This little girl is a typical scavenger. She and her family sift thru the stuff "normal people" throw away. In a sad way she at least has not to starve - but feeding on garbage is not the kind of life anyone should have.

But rich people trash has become an important resource for the poor beside the industrial and modern societies.

BBC: Mobiles for the ‘world’s poorest’

Forget the 100 Dollar Laptop - the good old mobile phone is proving to be a techno tool for change. Cell towers are cheaper and easier to install then landlines over huge ‘empty’ areas. Cell phones themselves are easy to learn and use without much literacy and they can also recharged with solar energy or little electricity.

Most of all it simply helps people to communicate and start a business. This is especially important in rural areas in Africa were basics of simple communication and even often transportation are lacking. With a cell phone news travels fast … and some progressive speed is something Africa and the poor can use.

In that context: if you have an old cell phone or if you upgrade in the near future donate your that thing to wirelessrecycling.com. And there are many other organizations that can use your mobile for other purposes.

See also Africa’s mobile entrepreneurs