Make poverty history

In 1976 Muhammad Yunus gave his first micro-loans and started a revolution that would change the lives of over 100 million very poor families. He founded Grameen Bank in his home country of Bangladesh, but it soon spread to every area of the world. Microcredit has become one of the most potent tactics to battle poverty. Even in today’s credit crisis, microcredit loans are thriving.

A group of students at Whitworth University were so inspired by this innovation that we formed a chapter of RESULTS on campus with a focus on creating the political will to end global poverty.

Last week the Microcredit Summit Campaign announced that, as of 2007, 100 million of the world’s poorest people had received a microloan. This demonstrates that poverty is not inevitable, and that we can change the world. And we have changed the world. But, more is needed. Tell Congress to reform our foreign aid system by learning the lessons of the Microcredit Summit Campaign: (1) focus on the poorest, (2) set bold targets using goals like the Millennium Development Goals, and (3) monitor progress to ensure results. With more effective foreign aid, we can put poverty in the museum where it belongs.

Kevin Johnson

Spokane