Banker to the Poor: Summary and book reviews of Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus, plus links to an excerpt from Banker to the Poor and a biography of Muhammad Yunus.

This autobiography of the world-renowned, visionary economist who came up with a simple but revolutionary solution to end world poverty - micro-credit In 1983 Muhammad Yunus established Grameen, a bank devoted to providing the poorest of Bangladesh with miniscule loans. He aimed to help the poor by supporting the spark of personal initiative and enterprise by which they could lift themselves out of poverty forever. It was an idea born on a day in 1976 when he loaned $27 from his own pocket to forty-two people living in a tiny village. They were stool makers who only needed enough credit to purchase the raw materials for their trade. Yunus's loan helped them break the cycle of poverty and changed their lives forever. His solution to world poverty, founded on the belief that credit is a fundamental human right, is brilliantly simple: loan poor people money on terms that are suitable to them, teach them a few sound financial principles, and they will help themselves. Yunus's theories work. Grameen Bank has provided 3.8 billion dollars to 2.4 million families in rural Bangladesh. Today, more than 250 institutions in nearly 100 countries operate micro-credit programs based on the Grameen methodology, placing Grameen at the forefront of a burgeoning world movement toward eradicating poverty through micro-lending.

BookBrowse

If most of us were asked to name the person most famous for helping the poor people of the Indian subcontinent, we would probably reply Mahatma Gandhi; but if you walked into many a village in Bangladesh today and asked the same question, the answer would be Muhammed Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank.  (Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).

Full Review (1085 words).

Media Reviews

Kliatt His incredible story is told in a simple, straightforward manner; no need to understand complicated economic theory to appreciate this book. It is a story of reaching out and improving the lives of poor people and proof that socially conscious-driven businesses can succeed.   Library Journal This program has empowered thousands of people - many of them women - and surprised experts in economic development who never believed that the very poor would find the initiative and ability to repay even the smallest ($25-$500) loans. Definitely recommended.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Phearun Kuch
Idea from student from a developing country
After hearing the title of the book from a friends of my. I remembered the name of the book straight away "Banker to the Poor" It is a very interesting book with clear and easy to understand message. It is so important for us all as...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Velma
War Against Poverty
It sounded so simple I wondered that no one had ever tried it before. Then I remembered big business and the lending companies that I had personal experience with. No, they would never do this even if it occurred to them. There isn't enough...   Read More

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