Over the years many heart-wrenching stories have emerged as to how the most taken-for-granted-device has helped people in developing countries overcome their financial difficulties in the most innovative ways. To quote a few, "women in Bangladesh invest in a phone and then rent it to fellow villagers, making money for themselves while providing a key service for others. Fishermen in India have increased their earnings by calling from their boats to various ports to see where their catch can get them the most money." But do these stories affect countries with advanced economies? In a tangent way, developed countries use services of the cellphone to help young people overcome emotional difficulties. Going by the report commissioned by the Vodafone Group Foundation and the United Nations Foundation that looked at ways in which nongovernmental organizations use cellphones, users call in to dispel fears on topics varying from sexually transmitted diseases to unwanted pregnancies.

The Foundation profiled 11 organizations that have used cellphone technology to accomplish their missions, which ranged from sex education to dispersing emergency food to stopping fights between elephants and farmers. 80% of the world's population now lives within range of a cellular network - but it was in San Francisco, just up the road from where Apple designed the iPhone, that a small organization found a way to use cellphones to inform inner-city youths about the perils of unprotected sex. Services like providing information on STD and sex to anonymous users via a text message has also been incorporated. For the price of a regular text message, users can ask questions and get immediate automated responses to queries. The names and addresses of clinics where people can be tested for sexually transmitted diseases and get counseling is also included in the response. More specific questions are answered by trained experts.

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