Because it's hard enough to make a positive return -- to make something people want -- when expectations are set up front and investments are filtered. If they

Because it's hard enough to make a positive return -- to make something people want -- when expectations are set up front and investments are filtered. If they want to do good by these people the investors need to expect (nay, demand) a return to at least break-even levels so that they can roll it over to help more people. Otherwise these NGOs are just indulging white Western guilt. Without positive sum return there is no scalability. It is like buying a t-shirt to save the whales, just feel good with no results. The people who sold cellphones at a profit to the poor (employing many of them as salesmen along the way) are doing a far better job than NGOs who gave things away, as selling things at a profit meant they could distribute millions of cellphones rather than just a few.