Why I admire Iqbal Quadir
Grameen Phone’s “Village Phone Program,” that, according to their website:
...began from a social commitment made by the shareholders of GrameenPhone that “good development is good business”. The program is implemented by Grameen Telecom (GTC) in cooperation with Grameen Bank, the internationally renowned micro- credit lending institution.
The program facilitates women borrowers of Grameen Bank to the GSM technology through the village phones. They become effectively mobile public call offices. This not only provides rural poor with new, exciting income-generating opportunities, but it also helps to enhance the social status of women from poor rural households.
The VP works as an owner-operated pay phone. It allows the rural poor who cannot afford to become a regular subscriber, to avail of the service with loans from Grameen Bank. The loan usually is for BDT 12,000 and pays for a handset, the subscription and incidental expenses. The VP operator receives training from GTC about mode of operation, user charges etc.
I know I am going to sound a little like a fuddy-duddy, but isn’t it a shame that Iqbal Quadir (or Pierre Omidyar for that matter) isn’t an American household name? I am reflecting back on that all too common task where American school teachers have their students list or write about their heroes, the people who they admire.
How is it that we pine so long over people who were just lucky, or who entertain us, or who are simply just more spoiled than we are? By how much did we disappoint our teachers?
