Fighting Poverty with Microloans; Nobel Prize Winner to Speak at Emory
Decatur Metro | February 22, 2010Emory announces this morning that the creator of the “microloan” Muhammad Yunus, will speak at the University next month. The lecture is currently “sold-out”, but apparently you can still get on a waiting list.
Muhammad Yunus, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work to reduce poverty through microloans, will present the 2010 Goodrich C. White Lecture on Wednesday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Glenn Memorial Auditorium.
The lecture, titled “The University and Creating a World Without Poverty,” is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Currently, the event is sold-out, but names may be added to a waiting list.
Renowned as “banker to the poor,” Yunus was an economics professor in his native Bangladesh when he began making small personal loans to destitute basket weavers more than 30 years ago. From this humble beginning, he developed Grameen Bank into the advance guard of a world movement to eradicate poverty through microlending.
Putting entrepreneurship at the service of society, he fostered the concept of the “social business,” which he has used to develop health clinics, a nutrition program in collaboration with Dannon Yogurt, and the largest cell phone company in Bangladesh, all with the aim of helping people lift themselves out of poverty.
Gary Hauk, deputy to the president at Emory, said that the committee had zeroed in on Yunus because his work and compelling message are likely to appeal to a broad spectrum of the University community.
“Every generation has its inspirational leader of social transformation. In our day we are fortunate to have a person of Dr. Yunus’ insight, energy, and creative leadership addressing the vast problem of global poverty,” says Hauk.
Endowed by the DVS Senior Society, and cosponsored by the President’s Office, the White Lecture was established in memory of Emory’s 14th president, a 1908 graduate of Emory College who served as president from 1942 until retiring in 1957.
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Speaking at EMORY about eradicating poverty without govt. intervention; I hope he’s packing heat! It certainly sounds interesting.
Message to Naaman Gibbets…it was not me that brought up the subject of firearms. It was The Walrus this time.
I would love to hear Yunus speak. He is someone who truly knows how to encourage the development and growth of small business.
Sounds like there is some history I am not familiar with!
There is, Walrus. Gibbets likes to poke people who bring up a subject more than once.
Love ya, Gibbs!
The idea of Social Business (which is what I got out the Yunus Centre website) seems appealing but pretty radical in its own way, maybe more radical than government programs. Given the specialized niche that social businesses have to occupy according to the FAQs on the sited, I doubt it would have much impact on American poverty overall.