I happened across the
AfriGadget blog several months ago and thought many of you would enjoy it, too.
http://www.afrigadget.com/One of my favorite posts is about a Ugandan woman who invented her own cell phone charger after getting tired of having to travel long distances to get her phone recharged (and having a new battery "swapped" for a dead one).
Here she is -

More here:
http://www.afrigadget.com/2009/02/02/a- ... e-charger/