HAITI Media and Telecoms Landscape Guide - Infoasaid

163Several aid agencies have used Digicel’s mobile payments system to distributeconditional cash payments to people affected by humanitarian disasters.CARE and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) have both used TchTcho Mobile todistribute credit to recipients of food aid. They were able to spend the moneycredited to their phones at designated outlets to buy food.UNDP meanwhile used Tcho-Tcho to distribute credit to people whose homes weredestroyed in the 2010 earthquake. The recipients could use it to buy constructionmaterials at selected hardware stores.In May 2012, Digicel teamed up with the Haitian government to distribute cashpayments to women from poor families in Port-au-Prince by mobile phone.This programme, known as ‘Ti Manman Cheri’ (Dear Little Mother), distributedmoney to mothers who enrolled their children in pre-defined schools in the mostdistressed areas of the capital.The programme aimed to reach 100,000 women with mobile cash payments duringits first six months of operation.Cheap and affordableThe cost of buying and using a mobile phone became much cheaper after Digicelcame on the scene in 2005 to challenge Voilà’s position as the country’s dominantmobile network.In September 2012, voice calls for subscribers purchasing air time with scratch cardscost four or five Gourdes (10 to 12 US cents) per minute Monday to Friday.Digicel and Natcom both offered slightly lower rates late at night and at weekends.International calls to most destinations cost between eight and 15 Gourdes (19 to 35US cents) per minute, although calls to Cuba were considerably more expensiveText messages cost about three Gourdes (seven US cents) each.Digicel and Natcom both allow subscribers to transfer mobile credit from their ownphone to the number of a friend or relative.This service is widely used by wage earners to give mobile credit to other membersof their family.163