I have been working for years in the hi-tech industry with all types of experience and in-depth education. But I feel a deep frustration for not being able to bring to a more useful purpose than playing with the American stock market. Hi-tech is useless without a social purpose. I want to help. I heard Mr. Yunus talk about his "Aladdin’s lamp" idea and social entrepreneurship. I would like to know how he wants to push those ideas or participate in their blossoming and if I can be useful; in particular, would you be interested in helping fund such developments or defining a ground for their development? Could you please let me know where to look for further information or whom to contact ?

Olivier Lallier
Ambre Consulting
350 Bay Street, Suite 100, # 361
San Francisco, CA 94133
April 23, 2003

Greetings from Nepal and thank you for the despatches. I have been claiming, as have the Ist SAARC Poverty Commissioners, that the poor can contribute to growth.

I wonder if Grameen has done scenario studies on this possibility as we take the micro process to the macro level? What I mean is this: are their estimates of the savings and investment patterns of poor households before and after microfinance intervention. Assuming that the micrfofinance coverage can be increrased to many more organizations of the the poor, what would this impact be on national savings and investment and in turn on GDP and employment?

I feel that in argument made as above, if valid, can lead us to argue that the poor can contribute to growth and by x%, if they are more rapidly organized.

Warm regards

Madhukar SJB Rana
Senior Economic Advisor
Ministry of Finance
E-mail: shahigram@moz.com.np
September 3, 2003

I came to spend some time with Grameen in 1999, as a Churchill Fellow, and started up a UK microcredit project (Street Cred), which is running well in the East End of London. Having spent a year travelling and helping an Australian pilot project off the ground, I am now going to s. Dakota to work with native Americans. Then I hope to go to Madagascar. I have a strong interest in microcredit in Mongolia too, from a women’s organization with branches in villages all over the country.

Would you be interested in either Madagascar or Mongolia? I probably have the feasibility money for Madagascar, but will need serious funding if we go further. Nothing, so far, for Mongolia.

After going to the States, I’d like to write something for the Dialogue about microcredit in developed countries.

Jennifer Kavanagh
E-mail: jenniferk@clara.co.uk
April 9, 2003

I really loved your talk at Santa Clara University today and it was great to meet you afterwards.

A friend and I are very keen to implement a project in a poor part of India. We wish to start as an entirely student-run microcredit bank along the lines of Grameen Bank, with headquarters here at Stanford. The summary we handed you, talks about the initial plans we have made to get it started. I would love to hear your opinion about the feasibility of this student run project and a good starting place, for it is an ambitious venture. I would also love to know of the possibility of any affiliation with or incorporation of our idea into the general structure of Grameen Bank itself.

Ashni Mohnot
Sophomore
Stanford University
E-mail: ashi@stamford.edu
April 9, 2003

Problems with Drugs & Alcohol

I've just finished reading your book "vers un monde sans pauvreté" and I find it very interesting. But my English is too poor to express my feelings, how I find it and how I appreciate your work. I've just one question, for which I don't find the answer in your book (just a little in the chapter on Chicago): do you think that microcredit can do something for all the poor who are living in the street, for all the people who are drugs and/or alcohol addicted and who seem to be unable to do anything more in their life and who are victims of their own problems? If you give them money, what will they do except buy drug or alcohol? Don't you think that social help is necessary for them? It's the only point that you don't really consider in your system, but I'm very interested to know what you have to say about this point.

Just for your information, I work for a company with a mission to help the poor through microcredit.

Erwan & Rachel Boubet
Societe de Placement Prives S.A.
86, Rue du Rhône - 1204 Genève, Suisse
Tél : (+41) 22.319.39.39 Fax : (+41) 22.319.39.38

Volvo Award

Congratulation for winning the prestigious VOLVO Environmental Prize 2003. As a Bangladeshi executive in the Volvo Group, I feel proud of you, as well as of my beloved country, Bangladesh.

Mamun Abdullah
Project Manager and
Application Specialist
Volvo Parts Corporation
Dept 35300, ARH 11
SE-40508, Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Telephone: +46 31 3271735 / + 46 70 7562956
July 3, 2003

Doctors in Microcredit

Greetings from Dr.S.V.K.Foundation! We are very much impressed by your services. We are running an NGO with eminent doctors and senior persons in various faculties. In our community medicine department, we have proposals for rural upliftment and women’s empowerment through microcredit system. Since we have a good infrsastructure and adequate staff, we are confident of our success in the field of microcredit. We have nearly 200 women’s self help groups under our Deepam Community Banking Programme with savings of about 2lacs.It would be of great help, if you could guide and help our institution in entering intio your fold and introduceing us to other sources. Our oraganisation status is: 1. Registered under Trust Act in 1998 2. Exempeted from income Tax dept under 12A,80G approved organization 3. FCRA holding organization.

Dr.V.Premalatha MBBS DGO
E-mail: dr_svkf_globalpeace@yahoo.co.in
Madurai, TN India
Apr 21, 2003