After spending most of the last three days working on the film Pennies a Day, I feel confident that you all are more than capable of explaining the story of Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank. So for this post I'm not looking for an explanation of microcredit, or for an explanation of the film. We've all seen it a few times – we know the story. What I am looking for is your opinions, thoughts, and ideas.
As I mentioned in class, not all comments on Grameen and microcredit have been positive. Some people have been critical of these kinds of programs. One complaint is that when families receive these small loans they become dependent on them. This means that families have to continue borrowing money to stay out of poverty. This is a different view from the one we saw in the film. Pennies a Day paints an extremely positive picture of Grameen and microcredit.
I don't expect you to be experts on this topic, but you have seen enough to form your own opinion. This doesn't mean that later, after learning more, you opinion won't change. But what do you think now? Do you think that microcredit is a good program? Can you think of other ideas that might work to help solve the problem of poverty in some of the countries we learned about? What about in wealthier countries like ours – can microcredit work here, and is it needed in countries like the United States?
Please don't feel like you have to stick to my questions. I want you to really think about what you've learned, and develop ideas of your own. You will be graded on the level of thought that you put into your comments. I would also like to see a conversation take place. That means that you should check back throughout the week to read the comments of your classmates. Feel free to comment more than once. Do you agree with other comments, disagree with them, or do you have new ideas?
OK – you have the floor. Be creative! Have fun!
Your comments must be completed by Friday, December 7.
