2006 Nobel Prize:
Celebrate, then
take action.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus

Take action against poverty
Messages from the world
Viewing opportunities
Blog
Main page

Take action to fight world poverty

Take action! Here's what you can do to help fight poverty with microfinance:

• Send your personal congratulations to Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank
• Send free e-cards to at least five friends. Share a revealing story of how microfinance helped a women move her family away from severe poverty.
• Write a letter to the editor. Download a sample letter to the editor (Word format). By submitting letters to the editors of local newspapers, supporters can teach others about microfinance.
• Submit a newsletter article to your company, club, school, neighborhood, or religious newsletter about microfinance.
• Do a brown bag at work. Gather your coworkers around an office computer to have lunch while they view short, compelling videos on microfinance and Professor Yunus (see the list at right).
• RESULTS: House Gatherings. They are easy and fun. Download a packet on how to throw a small get together to celebrate Professor Yunus and Grameen Bank, and take action to defeat poverty.
• RESULTS: Write letters and make things happen. Send a letter to the editor about directing USAID to increase microfinance efforts, as well as a letter to your Senators urging them to press USAID and the World Bank to do more to support microfinance.

Tell us what you're doing to fight poverty. If you write letters to the editor, hold a house gathering, or take other actions, please send us a note at action@grameenfoundation.org.

Learn more, teach others

Visit these websites to learn more, then spread the word about how microfinance can change the world.

• Grameen Bank of Bangladesh: Read the incredible story of how they empowered over six million poor people with microfinance.
• Muhammad Yunus website: Hear about the extraordinary journey of Muhammad Yunus from his life as an economics professor to a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
• Microcredit Summit Campaign: Join one of the Microcredit Summit Campaign's 16 Councils and express your commitment to the Campaign's goals to ensure 175 million families receive microcredit and that 100 million families move out of extreme poverty by 2015.
• Read The State of the Microcredit Summit Campaign Report to learn how microfinance has reached over 100 million of the world's poor and helped them launch their journeys out of poverty.

In his own words

Learn more about Muhammad Yunus and microfinance in his book, Banker to the Poor, now #23 on the New York Times best seller list. For other publications about poverty and microfinance, please visit our Books and Publications section.

Back to the Nobel Prize page >

 

View these videos: Muhammad Yunus on poverty and microfinance Bill Clinton congratulates Muhammad Yunus Breaking Through - Grameen Foundation Boldness and Commitment - Microcredit Summit Campaign Odette's story - microfinance in Haiti