THE GRAMEEN BANK-VILLAGE PHONE HAS BEEN AWARDED AS THE WINNER FOR THE PETERSBERG PRIZE 2004

June 27, 2004 – Grameen Bank-Village Phone has been chosen from a field of more than 200 nominees for the Development Gateway Foundation’s first-ever Petersberg Prize. The 100,000 euro Prize recognizes Grameen’s outstanding achievement in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve people’s lives.

Grameen Bank, which provides microcredit to poor people, established a program called Village Phone, through which women entrepreneurs can start a business providing wireless payphone service in rural areas of Bangladesh. In doing so, Grameen has created a new class of women entrepreneurs who have raised themselves from poverty. Moreover, it has improved the livelihoods of farmers and others who are provided access to critical market information and lifeline communications previously unattainable in some 28,000 villages of Bangladesh. More than 55,000 phones are currently in operation, with more than 80 million people benefiting from access to market information, news from relatives, and more.

To learn more about the Village Phone program click here.

To read the press release about the winner click here.

Here are short summaries of the seven individuals and organizations who were also the finalists for the Petersberg Prize. For longer descriptions, please click here.

Dr. Vijay P. Bhatkar, ETH Research Lab, India: For his contributions to enable millions of Indians who don’t read English – or don’t read at all – to use computers in their own language or through icons. Dr. Bhatkar has led in the development and promotion of ICT in India’s 16 official languages, potentially bringing the benefits of ICT to the 93 percent of the Indian population that does not use English.

Mátyás Gaspar, Hungarian Telehouse Federation, Hungary: For a telecenter model that is serving 1 million rural Hungarians. The 500 telehouses in Hungary reach underserved communities, providing such services as internet access, local newspaper publishing, website design and construction for local businesses, and ICT training.

ITC Ltd., India: For improving the livelihoods of poor farmers by providing access to market information. ITC is an agribusiness that has increased the income of farmers in Indian villages through a network of local kiosks called e-choupals, where farmers can access information on pricing, soil-testing techniques, and other means to improve their returns. There are 3,500 e-choupals serving 20,000 villages and 1.8 million farmers in India, accounting for $100 million in transactions in the first year of operations.

Mali Agricultural Market Information Support Team: For improving the livelihoods of poor farmers by providing access to market information. Known by its French acronym PASIDMA (Projet d’Appui au Système d’Information Décentralisé du Marché Agricole), the support team helped put in place a system of market watchers who use email, solar-powered computers, and radio broadcasts to help farmers find the best prices for their produce and supplies. Similar efforts are being supported in Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, and Mozambique.

Marco Cáceres, Projecthonduras.com, Honduras: For outstanding use of the web to connect potential sources of aid to those in need. Mr. Cáceres created Projecthonduras.com, a website that has been notably successful in using the web to bring together organizations and individuals to form strategic alliances, publicize needs, and better coordinate aid and relief resources for one of the poorest countries in Latin America.

Radio News Agency 68H, Indonesia: For making it possible to deliver independent news and practical information across his country’s 17,000 islands. Radio News Agency 68H is Indonesia's first and only nationwide independent radio news agency. It uses a mix of satellite and Internet technologies to provide news and public service programming by radio, with 20 million listeners via 340 radio stations.