In 2006, Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize. The idea of making microloans available to the poorest people had truly made a difference and was worthy of praise. This is not charity; it is a profitable endeavor that had the benefit of also helping people. It is a social business.
By itself, the Grameen Bank was able to do more than straight (and initially much bigger in amplitude) government aid could do. It really is old common sense: "give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you'll feed him for a lifetime". What the Grameen Bank did was simply give the people the knowledge and the ability to take themselves out of misery.
Our current society takes the easy way out in helping the poor by simply buying out their silence. It is convenient since it doesn't require much sacrifice and should we feel morally strapped, we can go back and buy more good conscience. Also, people seem to think that there is disconnect between making profits and creating a better environment (in the large sense) for everyone. To change this perception and introduce the idea of social business as a societal pillar, my friend Charles Sancy and I created the "Projet Credit Solidaire" here in Montreal. The Project itself is not a business but a social movement that hopes to create a wave of social businesses around it. Over the next few weeks, we will start the project's blog and website, outlining our plan in greater details. For now, feel free to join our facebook group (yes, no twitter page yet…)
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