Save the world's best bank

You have the power to keep that hope alive. As global citizens, we urge you to stop the government takeover of Grameen Bank, starting with reversing the Grameen Bank Ordinance amendment that allows the government to bypass the people-elected board and handpick who runs the Bank.

One powerful woman is threatening the future of millions of others. But if we all weigh in right now we can rescue the people-powered bank that’s an inspiration to the world.

The Grameen Bank has enabled millions of women to lift themselves out of poverty by giving them tiny loans to buy animals or equipment to start earning money. But Bangladesh's jealous Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has fired its Nobel Prize winning founder Muhammad Yunus and now wants to seize control of the bank, all to silence a political rival. This takeover could break the bank and destroy millions of people's hope.

Hasina has already been facing a series of scandals at home - if we can add a giant global backlash to her list of worries, we can force her to back down. When 1 million of us come together, Avaaz will kick off a media firestorm in Bangladesh and around the world, shaming her into ending this vengeful attack. Sign the urgent petition now.

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Watch the success story of Muhammad Yunus' "bank for the poor".

Read more on the dark side of Yunus' great idea and the microfinance revolution:

• FairPlanet: Is Microcredit a Failure?

• Microcredit: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

• NYTimes: Microlenders are struggling

image source on frontpage: Wonderlane