Maybe it's just that if you're from one of those places you likely have no formal credentials and no relevant local employment options, not at you recruitable abroad. So they do what they can, and a small fraction are successful in good or bad ways.
On the other hand, a poor person probably has access to a very limited range of technology, so ends up learning the technology inside and out. Maybe they also don't even have regular electricity or internet, so has to learn technology using pencil, paper and by thinking about it. Much more likely to give a deep understanding of the subject matter.