Scottish city to emulate Grameen Bank model

Pamela Gillies, vice chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University, and Prof Muhammad Yunus, chairman of Grameen Trust, exchange documents after signing an agreement in Dhaka yesterday. Under the deal, Glasgow city will emulate Grameen Bank model to cut poverty.Photo: STAR

The Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) authorities and Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus yesterday signed a deal to replicate the Grameen Bank model in Glasgow to help reduce poverty in the Scottish city.
Pamela Gillies, vice chancellor of GCU, and Yunus, chairman of Grameen Trust, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on behalf of their respective sides to establish Grameen Caledonian Creative Lab in Glasgow.
Both Gillies and Yunus announced the deal at a press conference at the Grameen Bank Bhaban in Dhaka.
Gillies said the initiative came following Yunus' visit to Glasgow in December last year.
During his visit to GCU in Scotland, he was awarded a Doctor of Letters. Both sides discussed emulating the Grameen programmes in Glasgow to help the poor in that country, Gillies said.
"We are truly inspired and deeply honoured to announce the establishment of the Grameen Caledonian Creative Lab in Glasgow, Scotland as a result of our discussion with Professor Yunus," Gillies said.
The lab will bridge the two countries and focus on applied action research on poverty alleviation, environment and social business, she said.
The lab will host workshops, seminars and conferences and be a clearinghouse for information to manage the network between education, the public, private and voluntary sectors and civil society, she added.
"The lab will facilitate the set-up of Grameen Glasgow, a branch of the Grameen Bank in Scotland, oriented to serve the needs of the poor but talented people in Glasgow," Gillies said.
Yunus said the set-up of such a lab would help build a cultural bridge between the two countries as both sides joined to cooperate with each other.
Many poor students will be able to take training on nursing, as GCU is a renowned institute in this sector, Yunus said.
Under the MoU, the Grameen Caledonian Creative Lab will undertake replication of Grameen Bank in Scotland, targeting the most disadvantaged in the society of Glasgow City, Yunus said.
"As part of its commitment to the MoU, the GCU team is exploring the potential for masters level scholarships and student exchange programmes between Bangladesh and Scotland," he said.