Dr. Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, gave the Commencement address for MIT's 142nd Commencement held June 6, 2008.
Grameen Bank and Dr. Yunus have started many business to benefit and provide needed services to the poor. Grameen phone and Grameen energy were started from idea generated Grameen Bank customers. Dr. Yunus discussed his new Social Businesses with Grameen Danone, Grameen Credit Agricole Microfinance Foundation, and Grameen Intel.
More importantly, they discussed the launch of a social business to produce insectide treated mosquito nets.
The Grameen Bank concept would work well in Congo to give the poor a chance to get out of poverty.
Commencement address by Muhammad Yunus - MIT News Office.
We have signed a joint-venture agreement with Intel Corporation, to create a social business company called Grameen-Intel to bring information technology-based services to the poor in healthcare, marketing, education and remittances.
We also signed a social business joint venture agreement with Saudi German Hospital Group to set up a series of hospitals in Bangladesh.
Many more companies from around the world are showing interest in such social business joint ventures. A leading shoe company wants to create a social business to make sure that nobody goes without shoes. One leading pharmaceutical company wishes to set up a joint venture social business company to produce nutritional supplements appropriate for Bangladeshi pregnant mothers and young women, at the cheapest possible price.
We are also in discussion to launch a social business company to produce chemically treated mosquito-nets to protect people in Bangladesh and Africa from malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.
PRAYER:
Dear Loving God, thank you for the people like Dr. Yunus and the programs that they develop to help the poor live better. AMEN.
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.