Haiti: First Money Transfers by Mobile Phone
NEW-YORK, USA (defend.ht )- This week, Haitian households affected by the earthquake began receiving cash payments through the first mechanism to transfer money via mobile phones to support housing reconstruction after the disaster, said the United Nations Development Programme in a press release.
Over 2,000 of these transfers are planned in the next three months. Thanks to them, 1000 low-income families will receive grants totaling $ 500 to purchase construction materials such as cement, iron and wood, in selected stores and certified by the project for good quality their goods and their prices. This system is part of the initiative of support centers for the strengthening of damaged houses, a partnership between UNDP and the Haitian state.
"Commissioned by UNDP and developed by Digicel, one of the largest phone operators, Haitian money transfers by mobile phone will help strengthen financial inclusion in Haiti, where nearly two thirds of the population have access to mobile phones while only 10% have a bank account, "said UNDP.
Beneficiaries may also have a checking account on their mobile, which is a safe to store cash while reducing the cost of financial transactions, encouraging users to save and attracting more people into the modern financial sector.
