30829: (reply) Labrom re 30821 and cellphones (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

from voyageslumierehaiti@gmail.com

Well "Haiti" may not need cellphones but apparently the people do. I
bet the cellphone company did not realise the potential of the market
here. Everyone - however poor, has bought themselves a cellphone - way
out in the boondocks, far and wide, they all have them.  It's
interesting that they can get the money for them!

On a slightly different tangent, but related in the sense that it is
to do with money.

A Haitian young men's singing group with which I'm associated has been
helping raise funds to send some kids to school, eg pay for their
school fees.  We did it last year and are doing it again this year.
But then I got to shuffling figures around and I realised that if the
parents put aside one Haitian dollar - 5 gourdes each day they would
be able to pay for their kids to go to school - in their area. I'm not
saying this will work in Port-au-Prince or PVille where the school
fees may be higher, but in their area it was about H$350. It seems
like a very small amount and do-able. Not for all, but perhaps for a
lot of them.

However Haitians are not educated to save money - obviously because
they do not have very little money, the idea of putting even a small
amount away is incomprehensible to them. So I'm going to try an
experiment and ask my guys in the group to collect (as much as
possible) 35 gourdes from the parents of the kids we're going to help
this year each week and see what happens. We have to collect the money
because if the parents are left to save then they will spend it
(naturally) on the first crisis, whatever that may be.  I believe
Fonkose gives some interest on savings accounts on small amounts so if
anyone has any information on that please let me know offline.

Think about it - they managed to get enough money to buy a cellphone -
at what - 500/750/1000 gourdes or more!!!

Jacqui Labrom




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