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Muhammad
Yunus awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
Washington
DC (VoBD) - Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen
Bank of Bangladesh, was honored by President Barack Obama
with the Presidential Medal of Freedom alongside fifteen
other individuals being honored for their work as "agents
of change."
Dr.
Yunus, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, challenges
the notion of hopeless poverty in his country, Bangladesh
and now in the United States. Currently, Dr. Yunus is expanding
into health care services in Bangladesh and offering financial
services in the United States - striking in the epicenter
of the financial world of New York.
When
asked what inspires him, Professor Yunus said when he sees
the smile on the face of a recipient who has succeeded and
sees the next generation has succeed as well like a mother
who received a loan many years ago and now has a son who
is an engineer. He explains, "Poverty is not created
by the person. It is created by the system." Change
happens when the system is changed.
Following
the success of twenty-six years of micro-lending, Grameen
Healthcare is following the same principles. It will create
another sustainable delivery system for health care for
the poorest of the poor with an affordable price. He believes
in "small heath centers to keep healthy people healthy."
One goal is to have early detection so as to provide early
treatment. Another service is to bring basic simple health
diagnostics to rural areas especially with new technology
making it affordable and accessible - the Internet and the
mobile phone.
Grameen
America in the first year of operation is delivering low-interest,
collateral-free loans in Queens, NY. It has now launched
a second branch office in Omaha, Nebraska. With grant sizes
as small as $2,200, most women are rebuilding their lives,
generating an income and stabilizing their finances. Instead
of generations on welfare, Professor Yunus said a new view
must be created. He remarked how different the results would
be if instead of deducting money earned by a welfare recipient
from their state provided check, it would be matched. He
said, "If for $1 earned the person would receive a
matching $1, there would be an incentive to go earn $2."
Countless cities in the U.S. are requesting branch offices
including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Baltimore
and Durham.
Dr.
Yunus challenges the notion that nothing can be done to
eradicate poverty. He said his goal is that "In 2030
no one will be poor in Bangladesh."
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