Technology and Communications
Log # 2
By: Ruth Santana
“Each individual person on this planet is packed with limitless
capabilities. An ideal society should create an enabling
environment around each individual so that all of his or her
creative energies can be unleashed to the very fullest” (Muhammad
Yunus ).
Could I one day be somebody like Muhammad Yunus? Have thoughts and
words that feel like they can move mountains like him? Maybe not,
but I can take his teachings and do something about it. Everybody
has the potential to help another and at the end of the day we are
all brothers and sisters. It shouldn’t be something optional
to do, but a natural instinct to help those with more needs than
us.
There are simple things that we can do to help these countries and
these people directly and indirectly and it is up to us to find out
what we are going to take on to make a difference. One of the
things that surprised me the most about our readings this week was
how our capitalist economy influences overconsumption and how this
creates a problem to our earth and to others by diminishing the
world’s resources for extra comforts that we do not even
need.
After reading page 212 in Yunus’s book Creating a world without
poverty, I realized that there are many more selfish things
that we do in this world besides drinking all the juice at home or
not helping around the house with chores. There are basic decisions
that we choose everyday without analyzing that they might have a
negative impact on quality of life, and to think that this is a
global trend, the potential damages are magnified.
I don’t need pens in every color, makeup in every shade or purses
that match with every outfit. I need to think GLOBE-ally and think
of the bigger picture; of the domino effect that everything has in
this world. If we think in this fashion, we will see things change,
and the economy will eventually have to take a positive shift
towards taking care of this planet and its people. We need to
understand that overconsumption leads to scarce resources for us
that have plenty… but what about to those that have nothing?
Discovery #2: I should always think of the bigger picture.
Marketing and Fund Raising
Log # 2
By: Adam Kotowski
During this week in GLOBE my eyes were opened to an interesting
problem in the world. I became aware of this problem through one of
the reading assignments we had to do for class. The one book talked
about how mothers typically decide when and how much their children
get to eat. When the mother or the family is really poor the mother
has to decide how to distribute the food. Many times in these
situations the mother will feed her son more than her daughter
because as the son gets older he will take on jobs in society that
typically only men can do and these jobs typically pay more than
the jobs that woman take on.
Therefore, the son, as he gets older will bring in a higher income
than the daughter and bring a larger income to the family. In other
words, the son is more productive to the family than the daughter
and will give the family a better chance of eating everyday. This
is why when a person goes into ultra poor areas there are less
females living among the population there than in other areas in
the world. What happens is that mothers will abandon their
daughters when they are born or feed them so little that they will
die from starvation or the daughters will get a disease due to a
poor diet.
Until, this class I had no idea things like this went on in the
world, however, the statistics prove it is a reality. I could not
imagine my mother, or any mother, having to choose to give her son
more food to the point where her daughter would be at risk of
dying. Now that I am aware of this reality it makes me want to find
one of these families and give the mother a hundred dollars to
start her own business. If the mothers living in these ultra poor
areas could just get the capital they need to start their own
businesses they could buy enough food to feed their children
equally. This shows micro-loans can help people in so many ways.
These loans can save lives and make people happier because they
won’t have family members dying due to starvation. Now that I am
aware of this problem I want to help. Since I feel this way, I am
sure many other people would feel the same way if they were made
aware. Since I am part of the marketing team this has opened my
eyes to how important it is to make people aware of the social
service that GLOBE provides. If more people are aware of this
situation, like I now am, they may be more willing to help and
donate to the GLOBE organization.
So far our group is starting to make progress on obtaining space
for our events. This week we had a booth or station at service day
to provide awareness to our cause. Also, we are starting to use our
networks to form alliances with other clubs so we can host bake
sales. We found out who we have to speak to in the event that we
cannot partner with any other organization for a bake sale. Thus,
far I think we are on pace to reach most of our goals. The only
thing we are a little behind on is our promotional item. I think by
now we should already have that figured out. Otherwise everything
is looking good.
Finance and Risk Assessment
Log # 2
By: Gurjeet Kaur
Muhammad Yunus is a celebrity in the world of
Microfinance. He has gained recognition as a monetary healer
with not only the budding entrepreneurs but also the big
corporations. With his hard work, people living in poverty have
been able to step up and build a better life. Life without
Microfinance would almost be unthinkable for some. Grameen
Bank, an establishment of Yunus, is a financial institution lending
to rural people. Although this is so, I see Grameen bank as a
not-for-profit institution working to create a better world.
“Thirty-five years ago, I did not know that I would start a bank,
and that I would lend to poor people, especially to poor rural
women. Like many other teachers, I was busy teaching in the
classroom, far from the realities on the ground.” Muhammad Yunus
writes about the thought process behind opening a lending program
with a specific target market. Many people have marketed micro
lending as an essential way for poverty driven people to help them
help themselves.
