a solid public health system, others believe it begins at public education, and a handful of high-profile theoreticians claim that throwing enough money at a country will always be enough to ...

A recent, global survey has posited a correlation between access to telecommunication and emotional wellness. In its study of 35,000 individuals, BCS, or the Chartered Institute for IT, found that low-income people and women in developing nations were the most likely to be emotionally uplifted by access to modern devices, the BBC reports. On one hand, researchers attribute this phenomenon to ...

Even for the homeless and destitute, communication increasingly depends upon technology, leaving those without access out of the loop. And while Google has helped get the homeless set up with voice mail (using its former Grand Central service), and some cities (like New York and San Francisco) are getting the homeless connected to the Internet, one modern convenience has seemed out of reach: the ...