false 2592109 1 <P>A comprehensive look at the concept of micro-financing</P> <P>Micro-financing is considered one of the most effective strategies in the fight against global poverty. It can be implemented on the massive scale necessary to respond to the urgent needs of the world's poorest. And now, in Small Loans, Big Changes, author Alex Counts looks at the lives of micro-lending borrowers from the Grameen Foundation in Bangladesh and Chicago. All of the borrowers profiled here are women of little-to-no means, each struggling to gain financial independence. Readers will discover how, in Bangladesh, these women face off against very poor living conditions and the prejudice of men, while in Chicago, they must overcome crime and other hurdles that come with life in the inner city. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, Small Loans, Big Changes reveals how Muhammad Yunus and his concept of micro-financing has helped those living in poverty achieve real financial independence. <P>Alex Counts (Washington, DC) is President and CEO of Grameen Foundation, a nonprofit, Washington, D.C.-based organization that has grown from modest beginnings in 1997 to become a global network of 52 micro-finance partners in 22 countries. He trained to be a catalyst for change under Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the founder and Managing Director of the Grameen Bank and corecipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. 2612496 4 4 2008 Small Loans, Big Dreams: How Nobel Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus and Microfinance are Changing the World total:3|4:1|3:1|1:1| 3 8 25 1 0 0 false false Thu May 28 13:29:24 -0700 2009 Wed May 06 19:30:49 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 13:29:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Oct 28 10:39:54 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 10:39:54 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Sun Aug 23 07:41:34 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 07:41:43 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jun 29 09:38:24 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 09:38:34 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat May 30 02:44:57 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 02:44:57 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu May 28 12:28:03 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 12:28:03 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue May 19 06:54:12 -0700 2009 Tue May 19 06:54:12 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed May 06 21:42:28 -0700 2009 Wed May 06 21:42:45 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Mar 03 06:48:49 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 03 06:48:49 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Thu Feb 26 07:32:50 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 26 07:32:50 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Feb 25 16:48:10 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 16:48:23 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Mon Feb 16 13:11:26 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 13:11:26 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Feb 15 08:46:23 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 08:46:23 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Fri Dec 26 13:59:05 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 26 13:59:05 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Mon Nov 17 08:40:17 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 17 08:40:17 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Tue Nov 11 10:39:09 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 11 10:39:15 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Sun Oct 19 20:05:46 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 19 20:05:46 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Wed Sep 17 13:07:23 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 17 13:07:29 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Thu Aug 14 16:31:16 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 14 16:31:16 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Wed Jul 23 17:12:07 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 23 17:12:07 -0700 2008