Yunus

I was lucky enough to get an invitation to Muhammad Yunus conference today at ISCTE. I must say I was thrilled to meet and hear from the man who started that revolution that is microcredit, and received the Nobel Peace Prize award for his efforts on ending poverty. I love the simple idea of "don't give him the fish, but help him learn on how to fish it", and the simple paradigma that is a banking system grounded in trust on mankind. For the (still) strong idealistic guy that lives in me, these are ideas that are worth the World. And to meet the guy behind them was an unforgettable opportunity.

But, after watching the cool, confident but sober manner of Mr Yunus, hearing him talk for about one hour, what is really into my mind now is... and simply this revolucionary microcredit idea started. Just by trying to help some persons on the village next to the university (on a pretty naif way). It was the commercial bankers refusal (and the grounds on how they explained the refusal) that ignited it all. Not a very genius, inspirational moment of thought while trying to figure a theory to overcome global poverty, but the need to help those few people that were needing it just around the corner... and then intelligently (and seeing the problem on a totally different way from the people around him) walking the path that opened before him, tackling each small opportunity to help people to master their own faith, solving new problems, finding new simple solutions, and then, after some years, you realise you just changed so many persons lifes! And you are so proud of it! So proud, that it is your prime achievement, not the Nobel you didn't mention in your entire lecture.

Thanks Mr. Yunus! Let's work, on small steps, on helping just a few (wasn't it Mother Theresa who said "If you can't feed the whole world, then, feed just one"), each one of us, towards that vision of yours: that our children need to go to a Poverty Museum to see poverty, because there isn't such in the World anymore...

P.S- And a very special and warm thanks to Rita, for getting me the invitation.