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Thursday, December 24, 2009

Extract from Yunus Speech to Indian Parliament

Putting Today’s Powerful Technology to Work
The world today is in possession of amazingly powerful technology. That technology is growing very fast, becoming more powerful every day. Almost all of this technology is owned and controlled by profit-making businesses. All they use this technology for is to make more money, because that is the mandate given to them by their shareholders. Imagine what we can achieve if we use of this same technology to solve the problems of the people!

Technology is a kind of vehicle. One can drive it to any destination one wants. Since the present owners of technology want to travel to the peaks of profit-making, technology takes them there. If somebody else decides to use the existing technology to end poverty, it will take the owner in that direction. If another owner wants to use it to end diseases, technology will go there. The choice is ours.

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Grameen Bank is a Social Business owned by the borrowers. Nine of the thirteen members of the board of directors are elected by the borrowers as shareholders. Grameen Bank lends out over $ 100 million a month in collateral-free loans averaging about $ 200. It encourages children of Grameen families to go to school. It offers education loans to them to pursue higher education. There are more than 42,000 students who are currently pursuing their education in medical schools, engineering schools, and universities financed by education loans from Grameen Bank. We encourage these young people to take a pledge that they will never enter job market to seek jobs from anybody. They'll be job-givers, not job seekers. We explain to them that their mothers own a big bank, Grameen Bank. It has plenty of money to finance any enterprise they wish to float—so why waste time looking for a job working for someone else? Instead, be an employer, rather than an employee

If the BBC could host a dream team debate of job creation by mobile & web who should Social Business anchor lady start inviting to rehearsal circles now? what Q would you ask to maximise job creativity?

  • Yunus, Grameen Solutions (already connected 100 million jobs worldwide); next stop bankabillion
  • Jack, Ali Baba (commitment 100 million jobs for China)
  • Intel - a first 5 Global Grameen Brand Partner in Sustainability cncerned with digital for the poor
  • Otto (2nd to Amazon) and a first 10 Global Grameen Brand partner and jib creation mediator of Factory of Future
Do you know of a bigger job creation interaction agenda for the 2010s than how we collaborate and innovate with mobiles and web tech? If so what, and can we help you debate it or social business it?

Which are the stories that people need to joyfully mediate if we are to collaboratively maximise job creation with mobiles, web tech or other connections that empower peoples and communities ?

Dr Yunus: the first 43 jobs I created involved me making a loan of $27 in a 1976 village. A month after I first made the loan I went to the village and people started looking at me as if I was an angel. I thought if I can be an angel for $27 dollars, how much more fun to be a super-angel by lending a little more?

Footnote: by 2009 Dr Yunus remains the happiest banker, his village bank Grameen has lent 8 billion dollars, creating 8 million jobs directly for members (omce the world's poorest women) who also own the bank. Most microeconomists agree his model offers the safest banking any community can choose to system design. Here you can see a nine year old new yorker at the start of 2008 asking DR Yunus and 1000 citizens: which banks have a future? It is part of a 100 youtubes our 1000 book club have made to help debate social business so far. RSVP chris.macrae @yahoo.co.uk if you are looking for a video to start up a debate or if you have a youtube on social business you want job creation networks to cross-examine.