Old cellphones to 3rd World Countries?

Ok so here I am reading the newspaper. Apparently cellphone resellers are now collecting unwanted "old model" cellphones in big funky containers, and then they get shipped to 3rd World Countries.
So. These guys in these 3WC have nothing to eat, but we are supplying them with cellphones? How on earth do they pay for their credit? With rice?
And just what are these starving people in 3WC txting each other?
"Mugaba - u dere?"
"Ys. Me hungry."
"Me 2. You hungy?"
"Ys me hungry. U?"
"Ys. U Hungry?"
"Ys. You got ne rice?"
"No. swpped 4 credit."
"Me 2. Me hungry, u hungry?"
"Ys me hungry. U hungry?"
"Wot ph u gt nw? Motorola?"
"No. Me ate that. Got Nokia nw."
"How did it tste?"
"Like chicken."
"Chickn. Me like chickn. Neva hd chickn. U hd chickn?"
"No. Jst motorola."

You get the picture.