Ummeli Provides Job Resource for BOP

The reading that stuck with me the most was "The Next 4 Billion." There is so much that is taken for granted that it seems almost inconsequential to complain about our daily obligations as students (tests, homeworks, job interviews, etc.) when the world is made up of people who barely earn enough to eat or acquire adequate shelter. As I read the course readings, two passages stood out:

"Addressing the unmet needs of the BOP is essential to raising welfare, 

productivity, and income—to enabling BOP households to find their own 

route out of poverty."

And

"Analysis of BOP markets can help businesses and governments think 

more creatively about new products and services that meet BOP needs 

and about opportunities for market-based solutions to achieve them."

Ummeli is an app to help impoverished communities develop a job sharing network. I wanted to write about this company because it is innovative, but it something that we as students take for granted (Heinz Career Navigator). Ummeli operates in impoverished communities via mobile phones. It allows tech savvy members of the community to find jobs and to ultimately help others find jobs. I found it intriguing that its mantra is Ubuntu, which is a proverb that states that translates to: I am what I am because of who we all are.

Ummeli is a social networking site for job posters, job seekers, and people seeking information on volunteering, training, and other career-related experiences. As we continue to learn about the BOP, and as I have talked to some economic professors about world economic markets (for example, Prof. Lee Branstetter) it is fact that emerging markets must become more innovative and allow its citizens to improve on their skills by becoming more employable and financially free.

Ummeli does have its restrictions because it is only accessible by users of cell phones. However, the app is free and has a strategic partnership with phone providers. It also looks at the culture of developing countries, which is often communal as opposed to the individualistic approach to job searches that occur in the Western world.

On its website, it claims: Ummeli disrupts the colonial-inspired, individualistic job-culture which does not work for Africa and fosters the spirit of Ubuntu ("I am what I am because of who we all are") resulting in the creation of a supportive community of young job-seekers and entrepreneurs.