Growing Businesses Foundation Project Wins Community Award

The Rural Telephone Project (RTP), an initiative of the partnership between GBF and MTN Foundation on the evening of Tuesday, February 14, 2006 received the 2006 GSM Association award in the category of Best Mobile Community Service. The award recognizes and applauds those who work in the background of the mobile telecommunications industry or apply the mobile wireless technology in a unique way for the benefit of their local community or the community at large.

The event took place as part of the third GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, which is the world’s biggest mobile communications conference and exhibition, attracted 34,000 visitors from more than 171 countries, has become the most coveted in the mobile industry. The objective of the event as described earlier is to recognize achievements and celebrate excellence in the telecommunication industry.

The RTP has utilized GSM to make first class, affordable communications available in rural areas to low income earners. The project involves equipping women – “Phone Ladies” – with the equipment and training needed to start a call centre. The total cost of the equipment is converted into a loan given to the women through a Micro Finance Institution (MFI). The repayments are used to extend the project to other rural women. The project promotes the entrepreneurial spirit in rural communities, the Phone Ladies benefit from increased income and social status, and their communities gain enhanced and sustainable productivity through communications technology.