Please see the following links for videos that have been produced in response to the Brennpunkt documentary “Caught in Micro Debt.” originally shown by Norwegian TV on November 30th 2010
1. Response to false allegations in "Caught in Micro Debt" – Jobra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JGBQnrC-cw
Filmmaker Gayle Ferraro takes a trip to Jobra, Bangladesh, to seek what really happened to Sophia Begum, the famous bamboo stool maker whom Muhammad Yunus writes about in his books. Tom Heinemann's documentary "Caught in Micro Debt" falsely alleges that he talked to her daughter, and that she died in poverty, but Gayle reveals that the woman he interviewed was not her daughter and that Sophia Begum is alive and prospering.
2. Hilary Village – Kartik Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsWwj8eqihY
Kartik - A villager in the documentary "Caught in Micro Credit" recounts his earlier negative story of Grameen Bank in his village to the journalists and tells of it's success. He was denied a loan at the time because of an injury and was angry.
3. Hilary Village – Jude Fernando Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI544LiUgTg
Jude Fernando - The questions regarding the visit by Hillary Clinton to Bangladesh and a particular village are explored to reveal that village was both in proximity to another location she needed to visit and it was an untouchable caste. Grameen Bank thought she would be interested to see how they they are doing.
4. Response to “Caught in Micro Debt” – Nerunnahar Begum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcdRi2S2bxM
This video is a response to the dangerously inaccurate Norwegian public television documentary "Caught in Micro-debt". Nerunnahar Begum, one of the subjects of that film, is interviewed here and it is shown that she is not, in fact, the daughter of the first Grameen Bank borrower Sufiya Begum, as had been claimed. In addition, there is an interview with a woman who turns out to be Sufiya herself, alive and well, thereby disproving the claim made in "Caught in Micro-debt" that Sufiya died years ago in extreme poverty.
5. Response to false interest rate allegations in "Caught in Micro Debt" -- Alex Counts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2ndLC4EDQ4.
Alex Counts, President and CEO of Grameen Foundation, talks about his experience working with filmmaker Tom Heinemann, whose documentary, "Caught in Micro Debt," misrepresented Grameen Bank's interest rates.
6. Response to false interest rate allegations in “Caught in Micro Debt” – David Roodman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mdPS4rLb4M.
David Roodman, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development, talks about his experience working with filmmaker Tom Heinemann, whose documentary, "Caught in Micro Debt," misrepresented Grameen Bank's interest rates.
7. Interview with Erik Solheim: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR05d9j5W6U
Response in relation to Norad's report on Grameen after the documentary "caught in micro debt" by Erik Solheim, Minister of the Environment and International Development in Norway. The full NORAD report may be found here: http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/ud/press/news/2010/report_grameen.html?id=62...
Here is a list of sites that are following the situation in Bangladesh:
1. For the most up-to-date information, please check the Grameen Bank (http://www.grameen.com/) website.
2. If you’re interested you can support Professor Yunus and the independence of Grameen Bank by joining online campaigns such as the Support Yunus (http://www.facebook.com/SupportYunus ) Facebook page
3. You can follow Grameen America (www.grameenamerica.org) on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/Grameen-America/108588249174634 ) and Twitter (http://www.Twitter.com/GrameenAmerica ) and continuing your support of Grameen and asking your friends to do the same.
4. To Catch A Dollar (http://www.tocatchadollar.com/ ) is a documentary on Professor Yunus and Grameen America which will be in select theaters on March 31st. You can follow To Catch A Dollar on Facebook (www.facebook.com/tocatchadollar ) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/tocatchadollar ).
Friday, 4 March 2011
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Professor Yunus remains Managing Director of Grameen Bank
Friends of Grameen denounces the new attempt of destabilization against Professor Yunus.
The announcement by the new Chairman is without enforceability.
Paris, 2nd March 2011
Today, the new Chairman of Grameen Bank, recently appointed by the Government, announced that Professor Yunus stepped down from his position as Managing Director, as this position had been declared illegal. Referring to a letter from the Central Bank, this request by the Chairman is legally beyond his
authority. After the unauthorized statements by the Chairman, Grameen Bank has officially announced that Professor Muhammad Yunus validly remains its Managing Director.
This new development appears as a renewed and immediate threat for Grameen Bank as an independent institution and a new step in the destabilization campaign pursued by the Government. According to the Ordinance that created Grameen Bank in 1983, the Government is appointing 3 members of the board, out of a total of 12. Today, the Bank is essentially owned by more than 8 million borrowers, who elect the other 9 board members among themselves. The Government owns the remaining fraction of the Bank's equity.
The Government-led actions have been increasingly legally groundless over the last few days, and Friends of Grameen will keep monitoring the situation closely and continue to advocate for a lawful and fair treatment of Grameen Bank and Professor Yunus, as their contribution to the world is unique and ultimately belongs to the poor of Bangladesh and beyond.
About Friends of Grameen
“Friends of Grameen” is a voluntary association established under the French law of 1901. The purpose of the association is the promotion and development of microcredit and social business, in particular the microcredit activities of Grameen Bank and its affiliates. The Honorary Committee is chaired by Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Executive Committee is chaired by Maria Nowak, President of ADIE, a pioneering French microfinance institution created in 1989.
Press contacts:
Vincent Dujardin : 00 33 1 41 86 76 48 / 00 33 6 14 11 38 67
Xavier Bossaert: 00 33 1 41 86 76 97 / 00 33 6 19 41 50 18
Emilie Rapley: 00 33 1 41 86 76 14 / 00 33 6 29 22 82 01
The announcement by the new Chairman is without enforceability.
Paris, 2nd March 2011
Today, the new Chairman of Grameen Bank, recently appointed by the Government, announced that Professor Yunus stepped down from his position as Managing Director, as this position had been declared illegal. Referring to a letter from the Central Bank, this request by the Chairman is legally beyond his
authority. After the unauthorized statements by the Chairman, Grameen Bank has officially announced that Professor Muhammad Yunus validly remains its Managing Director.
This new development appears as a renewed and immediate threat for Grameen Bank as an independent institution and a new step in the destabilization campaign pursued by the Government. According to the Ordinance that created Grameen Bank in 1983, the Government is appointing 3 members of the board, out of a total of 12. Today, the Bank is essentially owned by more than 8 million borrowers, who elect the other 9 board members among themselves. The Government owns the remaining fraction of the Bank's equity.
The Government-led actions have been increasingly legally groundless over the last few days, and Friends of Grameen will keep monitoring the situation closely and continue to advocate for a lawful and fair treatment of Grameen Bank and Professor Yunus, as their contribution to the world is unique and ultimately belongs to the poor of Bangladesh and beyond.
About Friends of Grameen
“Friends of Grameen” is a voluntary association established under the French law of 1901. The purpose of the association is the promotion and development of microcredit and social business, in particular the microcredit activities of Grameen Bank and its affiliates. The Honorary Committee is chaired by Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Executive Committee is chaired by Maria Nowak, President of ADIE, a pioneering French microfinance institution created in 1989.
Press contacts:
Vincent Dujardin : 00 33 1 41 86 76 48 / 00 33 6 14 11 38 67
Xavier Bossaert: 00 33 1 41 86 76 97 / 00 33 6 19 41 50 18
Emilie Rapley: 00 33 1 41 86 76 14 / 00 33 6 29 22 82 01
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