Giving Back
When encouraging students, faculty, and alumni to give back to the surrounding Baltimore community and beyond, the current president of The Johns Hopkins University, Ronald Daniels, has reminded us of how “we are an island of deserved privilege in a sea of pressing need.” At JHUMUNC we believe President Daniels’s message speaks to all of our conference participants, reminding us of those throughout the world who are less fortunate than we are, but may be made better off with our help.
To that end the JHUMUNC staff has created a philanthropic program through which our conference participants may assist those in the sea of pressing need. During the conference, delegates will be offered candy grams for purchase whose proceeds will be donated to a charity organization.
The charity JHUMUNC 2012 will be supporting is Grameen Bank.
Antonia Diaz Hernandez of Mexico only needed $50 to start her weaving business and buy shoes for each of her ten children. Hong Guling of China requested three loans totaling $73 for her personal agriculture dealings and has since moved her family from a mud house to a concrete four-bedroom home. Bosede Ogunleye of Nigeria asked for $90 to invest in frozen fish and meats that she resold to pay for her children’s school fees.
The Grameen Foundation has been the key component of successfully supporting and advancing all of these entrepreneurial endeavors.
Founded in 1997 as a means to imitate the model of Grameen Bank, the Grameen Foundation looks to “enable the poor, especially the poorest, to create a world without poverty.” This non-profit organization gives people around the world access to microfinance and small loans, income-generating opportunities, crucial information, and the necessary technologies to life the world’s poorest above the global poverty line.
Instead of directly lending funds to those who need, Grameen provides assistance and aid to local and regional microfinance organizations. By working with these institutions, the foundation helps impoverished people find financing through loan-guarantee programs or direct funding. Additionally, the foundation has designed and distributed mobile phone applications to help the poor efficiently manage their health with the Mobile Technology for Community Health project in Ghana, business with the Community Knowledge Worker initiative in Uganda, and financial needs with the Mobile Money venture in Kenya.
The foundation has helped to spearhead the fight against poverty with its programs and resources that have helped over 9.4 million people, especially women and children, with more than 1.1 million microloans. Grameen works all around the globe from Sub-Saharan Africa to the Middle East to Latin America and even to the United States. In 2007, the Grameen Foundation was voted as one of the top 25 world changing ideas.
The Grameen Foundation was built on the idea of developing large-scale, simple solutions to break the cycle of poverty for impoverished individuals and their families. Here are some of the ways you can help Grameen achieve their goals at JHUMUNC 2012.
During the conference, you will have an opportunity to contribute to the Grameen Foundation through the purchase of treats for yourself and your fellow delegates. Each day, we will be providing a different item. Look forward to snack and coffee sales to fuel your collaborative energy during debates! And, candy grams and rose deliveries for your new friends!