While Samuel was trying to coax the kids, their mother was trying hard to call her husband, Ze. Even though she had done it dozens of times and even practiced in front of him, she would forget few steps.
Normally when they contacted each other, it was through a satalite phone and he was always the one to call her. Answering was much more easier for someone who wasn't well versed with technology.
They might want to innovate but there were many forces working from the shadows to keep the whole continent in poor state. They might send relief once in a while but never something substantial not to mention they would uplift dictators and corrupt politicians that would act as their proxy.