Yunus Inspires Students in New Hampshire
On 30 September 2013, Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus delivered the keynote address at the New Hampshire Social Business and Microfinance Forum at the University of New Hampshire.
The conference was inaugurated by the Speaker of the New Hampshire State legislature Mr. Terie Norellin, and the welcome speech was delivered by US Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter. The conference was convened to discuss the top social business projects and select the winners of social innovation challenge competition which involved college students, community members and social entrepreneurs from across New Hampshire to develop business-oriented solutions to social and environmental issues at the state, national or global level.
A total of 30 judges from various organizations around US were involved in selecting the winners in this competition. Competitors participated in two groups - one among the organizations outside university and another for students of all universities and colleges of New Hampshire State. A total of 122 projects were submitted, of which eight projects from each category were short-listed. Projects were related to clean water, waste management, income generation among refugees, and others.
The top three prize winners received their awards from Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus at his keynote address. “When business gets involved with solving problems, no problem will remain unsolved. The distance between the possible and the impossible is shrinking. It’s just a matter of our imagination. Let’s imagine a world where there is no poverty. Let’s imagine a world where there is no unemployment,” Nobel Laureate Yunus said.
“With Muhammad Yunus’s vision and world-changing achievements to inspire us, the New Hampshire community embraces its commitment to innovation and progress in social business and celebrates the promise of the collaborations that we imagine, build and strengthen through today’s forum,” UNH President Mark Huddleston said.
300 representatives of all universities and colleges of New Hampshire attended. Professor Huddleston announced that the university would make this competition an annual event considering the warm response it has received throughout the State.
