Source: Herald Scotland
By Steven Vass
Professor Muhammad Yunus paces into the room with the quiet dignity befitting his status.
This is the father of micro-finance, the founder of the Grameen Bank, which lends money to severely poor people to start businesses. Originated in his native Bangladesh in the 1970s, it has been rolled out and imitated in developing countries around the world. In 2006 it won him the Nobel Peace Prize.
Yesterday the 71-year-old doctor of economics stepped off a flight from Jakarta – the previous stop in his world crusade against poverty – and straight into a press conference in Glasgow for the launch of the Grameen concept in this country. He didn’t have the stamina for all the press interviews afterwards, but thankfully he now looks as fresh and bright as a Bengali water lily. Which is probably just as well, given that he will also today be attending his swearing-in ceremony as chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University.
Categories: Asia, Bangladesh, Economy, Finance