How do you take technology to the poor, enabling them to enjoy the benefits of convergence? It`s a thought that`s been running around in information communication technology (ICT) entrepreneur Simon White`s head for almost two years and he thinks he`s now found the answer.

It`s called stokvelonline.com and the aim is to close the gap between financial institutions and stokvels and burial societies of the informal savings market, which according to the Unilever Institute of Marketing is worth R12 billion annually.