Devastation in Haiti

By Kay Hixson, Director of Marketing and Communications, Grameen Foundation

Photo by Ben Depp.

As the hours wear on, we see more and more of the destruction. We just got these photos in today from our partners on the ground in Haiti. It is unimaginable that so many people have perished, but our spirits are lifted when we see heroic acts, people helping each other, and many risking their lives to help save their neighbors. We give a small sigh of relief every time we get a short text message saying “we found someone and they are OK.”

Photo by Ben Depp.

There’s much to be done, short and long term. One way to start is by adding your comment to this blog. We’ll send them to the people of Haiti through our partners and friends in Haiti. You will probably never see the smiles you generate on the face of some weary, displaced Haitian or an exhausted relief worker. But it just might be the boost they need to keep going. I hope you will join us with a comment, and donate if you can.

Photo by Ben Depp.

Muhammad Yunus Calls for World Leaders to Address Food Crisis

In a May 16 op-ed piece in the Guardian, Muhammad Yunus issued a call to action to world leaders for more aggressive action in solving the looming global food crisis. Yunus laid out a six-point plan to prevent a humanitarian disaster of world starvation, the potential scale of which has prompted the United Nations to dub it the “silent tsunami.” Key to his plan is the formation of a “poverty and agriculture fund” paid for by a small tax on the sale of oil. The fund would be managed by these contributing nations and used to create social businesses that would be tasked with improving the health care, education and other needs of developing nations.  Read the full article and discuss your thoughts.

New Social Business Paves Way for Clean Water

Professor Muhammad Yunus announced this week the launch of another social business, a joint venture between Grameen Bank and Veolia Water designed to bring drinking water to the poorest people of Bangladesh. Grameen-Veolia Water will supply clean water to more than 100,000 Bangladeshi and expand throughout Bangladesh. Bangladesh is already benefiting from social business ventures previously initiated by Professor Yunus that have been built around producing low-cost nutritious food for children and health care services, all while promoting the local economy and providing real employment opportunities. These ventures are proving that social business can be a revolutionary approach to affect social change.

With Grameen-Veolia Water poised to make clean water a common – rather than precious – commodity, Bangladesh has one more tool to ensure that it meets all the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations. This feat is sure to capture the attention of world leaders and serve as model for other countries seeking real development solutions.

Alex Counts is the President and CEO of Grameen Foundation.

Veolia Water Press Release

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