Curing poverty?
In reading my news sources on the web tonight, I saw once a brief statement about the 2006 Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. The story highlighted the fact that he was the first person from Bangladesh to win the prize and noted that there may have been some political motivation to that award. Aside from the fact that such a comment is rude and inappropriate, after doing a little further reading on the subject, I couldn't disagree with it more.
The gentleman's name is Muhammad Yunus and his concept is remarkably simple. He has developed a bank which offers what is called microcredit. It is the loaning of a ridiculously small amount of money to someone who is impoverished in order to help them begin to develop a way to support themselves. The loan is given to groups of 5 people who are interested in establishing a trade. (In the original case, Dr. Yunus loaned $27 to 42 women in Bangladesh to make stools to sell.) The first of the funds are given directly to 2 members of the group and once they begin to make regular payments, the other 3 are given their portions. This is to develop a sense of community and support among the 5.
This amazes me!! For less than the price of an X-box game, we might be able to help someone begin to do something that will lift them out of poverty, bolster their sense of self-worth, and help them fulfill their potential as a human being. This is not to say that we should go out and give $35 to the next 5 homeless people or beggars that we see, but consider that we might find someone who is putting food on the table by collecting cans and bottles. Thirty-five dollars and some friendly instruction might be enough to give them some decent clothing and let them establish a relationship with a couple of local businesses to collect cans and bottles from their lunchrooms and cafeterias (I know our retail store throws away bags of them a week) instead of pushing abandoned shopping carts through dirty back alleys. It would be enough to buy a decent shoeshine kit to start working at a shoe repair shop. I'm sure it would be enough to help fulfill other dreams as well.
Think of all that we could do by deciding that we can spare $35 to "loan" to someone else. Dr. Yunus' Grammen Bank is now worth hundreds of millions! Not bad for an entitity involved in trying to help the least creditworthy.
Hopefully we'll all be able to find someone with a little ambition and desire to better themselves that would be able to turn $35 into something that will support them. Even better, I hope we'll recognize that person when we run into them.
Two other related thoughts. One, for a movie that carries a powerful message about a simple idea to improve the lives of others, please see Pay It Forward. Second, a post by my friends at the right-wing FOX News worth reading (not just because it's about one of my favorite TV shows) is GRRR! Touching Message in Time of Trash TV. The particular episode it talks about was deeply moving and the last paragraph says it all.
1 comment:
Pay it Forward is a great movie that proves we can all make a difference. Even the smallest gesture can have a profound effect on a person's life. Sadly, random acts of kindness seem to be a thing of the past as we witness a generation of inconsiderate, lazy, young adults. Have we created a generation that lacks the basic communication skills because they are so reliant on email and text messaging? There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t notice a “thank you” unspoken or a door slammed in my face, or a simple wave as I let a car ahead of me in traffic. I’m sure at some point or another we are all guilty of missing a thank you or rushing through traffic, but when did this become the norm? Thoughtfulness for others or sympathetic regard is a thing of the past. Acts of kindness are now considered extraordinary when really shouldn’t rude behavior be the unexpected? We need to pay it forward by breaking the perception that young adults have that their lives are only about themselves and the decisions they make have no affect on others.
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