Global Laser Talk April 2013

Inviting Your Member of Congress to the Yunus Gold Medal Ceremony

While the ceremony is over, content of the laser talk may still be helpful to you!

Engage: This week, Professor Muhammad Yunus will become only the seventh person in history to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal. Congress will present Professor Yunus with the Gold Medal to honor his pioneering microfinance work and lifelong mission of eradicating poverty.

Problem: Around the world, 1.2 billion people still live on less than $1.25 per day. Sixty percent of these are women. And there are still 2.5 billion people who lack access to safe financial services.

Inform: In 1983, Professor Yunus founded the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh to help end these problems. Grameen provides very small loans to mostly very poor, rural women. Through microfinance, he developed an innovative way to help millions of poor people access safe financial services and lift themselves out of poverty.

Call to Action: On April 17 at 11 am ET in the Capitol Rotunda, Congress will honor Professor Yunus’s efforts. Will you attend Professor Yunus’s Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony and join his mission to end poverty? I can send you the information to RSVP to ensure reserved seating.