"I wanted to do something immediate to help people around me, even if it was just one human being, to get through another day with a little more ease." -Dr. Muhammad Yunus ©The Nobel Foundation

Dr. Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize
in 2006 for their pioneering work using microcredit to battle poverty. The concept is truly revolutionary: give small self-employment business loans to people who traditional banks did not serve. The loans are small, usually less than $200, to individuals, usually women, to establish or expand a small, self-sustaining business. Millions of people have used these loans to help themselves and their families from the grip of poverty.

The vast majority of the loans go to women
because studies have shown that women are more likely to reinvest their earnings in the business and in their families. As families cross the poverty line and their businesses expand, the entire community benefits. In countries where women have historically had few options, a small loan, and the chance to pay it back by themselves, can generate tremendous self-worth. As each loan is repaid, the money is redistributed as loans to others, thereby multiplying its impact. Nearly 98% of the loans are re-paid in full, itself a miraculous figure.

Learn more about microcredit:
www.grameenfoundation.org