Week+3


 * 1. Describe the benefits of micro-financing according to 'Can the Cellphone Help End Global Poverty' at**
 * __[]__(200 words)**

The benefit of micro-financing a mobile phone allows people to receive their money immediately. In Bangladesh, micro-financing helped women to obtain assets that are crucial to their living. For example micro-financing allows for the women to buy cows and goats which provides food for the people of the poorest country of the world. They expanded this further to micro-financing phone kits to allow these people to make phone calls at a small charge to them. However using these kits in small villages create money movement in exchange for this service, it also created approximately 250,000 jobs for women in Bangladesh. In turn this creates money and jobs for these 3rd world countries. Similar village phones have been seen in Rwanda, Uganda and more places. Now that they have the connection to the larger world their voices must be heard, they must be a part of the 'bigger' conversation. This connection will give these countries the voice to stand out among the world; their voice will now be heard among millions, rather than the few hundred people that are a part of their country.


 * 2. “It’s really quite striking,” Hammond says. “What people are voting for with their pocketbooks, as soon as they have more money and even before their basic needs are met, is telecommunications.” (World Resources Institute)**
 * In the spirit of this quote, describe four instances of how owning a cellphone enables users to better their lives. (4 paragraphs/ one for each instance)**

1) Owning a cellphone gives users a sense of security when they are alone. They can program their phone to dial 911 at the press of a button allowing them to contact emergency services if they need help. This can happen if they get into a car accident, or if they are out in public and get robbed or perhaps hurt themselves. It has allowed for the decrease of the pay phones which becomes handy as people do not need to carry around loose change or look for a pay phone. Instead mostly every person has an individual phone for their personal use.

2) Smart phones poses the ability to act as a GPS which once again increases the usefulness of a cellphone. Users no longer need to have a separate GPS system, rather they can combine their cellphone to do both tasks. This gives users the satisfaction that no matter where they are they have a system that will direct them to where they need to go.

3) Many phones, smartphone or not, have access to the internet that allows for the user to access any site when they need. This can be a wide range of needs, including look for times of certain transportation, to look up movie times. It gives the user the easy accessibility that gives the user major convenience at their finger tips**.**

4) Cell phones also allow for the user to stay connected with any person they need to; this may include business or personal contacts. The use of texting allows people who may not normally keep in contact, to talk easy and effectively world wide. The use of texting makes it easier to communicate with people in many different locations. Texting then becomes more efficient and allows users to talk to many people at once.