Nobel Peace Prize for a Formula against Poverty
Today the Bangladeshi banker and economist Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank founded by him are jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, “for their efforts to create economic and social development from below.” With his idea of giving microcredits to entrepreneurs who are too poor to receive traditional bank loans, he has given a concept that has spread to nearly all areas of the world affected by poverty, over 23 countries by now. According to the German “Spiegel” magazine, over 100 million peole have aready got a microcredit. To ensure repayment, the bank uses a system of “solidarity groups”, which apply together for loans and act as co-guarantors of repayment and mutual support in the effort of economic self-advancement.
(c). www.muhammadyunus.org
Yunus is a fervent opponent to traditional development aid: “Poor people are not asking for charity; charity is not a solution for poverty.” And: “Only thing we need to do soon, redesign our institution and policies. People can change their own life provided they got the right kind of institutional support.” His goal is to free humanity from poverty by self-empowering the people: “Poverty in the world is an artificial creation; it does not belong to human civilization. We can change it.”
Intelligent help is a major quality of good will and of practical spirituality in the service of humanity. Muhammad Yunus is an outstanding example for this.
April 3rd, 2007 at 1:44 pm
I work 8.5 out of the 24hours of the day. I am still poor. Is there anything I can do to improve on my poverty? I welcome books, magazines, newsletters, any other periodicals available to help me. I’m 36 (DoB: 23rd June 1971). Please assist.
Jacques Cedric K. Nsengwa
Post Office Box 928
Blantyre
Malawi
Central Africa
Phone: +265 8 871 322 -Mobile
e-mail: nsengwa_jacques@hotmail.com
April 3rd, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Thank you very much for your blog entry. It’s difficult to say something from a distance (Switzerland), not knowing the local/regional circumstances.
I have looked up in Google.ch under: overcoming poverty development magazine Central Africa
and found a link to: Business in Africa
http://www.businessinafrica.net/leisure/books/681530.htm
As well as to International Trade Forum (with a lot of sections to different topics:
http://www.tradeforum.org/news/categoryfront.php/id/853/South-South_trade.html
I hope these links can lead you on to further perspectives in your endeavour to overcome your poverty.