Expanding Dr. Yunus' Sphere of Influence » Countries

Community Interest Companies – the UK version of ‘social business’

Sabine Kurjo McNeill — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:01:27 +0000

Who would have thought that each month over 100 new ‘community interest companies (C.I.C.) are registered in the UK?

How CICs are set up and operate is EXACTLY what Muhammad Yunus calls ‘social business’!

CIC legislation was introduced in 2006.

CICs are regulated by an office that is part of Companies House – under the Department for Business, Innovation and Skill – BIS.

The CIC Association was launched in September 2009. By August 2011, 1391 people had registered.

The 3,000th CIC was registered in August 2009.

Please note CIC Invest! for funding!

10 Community Interest Companies – From Technological Literacy Programs to Craft Ciders (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)
The rise of Social Business on Linkedin [Jeff Mowatt] (ecademy.com)
Building Social Business: A quick Review (abdulkazad.wordpress.com)

Grameen, Adidas to make low-cost shoes

Sabine Kurjo McNeill — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 09:55:46 +0000

Another joint venture, comparable to the French company Danone, demonstrates how it is possible for business to be social!

Here is the article in the Daily Stary.

Yunus calls for standardised interest rates

Sabine Kurjo McNeill — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:12:46 +0000

This article in the Daily Star in Bangladesh is the result of a conference of microfinance institutions.

To call for standardised interest rates across all microfinance institutions would, of course, take all the steam out of the criticism that has arisen. But it’s always easier to criticise than to create!

Grameen America comes to Omaha

Sabine Kurjo McNeill — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:52:03 +0000

After Grameen America opened its first branch in Queens, New York, the organization is now expanding to Omaha, Nebraska.

Full story here.

Bahrain opens bank under Grameen model

Sabine Kurjo McNeill — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:25:38 +0000

The Daily Star in Bangladesh once again has good news about Grameen and Dr. Yunus: Family Bank, a microfinance bank licensed by the central bank of Bahrain, opened in Bahrain on Tuesday, said a statement of Yunus Centre.

The full article is here.

Cherie Blair discusses health issues with Yunus

Sabine Kurjo McNeill — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:38:44 +0000

Cherie Blair, wife of former British prime minister Tony Blair, called on Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, founder and managing director of Grameen Bank, and discussed healthcare programmes of Grameen Kalyan and Grameen Healthcare Trust yesterday.

During the meeting at the Grameen Headquarters at Mirpur in the city, they also discussed Grameen’s nursing colleges, health management centres, eye care hospitals, thalassemia initiative and overall health issues pertaining to women, says a press release.

The Daily Star, January 12, 2010

Grameen Healthcare teams up with US university

Sabine Kurjo McNeill — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:51:55 +0000

Another article from the Daily Star Dhaka that reports about Professor Yunus’ remarkable activities.

Prof Yunus for recognition of photography as branch of art

Sabine Kurjo McNeill — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 14:53:28 +0000

I find the different kinds of battles that Prof Yunus fights most amazing! As he said at our event in February 2008: the biggest hurdles are people’s minds…

And thus he inaugurated a photography exhibition at Pathshala, the South Asian Media Academy and Institute of Photography.

Here is the article in The Daily Star.

Grameen Glasgow, here we come!

Sabine Kurjo McNeill — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:22:03 +0000

The BBC publishes this story about Grameen Glasgow where the question is whether people on benefit are allowed to take out loans…

Microcredit one bright spot in the recession

Sabine Kurjo McNeill — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:47:44 +0000

The Daily Star in Bangladesh reports regularly on the achievements of Dr. Muhammad Yunus and / or Grameen.

This article is a review that took place at the launch of the Bangladesh Microfinance Statistics for 2007.