Muhammad Ali Bukhari from Toronto : It was only USD $27 – at current conversion of Bangladeshi Taka 2,262.06 – still a small amount of money compared to its originality. But the idea of engaging that meagre amount elevated Microcredit Pioneer Dr. Muhammad Yunus to the world stage, and present Bangladesh as a country of tremendous success for bringing out over two million women out of desperate poverty and engaged them in various meaningful livelihoods through ‘micro-loans.’
In 30 years, that tiny effort gradually bloomed in shaping a bank, known as Grameen Bank, which gave Dr. Yunus the recognition of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, along with his established bank and its pioneer championed with intensifying the idea to a newer vision by spreading it to many countries and kept him engaged from banking to ‘social business enterprise’. He achieved the highest laurels from nearly 100 countries or so worldwide alone.
Now, available in book stores like Chapters, Indigo and online Amazon, Dr. Muhammad Yunus is written about in a book of Grade 7 in Canada and previously well positioned in the world famous fact-checked Encyclopaedia Britannica, including Britannica Kids for the children. But why is that? It is simple and clear that it gives moral boost and encouragement as a role model in life for the children who will become tomorrow’s leaders. Sadly that is not the consideration which prevails in Bangladesh!
The Popular Book Company (Canada) Limited, based in Richmond Hill in Ontario, in its Popular Smart Series of Complete Canadian Curriculum for Grade 7 students, covers the five key subject areas: Math, English, History, Geography and Science, beyond the original school curriculum itself. It is designed to ensure that a child understands the concepts and masters the necessary skills. With the vivid illustrations and interesting activities, a child would find working through the book both fun and rewarding.
In its revised and updated book of 2015, printed in China, and which has been sold over 2 million copies, there is an article of one and quarter page in English section, titled as ‘Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank’ at pages 148-151 with appropriate activities of finding ‘True’ and ‘False’ statements as well as convert the Adverb Phrases into prepositional and infinitive phrases and rewrite them as well.
That described in nut-shell his banking initiative of 1976 for $27 dollars, the Grameen Bank, ‘microcredit’ – the granting of ‘micro-loans’, its expansion in Canada and the USA, the winning of Nobel Peace Prize, political initiative of “Citizens’ Power” in 2007, involved with Nelson Mandela initiated The Elders, speaking out of ‘social business enterprise’ and concluded with saying, ‘it is clear that the time has come for the world to get on board with Muhammad Yunus’.