"Lasting peace cannot be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty”, this was stated by Nobel Peace Prize committee as it awarded this year Nobel Prize for Peace to Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank. The above statement is the statement for hope for the world. Muhammad Yunus has transformed the traditional banking sector by providing small credit to poor especially poor women without asking for any collateral. The Nobel Prize is the recognition of the role of Grameen Bank and its founder in the promotion of peace by eliminating one of the major causes of war: poverty. Nobel committee has shown to the world that war or absence of peace is caused by economic reason. I appreciate the decision of the Nobel Committee mainly because it highlights the relationship between poverty and war.
The wide gap in the standard of living that exists between poor and rich creates ill will among the poor towards rich. The poor of the world see the world resources have been monopolized by few rich nations and these rich nations plunder the resources of poor countries through regimes run by kings, generals and other despots. Wherever there is anarchy the root cause will be economic injustice. If the world resources are shared on equitable basis the ever-elusive world peace is achievable by mankind. “
5 comments:
Yes, even I was thinking ...that was a noble decision! I guess only if the World will recognize half of the problem will be sorted out..
amazing post Masd!
Cheers
true...poverty leads to no education...and that leads to crime.
Keshi.
The ways of the capitalist system demand that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, thereby increasing the chasm between the two. However, it is always inspiring to see someone, especially of South Asian descent, to work towards a goal that benefits a segment of the population that is both poor and helpless in bettering their status quo serve the option that is now available to them with the realized vision of a bank that caters to their needs. Hats off to the deserving Noble Prize Winner and such visionary people!
And by the way, your last post was both touching and humorous; it seems you are in much the same position my father is in; he is the only male in our family. Most of the times, I think we drive him crazy with our incessant chatter, increasing demands for attention, and female-specific idiocies; but that has never stopped him from loving us. And I am glad you feel blessed by the presence of all these women in your life; hopefully, my dad feels the same, although I suspect he does. :)
I am in awe of the success of Grameen in Bangladesh, and the countless other microfinance institutions that have become a success in other countries as a result of the Bank's example.
Did you know in the beginning of Grameen nobody believed it would work? That the common sentiment was that the poor couldn't be trusted to repay even the smallest of loans and therefore that the operation was too risky and a sure bet for losing all the initial loan capital available. Well, the critics have obviously been proven wrong.
Much the same thing happened with the arrival of cell phones in Africa. Many analysts predicted that the telecom companies would fail because the poor were too poor to get or use the phones. But as soon as they were made accessible (i.e. pre-paid credits by the dollar), cell phones became a fever here and now everyone that I know practically owns and uses one.
I'm so glad that Grameen was recognized with the Nobel Prize. The link between poverty and peace is undeniable.
@ Dawn: I am glad you like the post.
@Keshi: No education leads to crime. May be the next Nobel prize winner: an educationist.
@ek umeed: Yes, Yunus has made all of the people of South Asia proud.
Well my daughters are 18 and 3 months respectively, so lets see when they grow up how would I respond to their chatter but right now when both of them cry together it is enough for me to go crazy.
@Ali: I like the story of the success of mobile phones in Mozambique. Your experience of living in Mozambique is unique and amazing.
Post a Comment