What
Roots of Hope, a
nonprofit focused on empowering youth in Cuba, has launched
Cell Phones for Cuba (C4C), a program designed to boost the
connectivity of young people on the island and promote greater
communication throughout Cuba.
The apolitical campaign will draw on our wide network of students
and young professionals throughout the United States to bring
about measurable improvements in the lives of Cuban youth.
Why
As of 2008, fewer than 3% of the Cuban population have access to cell phones. In other developing countries, cell phones have been used as a means of expression and empowerment. Youth in these countries often use low-cost SMS texting services to stay in contact with each other on a regular basis and reserve phone calls for special circumstances and emergencies. C4C will focus on boosting the connectivity of young people on the island and facilitating greater means for communication.
Cell phones give people the ability to:
- Inform
Provide mobile news and information. - Advise
Help others make sense of the information. - Act
Enable coordination to act upon the information.
Grassroots Movement
Across the nation, we have countless collection drives being hosted by various people. Just as an example Restaurants in New Jersey and Los Angeles have homemade collection bins with Cell Phone for Cuba logos glued right when you walk in the door so customers can drop their old phones off next time they walk in. Students at Georgetown University have negotiated a deal with their campus recycling committee so all recycled phones go to Roots of Hope. Since we sell our phones to a cell phone recycler, we are concurrently helping the environment, as well as increasing communication in Cuba. Young Professionals in New York and Washington D.C. have contacted the companies they work for regarding setting up a company collection drive.