In the majority of the developing countries, it is difficult to
reach every person in need of a microloan. It would be nice to say
that every person that wants a loan gets it but reality isn’t as
sweet. I believe smaller organizations like GLOBE make it easier
for more loans to go out, thus help more entrepreneurs grow their
businesses. Being a part of this program helps me understand the
basic needs of an entrepreneur from a business perspective. These
people can’t access most of the things we take for granted, this
where the differences come in. In the end, I think Muhammad Yunus
wants us, the more fortunate ones, to provide for the others. In
doing so, we can create a better world. GLOBE definitely is a huge
part of that process!
As a part of the Finance and Risk assessment team, I have the
opportunity to look over loan applications from a few of these
entrepreneurs. The thing that struck me most about the applications
was the ambition of the applicants to provide for their families.
Even with the limited resources, they have learned to live life and
bear with it. The loans will take them a step closer to being
happier. It’s surreal for me to be that close to these people in
need.
Accounting, Program Audits and Enterprise
Development
Log # 2
By: John Kenny
My trip to the opening of the Bronx branch of the Grameen Bank
represents two simultaneous phenomena for which we must look at a
false cognate of the Spanish word “realizar.” For the
borrowers served by the new bank, many of whom are Hispanic, “ellos
pueden realizar sus suenos.” Translating this to English,
“they can fulfill their dreams.” The opportunity to receive
credit to start up a small business makes this possible. The
other phenomenon that occurred was my realization of the relevance
of Grameen America so close to home. Seeing Muhammad Yunus at
the Bronx Museum of the Arts helped make the bank a more real,
tangible entity in my mind. The work of the Grameen
Bank intrigued me from the moment I first read about it, but it
also seemed like a distant, foreign idea rooted half a world
away. Now, I understand the significance of Grameen in the
lives of borrowers here in the United States as well.
In some instances, finally meeting a person who strikes you as
brilliant can take the luster off because he/she does not live up
to your expectations. Muhammad Yunus only enhanced my
experience at the event because of his personality and
mannerisms. If Professor Yunus does have an aura about him,
it is an aura that puts others at ease; this effect reciprocates
from the humility with which he carries himself. During his
speech, he quickly and frequently gave credit to other people who
assist in making Grameen America possible. Whether it was
Shah Newaz or the adorable young children who performed their song
so courageously, Yunus kept the applause for other people
coming. Yunus never appeared anything but approachable, and
the only negative aspect of his fame revealed itself when ABC news
halted our chance of meeting him.
To make notes about the team, I look forward to the meeting
scheduled with the associate treasurer with excitement and
anxiety. The excitement stems from the desire to learn about
the technical part of the accounting team’s task description, but
the anxiety resonates from a similar vein because there seems to be
such a great deal going on as it is. Therefore, the chance to
meet with members of previous GLOBE classes arrives at a perfect
time. The chance to hear about their trials and tribulations
and ultimate solutions they found can only be an invaluable asset
to us in facing potentially similar problems.
Finally, I need to comment on a couple sentiments expressed by
Professor Yunus in his talk in the Bronx. He pleaded that one
of the major hindrances to successfully running Grameen America
surfaces not from problems with the borrowers but instead with
strict regulations facing the lenders. The subject and debate
of government regulation claim news headlines when it refers to
major corporations. Yunus points out what the opposite end of
the spectrum entails regarding loans to America’s version of the
“unbankable.” Bureaucracy and red tape prevent people from
getting much needed credit. Here, when trying to formulate an
opinion of my own on that problem, I find a conundrum. Is it
just to call for the government to issue mandates enforcing strict
regulation on some businesses (large corporations) but allow for
other businesses (microfinance institutions) to operate more
freely?
Obviously, one would have to look in great detail at the effects
the level of government regulation has not only on the businesses
themselves but on the economy as a whole; undoubtedly in the short
run the larger corporations would have more immediate effects,
adverse or beneficial, in response to changes in the level of
regulation.
Yunus, following the lead of his daughter, also referenced the
disturbing unemployment problem. He eloquently empathizes
with the struggles inflicted on so many individuals and families
because of their inability to find work. He does not just
refer to the unemployment numbers. When we just look at the
numbers, we lose sight of the humanity of it all. In an uplifting
manner, he explains the potential that microcredit has to offer the
unemployed Americans and Europeans, instilling in them the belief
that all humans are capable of great things if given the
opportunity. Hopefully, his message will spread and ease the
“sleepless nights” of so many people out of work.