This NYT article profiles Question Box, an innovative nonprofit telephone hotline that connects people from rural areas to the information they need. 

The concept behind Question Box is that barriers such as lack of computers and internet connection keep many living in the developing world from accessing important information available on Web search engines, thus putting them at a disadvantage for economic development. Rose Shuman, creater of Question Box, decided to bring information to these people in a way that is most convenient for them: cell phones. While internet connection in rural areas is both costly and slow, cell phones abound, especially in Africa. Cell phone use has more than tripled in the last 3 years with more than 300 million African having cell phones.

Each day, workers form rural areas dial into Question Box’s call center, located outside of Uganda’s capital, to ask questions on behalf of the locals. Operators at the call center will look up the information and relay it to the workers, who then pass it along to the villagers. 

Nathan Eagle, who has researched cellphones and development in Africa, said that while these services can be helpful, they must listen to the needs of their users. “We can’t sit in our offices in America and decide what is useful to people and what is meaningful in their lives,” he said. “The services only add value if they are open-ended.” 

Ms. Shuman said that this is precisely what Question Box aims to do. The service is first and foremost a tool for economic development. In Uganda, where over 80% of the population works in the agricultural sector, receiving accurate and timely information about crop prices and  planting techniques is hugely important.  “In this way we are helping farmers make decisions regarding where to sell, what to plant and how to best take care for their crops,” Ms. Shuman said. “It’s all about giving communities the ability to help themselves.”

“Most of Uganda’s rural agricultural communities are simply too remote to make it cost effective for Internet providers to offer service there,” said John Gosier, chief technolgoy officer at Question Box.  “Even in the next 10 years I don’t think you’re going to see areas like this being wired. That’s why Question Box will continue to be an important tool for getting people in these areas the information they need.”

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