Thanks to the power of mobile technology, people in rural India are now able to get access to vital necessities such as clean water and school tuition fee support.
“Why can we put a mobile phone in everybody’s hand, but we are not delivering electricity or water or education or healthcare, or any of these things that are far more important?, Akanksha Hazari, one of India’s most promising tech entrepreneurs asked herself.
According to an article written by Britni Danielle for TakePart, Hazari used to volunteer with TechnoServe, an organization that uses business solutions to fight poverty. During her time working as a consultant in several rural villages in India, she discovered that the residents didn´t have access to clean water, but, surprisingly enough, had access to a mobile phone. In fact, approximately 80 % of India´s poorest households own a mobile phone, whereas 76 billion Indians lack access to clean water, according to WaterAid.
As a way help underserved communities, Hazari thus decided to start her own data company called M.Paani, which helps Indians with mobile access to earn rewards for in-network shopping, such as food and household supplies, that later can be traded in for other necessities, such as water filters or school tuition fee support.
The idea, that has managed to connect India’s low-income consumers to the digital economy, has earned her the Hult Prize and 1 million dollars in seed money to get the company off the ground. Hazari hopes that her company will continue to empowering both consumers and local business owners to “achieve aspirations, bridge access to basic services, and enhance overall quality of life.”
Read the full article here.
