NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise - Muhammad Yunus Wins Nobel Peace Prize - Comments

people of kashmir needs your help

Syed Nadeem — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:24:52 -0400

Dear sir Aslam-u-allikum sir i am Syed Nadeem from kashmir organizing a journey of rediscovery on the foot in a rural distict the main aim of the journey is the peace and rural development through various programes and educational awarance but i have less volunteers and less resources ie why sir plz do some thing for kashmiri poeple........... Syed nadeem HONEY BEE Network kashmir snowbernadeem@gmail.com 099906595175 01832215990

yunus bookclub in DC

chris macrae — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:35:48 -0400

I am looking to form a community of practice around fans of Dr Yunus new book which provides social ABC maps for creating a world without poverty and empowering Future Capitalism The bookclub idea is already 500 strong across London, Paris , New York but I haven't yet found a team to start it flying round DC. I'm at 301 881 1655 if you're interested and delighted to share learning from trips to Dhaka or other collaboration resoiurces that help us map hi-trust entrepreneurs who invest in people's productivity and community sustainability

Invitation "Finance Public International Colloquim"

Alejandro Bonilla — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:39:59 -0500

Hello¡¡¡ I'm very interested in Muhammad Yunus cause of all his knowledge and way to help poor people, thats why we've considered him to come to our event in Mexican Chambert Parliament. I'd like to have another way to get in touch with him or any of his partners to tell him the whole information about it. Thank you very much Alejandro Bonilla CEFP (Camara de Diputados) Mexico City

Soroptimist Annual Conference 2008, Barbados

Rosita Mandeville — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 20:33:35 -0500

Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland an organisation of professional women, with clubs in Bangladesh, will be holding its annual conference in Barbados in October 2008. We would very much like to have Mr. Yunus address the gathering about his work, for which he has won a Nobel Prize. We are seeking information on an email address where the invitation may be sent. Rosita Mandeville, Chairman 2008 Conference Committee, Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland

School Work

Anonymous — Wed, 16 May 2007 00:03:11 -0400

Hello my name is Diana and im dong a school project on Muhammad Yunus and i would like to know what is it that inspired Muhammad Yunus in becoming a peacemaker. And why did he choose this profession? If you have any information please sent it at my email adress chirpybird_10@yahoo.com

Contact Muhammad Yunus

Suzana — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 12:36:22 -0400

Good Afternoon, My name is Suzana and I´m from Brazil. I work for a finacial institution that has the interest to do an event with the presence of Muhammad Yunus, and I would like to know how may I contact Mrs. Muhammad or an agency/company that intermediate this contact. I wait for the information and since now thank you for the attention. My e-mail is: suzana@agenciaum.com.br

Dr. Yunus's personal e-mail address

Mr. Abdullah K. Mohideen — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 03:23:45 -0500

I want to send a letter to Dr. Muhammed Yunus.

How can I to contact Prof.Yunus

dani — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:54:08 -0500

Dear Sir, My name is Dani.Im from Indonesia. Im very interesting with Prof Yunus.Ill hope I can sent him email and teach more from him. Thank you dani77id@plasa.com

donating to Professor Yunus's work

Shakespeare's Fool — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 23:08:31 -0500

Yunus' Grameen Bank no longer takes donations. But Professor Yunus is on the board of the Grameen Foundation which does take donations. http://www.grameenfoundation.org/

An urgent proposal

Shah Mahmood Siddique — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 04:32:57 -0500

Dear sir, This is the best time for you to do something for our beloved country which may treat in future as a historical platform for our democracy. According to the Constitution of Bangladesh and the Rules of Procedures of Parliament an effective Speaker can enforced to establish a transparent and accountable Government as well as create a democratic environment within the party in power and party in opposition. So, I would like to request you to be the Speaker for the forthcoming Parliament. I firmly believe that it will be possible if you try to persue the leaders of the main parties for a consensus that no candidate will take part in the forthcoming general election in which constituency you will contest for a member of Parliament. For details please contact with me. Thanking you sir, Mahmood Phone: 9137577, mobile:0191243805

e-mail ID of Mr. Md. Yunus

H S Pati — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 10:43:59 -0500

I want to write to Mr. Md Yunus. I will be grateful if you can send me address , e-mail ID and contact number.

Learn more about Yumus ideas and help translate his film...

fsosa@ashoka.org — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 12:47:05 -0500

Hello to all the people who support Muhamad Yunus. You have an opportunity to learn more about his ideas and help at the same time. Ashoka: Inovators for the Public (www.ashoka.org), recently developed a group of films about Social Entrepreneurship, and Yunus is one of the speakers. Ashoka - just launched an ambitious subtitling project with dotSUB (www.dotsub.com/nobel), a new site that lets you translate films line by line. The plan: volunteers translate one video on Muhammad Yunus and one on Ashoka founder Bill Drayton into 100 languages in time for the Nobel ceremony on December 10th. Go on, translate a few lines (www.dotsub.com/nobel) and learn more about what these Social Entrepreneurs have done. You will be giving people all around the world the opportunity to enjoy and learn from these videos...

