Empowering Individuals in the Global Community Through Entrepreneurship
Beginning with the October 13, 2006, Norwegian Nobel Committee announcement that Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank had been awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, international newspapers, magazines, radio and television and online news outlets carried the story, highlighting his decades-long dedication to promoting microcredit as a means to empower the poorest of the poor to become microentrepreneurs and lift themselves out of poverty.
More than 600 million people in the Unites States, China, Japan, Canada, France and the United Kingdom reach, heard or viewed stories about 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Muhammad Yunus.
On Sunday December 10, 2006, Professor Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank, which he founded, were recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize for their steady efforts to foster economic and social growth in developing countries through microcredit loans to women. In announcing the award on October 12, 2006, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said Yunus and Grameen Bank were chosen for "their efforts to create economic and social development from below." The award also acknowledged that poverty and economic instability are root causes of war, terrorism and territorial disputes and validated the bold idea that microcredit leads to economic stability, which contributes to peace, one individual at a time.
Professor Yunus has also had a profound impact on Whole Foods Market leadership, leading to the creation of Whole Planet Foundation, and his role on our Advisory Board. We are honored to partner with Professor Yunus and look to him for advice and support. Sharing his passion to eliminate poverty, we have committed funding to support Grameen Trust's Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) programs in Costa Rica, Guatemala and India, the beginning of a long and meaningful partnership that will change the world, one individual at a time.
John Mackey's wife), John Mackey, Monica Yunus, Muhammad Yunus, Philip Sansone, and H.I. Latifee." title="Whole Planet Foundation Board Meeting March, 2006 - Deborah Morin (John Mackey's wife), John Mackey, Monica Yunus, Muhammad Yunus, Philip Sansone, and H.I. Latifee." />
Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Steve Wanta, Vidar Jorgensen" title="Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Steve Wanta, Vidar Jorgensen" />
Joy Peterson, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Genie Bolduc" title="Joy Peterson, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Genie Bolduc" />
Muhammad YunusMy vision for the future? Two things: to make credit a human right so that each individual human being will have the opportunity to take loans and implement his or her ideas so that self-exploration becomes possible. And second: that it will lead to a world where nobody has to suffer from poverty - a world completely free from poverty.
USA Today reporter David Lynch reported,Yunus is an anti-poverty crusader who doesn't believe in handouts, a free-market disciple who says for-profit businesses should pursue social goals
Former US President Jimmy Carter said in an interview,By giving poor people the power to help themselves, Dr. Yunus has offered them something far more valuable than a plate of food. He has offered them security in its most fundamental form.
US Senator Hillary Clinton said,I only wish every nation shared Dr. Yunus' and the Grameen Bank's appreciation of the vital role that girls and women play in the economic, social and political life of our societies.
