Simplify the following text for a Grade 9 native English-speaking person.
Original: The Village Phone ( Polli Phone ) project of GP has brought cell-phone ownership to 260,000 rural poor in over 50,000 villages since the beginning of the project in March 1997 .
Simplified: The Village Phone ( Polli Phone ) project of Grameenphone has made it possible for 260,000 poor people in over 50,000 villages to own mobile phones since March 1997 .