Donation

keya — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 14:37:02 -0500

Hi, I am very proud of Md, Yunus, I want to Donate some money each monthly based in his grameen bank project, Could you please send me the site or address where I can donate the money? Thanks, Keya

MicroCapital clarification on Yunus' Prize

Rob Katz — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 14:40:55 -0400

I just got off the phone with David Satterthwaite of MicroCapital, who has asked me to post the full link to his story on Muhammad Yunus' receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize.

I would hate to see David's thoughts mis-represented by a poor choice of quotation. So please, folks - read the whole post. If you can't or won't follow the link, the full text is below:

In the October issue of the MicroCapital Monitor, we reported that “we may look back on September 2006 as the catalyst month for microfinance.” From the microcapital perspective, the Peace Prize awarded to Mr. Yunus will take us from catalytic moment to a flood of capital more quickly than most anticipated.

Are we ready? On this day of great celebration, we urge caution.

Mr. Yunus has traveled the world tirelessly to promote “credit as a human right”, inspiring audiences and global leaders alike with his unflappable charisma and compelling message. To see him is to believe him; to understand his message is to be called to action. The Nobel committee aptly states that he “has shown himself to be a leader who has managed to translate visions into practical action for the benefit of millions of people…[because]… lasting peace can not be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty.” For over 30 years, microfinance entrepreneurs like Mr. Yunus have overcome all naysayers to prove the practice: Micro-credit works.

However, for years now, business-minded microfinance luminaries committed to eradicating global poverty in our lifetimes have cautioned us that “microfinance lacks capacity”. This is to say that micro-banks currently lack the institutional strength to become large (“scaled”) organizations due to unprofessional management, opaque governance, and meager balance sheets. Poverty continues to dwarf micro-banks. In short, micro-banks as a class are still immature.

Mr. Yunus’ micro-bank, of course, does not lack capacity. Since 1983, when the Grameen bank was founded, it has lent the equivalent of USD 5.72 billion to some 6 billion Bangladeshis in 70,000 villages. It has a gross loan portfolio (as of December 2005) of USD 424 million on a total asset base of USD 646.5 million, upon which it returned 0.32%.

Such powerful micro-banks are the exception to the rule. Of the estimated 10,000 micro-banks operating around the world (no one knows the actual number), almost all are small “mom and pop” outfits unprepared to handle the coming flood of capital. Around 100 have the capacity of the Grameen Bank. However, this cautionary reality will be lost, lost when millions of people today flock to the wires to learn about microfinance after Mr. Yunus’ long-overdue recognition.

Broad and deep institutional capacity is required to deliver credit as a human right. Until recently, donors have bank-rolled this development. Indeed, Grameen is a success story propelled by millions of dollars in donations and subsidies. However, those days are over. Now that microfinance has turned the corner, such donations and subsidies wreck progress by distorting competition and retarding the institutional capacity of emerging micro-banks. The job of being a responsible donor in microfinance has become very complicated.

Accordingly, microfinance investors also face huge challenges to success. Now that the flood gates have opened, we will soon start to see melt-downs of microfinance sectors in specific countries due to over-investment, be it investments for a return on capital, or subsidies, or donations which continue to flow contrary to established best-practices.

The flood of interest by the Peace Prize will require investors to seek innovation like never before. Examples of buy-side products to watch include: TIAA-CREF’s equity investment, Citigroup’s fund committed to “second-tier” or emerging micro-banks, or Gray Ghosts’ secondary market activity. Donors too are innovating (often led by CGAP); examples of donor innovation include Kiva’s peer to peer lending or the Grameen Foundation’s guarantee fund.

In conclusion, Mr. Yunus, thank you so very much for your leadership. The microfinance watershed is upon us thanks to great leaders like you and everyone who has labored for so long to prove that micro-credit works. The next stage, the stage when we provide responsible financial services to the global majority at a good price, will depend on world-class risk management.

Yes, It will be a true tragedy...

Ken Houghton — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 11:18:18 -0400

...if the micro-banks suddenly find themselves with too much capital. Indeed, they should probably stop accepting donations immediately. Otherwise, as with the post-1999 Doctors without Borders, they will find themselves unable to continue their mission. After all, everyone for whom "a dollar and a dream" is more than just an advertisement to the innumerate is already well-supported within the existing strcuture.

Muhammad Yunus Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Rob Katz — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 08:55:23 -0400

Muhammad Yunus, who developed the idea of microfinance and later founded the Grameen Bank, is the 2006 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. It is not his first peace prize. The Wikipedia entry is already updated to reflect today’s news; I suspect the mainstream media will be saturated with coverage over the next few days.

I’m thrilled to see a pioneer like Yunus receive an award of this caliber; it will probably mainstream microfinance in a way that we’ve never before seen. Maybe now the press will stop its often cookie-cutter coverage of the topic, and instead focus on more cutting-edge news. How about stories on interest rate caps, the underserved gap between microfinance and venture capital, and the role informality plays in keeping businesses micro, just for starters?

Regardless of how this story is covered, however, it can only be a good thing. Congratulations to Dr. Yunus and the Grameen Bank, and to all the people working hard every day to bring financial services to the BOP.