Dr. Yunus: The Solution to Poverty

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In summary: He talks about how Grameen Bank started out as a way to help the poorest people in Bangladesh, and how it's now helped over 100 million people worldwide. He also talks about why he thinks capitalism and social responsibility are important, and how they work together. He's a very interesting man, and I'm glad he got the Nobel Prize.
  • #1
Cyrus
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For those of you that have never heard of him, Dr. Yunus is from Bangladesh and is the solution to fighting poverty. His system is based on microeconomics. I have the video of him on Charlie Rose that I would like to share, but I can’t put a file that big on my crapy angel fire page. I managed to fit a small segment of him on there saying the quote on my profile. If anyone knows a free web hosting that will let me put up 50MB please let me know. The limit on mine is 20MB. Let the link load, and then refresh the webpage to see the video play. You MUST hear what he has to say, you WILL be enlightened.


http://www.angelfire.com/realm3/cyrusabdollahi/YUNUS.htm
 
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Here is one of his speeches. Its 1hr 28 min. Streams nice, and good quality. Some one give this man a nobel prize. How could time magazine say Bill Gates and Bono have done more to help society?...crackpot time magazine...

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/view?&h=240&w=320&type=realmedia&rurl=haas.berkeley.edu%2FHaasGlobal%2Fevents.htm&vurl=video.haas.berkeley.edu%3A24874%2Framgen%2Fmedia-services%2FMicroFinConf%2Fyunus111904.rm&back=p%3Dmuhammad%2Byunus%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dslv1-&turl=re2.mm-so.yimg.com%2Fimage%2F1850403964&name=yunus111904.rm&no=2&tt=9&p=muhammad+yunus&dur=5286
 
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  • #3
Cyrus, thanks for that information. I would also add - http://www.grameen-info.org/.

I would not be surprised if Prof. Muhammad Yunus will win a Nobel Prize in Economics. According to a page on the site, Yunua may have been nominated twice for the Nobel in economics.
 
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Another Great Video from Stanford Graduate School of Buisness, transcript included at bottom of page. Run time: 32:24 Quality Excellent, Stream Excellent.


http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/view?&h=300&w=400&type=realmedia&rurl=www.gsb.stanford.edu%2Fnews%2Fheadlines%2F2004globalconf_yunus_speech.shtml&vurl=www.gsb.stanford.edu%2Fmultimedia%2Fevents%2Fglobalbusiness%2Fyunus.ram&back=p%3Dmuhammad%2Byunus%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dslv1-&turl=re2.mm-so.yimg.com%2Fimage%2F1750794896&name=<b>yunus</b>.ram&no=1&tt=9&p=muhammad+yunus&dur=1944"
 
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Muhammad Yunus wins 2006 Nobel Peace Prize

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/art...BEL-PEACE.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsArt-C2-AlsoToday-7

OSLO (Reuters) - Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for grassroots efforts to lift millions out of poverty that earned him the nickname "banker to the poor".

Yunus, 66, set up a new kind of bank in 1976 to lend to the very poorest in his native Bangladesh, particularly women, enabling them to start up small businesses without collateral.

I still think he should get the Nobel Prize in Economics for demonstrating the practical and profound concept that lifts millions out of poverty!

Go Yunus!
 
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  • #6
Here is a short clip of Yunus that should give people an idea of what he is all about. This is the one where he uses the analogy of the bonsai tree.

I think cyrus posted a similar link a long time ago.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6952243278225867888&q=Muhammad+Yunus&hl=en

I have always had a personal belief that that the wealthy want to keep people on the bottom. It is like a reverse trickle down theory, In as much as taking advantage of the poor and their labor moves wealth up and concentrates it at the top.
 
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  • #7
the first 2 links don't seem to work
 
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I have a new hero!
 
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Nobel Peace Prize credits microlender

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/10/13/PM200610132.html

Muhammad Yunus, who founded the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh that offers very small loans, is recognized for his work in improving Third World lives.

KAI RYSSDAL: The last of this year's Nobel Prizes was announced this morning. The Peace Prize winner isn't a diplomat, a world leader or a peace activist. He's an economist. He runs a bank.

Muhammad Yunus founded the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh about 30 years ago, after a devastating famine there. Grameen specializes in what's called microcredit. Extremely small loans. Sometimes less than a dollar. We had Dr. Yunus on the program back in May:

MUHAMMAD YUNUS: So I made a list of people who were borrowing. And when my list was complete, there were 42 names on that list, and total money they needed was $27. I was shocked because I was trained to think in terms of millions of dollars, billions of dollars, not $27.

So Yunus lent them the $27. Out of his own pocket. He got it all back. And, in fact, the repayment rates on Grameen's microloans are far higher than those for most conventional loans. So far, more than 100 million people around the world have used microcredit.

Quite an exceptional man!

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/05/25/PM200605254.html
Muhammad Yunus's blend of capitalism and social responsibility has shifted the way rural economic and social development works. Host Kai Ryssdal talks with Yunus about microcredit and why it's been so successful over the last 32 years. (5/25/06)
 
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1. Who is Dr. Yunus and what is his solution to poverty?

Dr. Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, economist, and civil society leader who is known for his pioneering work in microfinance and poverty alleviation. His solution to poverty is the concept of microcredit, which involves providing small loans to impoverished individuals to help them start their own businesses and break out of the cycle of poverty.

2. How successful has Dr. Yunus' solution been?

Dr. Yunus' solution has been incredibly successful. Since the establishment of his microfinance organization, Grameen Bank, in 1983, it has provided loans to over 8 million borrowers, with a repayment rate of over 97%. This has led to a significant reduction in poverty levels in Bangladesh and has inspired similar initiatives in other countries around the world.

3. What are some criticisms of Dr. Yunus' solution?

One criticism of Dr. Yunus' solution is that it does not address the root causes of poverty, such as systemic inequalities and lack of access to education and healthcare. Another criticism is that microcredit can sometimes lead to high interest rates and debt traps for borrowers. Additionally, some argue that Dr. Yunus' solution only benefits a small percentage of the overall population and does not address the larger issues of income inequality and wealth distribution.

4. How does Dr. Yunus' solution differ from traditional aid or charity?

Dr. Yunus' solution differs from traditional aid or charity in that it focuses on empowering individuals to lift themselves out of poverty through entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency. It also operates on the principle of social business, where the goal is not to maximize profits, but to address a social issue. This approach promotes sustainability and long-term impact, rather than short-term relief.

5. What is the future of Dr. Yunus' solution to poverty?

The future of Dr. Yunus' solution to poverty looks promising. As more and more microfinance institutions and social businesses are established around the world, his model is gaining recognition and support. Dr. Yunus continues to advocate for social business and has expanded his efforts to address other social issues such as healthcare and education. With ongoing innovation and collaboration, his solution has the potential to continue making a significant impact in the fight against poverty.

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