I'd Walk a Mile for a Charge

The number of mobile phones in rural farm villages throughout India and Nepal is small but growing fast. On average a village of 50 homes will have three to four villagers who own mobile phones. Often these people talk with family members who live in urban areas. One reason, beside cost of the phone and service, preventing more to purchase mobiles is the lack of energy to charge the phones. The solution for the few who have phones, is to WALK to the next village to recharge. The next village can be as close as 1/2 mile or several miles away. One man I met today walked eight miles to recharge his phone.