James McCusker’s Sunday column, “That novel Nobel idea could work in the U.S.” declares micro loans a successful economic tool in developing countries, engineered by this year’s Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus. Mr. McCusker clearly details micro-enterprise, the process of providing tiny loans to very poor people to start up businesses. He provides a clear vision to this effective assistance to people moving out of poverty. Dr. Yunus will be featured at the Microcredit Summit Campaign in Halifax, Nova Scotia next month. The MSC was launched in 1997 with a goal of reaching 100 million of the world’s poorest families with micro-loans by the end of 2005. Indicators of enormous progress toward that goal propels two new goals for 2015: 1) to reach 175 million of the world’s poorest families with micro-credit and 2) to help 100 million of the world’s poorest families move above the U.S. $1-a-day threshold.
Credibility of success, traditional U.S. Congress support for international micro-enterprise programs and personal values call for commitment to the realization of the Microcredit Summit Campaign’s new goals. This is a project worthy of a major investment by our government, by the World Bank, by regional banks everywhere and by ourselves. We as citizens need to demand investment in this effort that works.
Nancy Curtiss
Arlington
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