CHAPTER 56

Commit Yourself to More Than Just Your Own Well-Being

LEARNING FROM

Muhammad Yunus

“Poverty is the absence of all human rights. The frustrations, hostility and anger generated by abject poverty cannot sustain peace in any society. For building stable peace we must find ways to provide opportunities for people to live decent lives.”¹

Who would ever have imagined the founder of a bank receiving a Nobel Peace Prize? Yet the awarding of the 2006 prize, shared equally between Muhammad Yunus (born in 1940) and the Grameen Bank did not come as a complete surprise, for the Grameen Bank Yunus founded had set a shining example for the entire global microfinance sector. Yunus was a pioneer in awarding loans to poor people, and it was he who first brought the issue to the public’s attention. In the presentation speech justifying the award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, “Lasting peace can not be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty. Micro-credit is one such means. Development from below also serves to advance democracy and human rights.”²