Hope Phones

What's the barrier? Sometimes lack of the most basic communications tools prevent women and caregivers from connecting

What is the goal? Recycle 10,000 used cell phones in order to equip two maternal care sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo—covering more than 1 million people

Where? This project is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo – one of the highest burden countries for maternal health in the world.

How can you help?

• Donate your used cell phone to Hope Phones
• Organize a cell phone drive through your school, book club, church, moms groups, etc.

Your old cell phone can save lives. It is currently doing a great job as a paperweight or as your kid's toy but that phone has a whole other life to live. For many women in the developing world, connecting to the care and information they critically need- especially in cases of emergencies- can truly mean the difference between life and death. And hard working health care providers (which are scarce enough) lose precious time traveling to patients in rural areas who could otherwise be reached by phone.

Hope Phones was founded in 2009 as an innovative way to transform our discarded phones into a lifeline for these providers and patients in need.

The U.S. alone discards about 500,000 phones every day which in turn pollute our environment with tons of plastic and persistent toxins like lead, nickel, beryllium and cadmium. Instead of throwing those phones away, send them to Hope Phones where they are recycled and the proceeds of that effort are invested in purchasing new equipment and deploying it in the field. A $10 cell phone will give 50 families access to emergency medical care, health information, transport services, and clinic resources. The average donated phone in the US will generate 2-3 cell phones for the field. Smartphones can yield 5-10.

We are focusing this effort on the Democratic Republic of Congo where the maternal mortality rate is 950 per 100,000 live births (CARE). If we can recycle 10,000 phones, we will raise the funds necessary to purchase locally appropriate mobile phones, training, laptops, modems, solar chargers, and airtime to network and improve maternity care at two sites in the DRC - Kinshasa covering over 1 million people and the Panzi Hospital in eastern DRC which covers 100,000 people. 

For volunteers interested in organizing a drive, HopePhones will send free collection materials to you at no charge. The materials include promotional posters and return shipping boxes that can fit up to 50 phones each with paid FedEx labels. All you have to find are the phones!!  You can also print a label from their website right away to send up to 1-10 phones sitting in your drawers right now.