ANNUAL REPORT 2005 2006 © Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2006, all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. UNITING GREAT THINKERS TO INSPIRE US ALL Microfinancing can be highly beneficial in diminishing the vulnerability of the poorest while contributing towards their becoming autonomous and empowered, particularly for women who often are most greatly affected by poverty and inequality. Although microfinancing is not a panacea for the many problems of the poor in developing countries, it brings with it the freedom of choices and possibilities, which enables those who have the least to change their daily lives their and future. Christian Girard, Trudeau Scholar 2005 © Christian Girard. Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank, greets Trudeau Scholar Christian Girard during a research visit to Bangladesh in July 2006. A pioneer of microfinancing, Professor Yunus was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle against extreme poverty and marginalization. The two discussed issues related to microfinancing at the Grameen Bank’s head office in Dhaka. trudeaufoundation.ca The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation 1514 Doctor Penfield Avenue, 2nd Floor Montréal, Québec H3G 1B9 Canada Tel: 514.938.0001 Fax: 514.938.0046 E-mail: tfi
[email protected] An independent and non-partisan Canadian charity, The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation was created in 2002 with an original endowment of $125 million from the Government of Canada as a living memorial to the former Prime Minister. Its fiscal year runs from September 1st to August 31st. The Trudeau Foundation internally develops and maintains a confidential list for the dissemination of all of its documents, including this annual report.