TIME
has a page each issue called “10 Questions,” through which readers can ask
questions of various people in the news. In the aforementioned issue, the
questionee happened to be Muhammad Yunus, a 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, and
one of sixteen recipients of the 2009 Medal of Freedom, which was awarded
August 19, 2009. The Medal of Freedom is the highest award given by the United
States to civilians who have contributed to the security or national interests
of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or
private endeavors. The TIME article can be found at www.time.com/10questions.
Yunus
answered ten questions on microfinance. He is the founder of the Grameen Bank
(www.grameen-info.org), whose primary outreach initially was to the poverty
stricken in Bangladesh. The bank now has 28,000 staff members, 8 million
borrowers, 2,600 branches, and programs in countries around the world,
including the U.S. and Latin America.
Microfinancing
not only provides assistance to those in greatest need, it empowers people to
build new lives, and to find independence and self-worth as well as a means to
break out of the cycle of poverty. It’s really an amazing concept – and one
that is proving over and over again to be a world-changing endeavor.
I
have not yet committed to a microfinance project, but reading this article, as
well as doing the research for my book, has certainly piqued my interest! Stay
tuned for an update. Once I make my investment, I’ll let you know what else I
discover!