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Xiong Ning's Letter to the Nobel Peace Prize Winner Yunus
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
I have had the distinct honor of working with Professor Yunus over the past 25 years and in that time have learned just how devoted he is to helping improve the lives of the poor around the world. I have also learned that he holds a deep respect and appreciation for others around the world who are also committed to this noble work.
In that spirit, I want to share with you a recent memorial message he recorded for a heroic and visionary young women from China, Xiong Ning, who was tragically killed in a traffic accident on her way to help distribute disaster relief supplies to poor people in Qinghai.
In her belongings, a letter was discovered that she wrote to Professor Yunus. The letter is a true inspiration and speaks to the enormous devotion Xiong had to help those less fortunate in her country. I encourage you to read it below and also watch the video message from Professor Yunus that was aired on May 8th during a memorial event in her honor.
Xiong Ning's Letter to the Nobel Peace Prize Winner Yunus
"Dear Professor Muhammad Yunus,
Hello, how are you? First please forgive me if I take the liberty of writing this letter to you. I am a Chinese girl named Xiong Ning, 29 years old this year, and born in an ordinary city, to an intellectual family. Since I was young, I have had a dream that I will set up the same “socially conscience enterprise” as you advocated in Banker to the Poor. During the period of my high school and college, I have been continually attempting at my plan, and striving to put it into practice in order to start my own “socially conscience enterprise” and give more people equal chances to survive and be free from poverty.
For this reason I stopped pursuing a higher education; refused to work in the government departments arranged by a friend with authority; and also resolutely gave up the white-collar position in a foreign-invested enterprise, which everyone envies today in China. Perhaps many people think that I tend to go to extremes, but when I see the poor like me or even more outstanding than me, and the rural people, it is not known how much effort they will make, or even give up their dignity, and then can obtain the same opportunities as the rich and the city people.
Since learning about you and Grameen Bank through your book Banker to the Poor, I have been deeply attracted by your undertakings. Also I have nothing but praise and admiration for your wisdom and ability from the depth of my soul. In the book I have seen my dream, my role model and my teacher.
With your success and the success of Grameen Bank, and all you have done for the poor in the continuous thirty years, I have been even more determined to improve the living conditions of the poor and strive without cease for their human rights. But so far, I have encountered many obstacles, on one hand, because of my own limited capacity and on the other hand, due to other social causes.
Therefore, I would like to seek your help, and hope you can treat me as your student and give me some recommendations as a parental advisor. I do not know whether you have a deep understanding of China. China has a population of nearly 1.4 billion (of which 1 billion live in rural areas).
Taking my own experience, I have been unceasingly exploring and experimenting “socially conscience enterprise”, but such enterprises have to compete in the market to make money, or at least maintain a balanced budget. Facing the fierce market competition, if I have chosen the “conscience”, it means more efforts are needed to grasp the game rules of the market competition. As a Chinese person, I love my country very much, and I shall “fight” like a soldier to change the status of China's poor people. Here I am wondering how I can start a Chinese Grameen Bank under present national conditions, and how this Chinese Grameen Bank, like your Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, is not just a bank, but it can care about all aspects of the poor people. Let the poor find their dignity in labor; participate in social affairs equally; and create their own destinies through their own efforts.
Would you please tell me whether Grameen Bank has ever had in the past or still have some projects now in China? What can I do in the future for Grameen Bank in China? Or can I work with you to start a Grameen Bank in China? I am an ordinary person, but my innate conscience spurs me on to live for my ideal (to help the poor and the suffering people); I have no power and influence, but I have a sense of social responsibility and mission; I am not an economist, but I am always striving to end the poverty and sufferings of the poor people.
I sincerely hope to have your guidance and help. I hope that China is also to have Grameen Bank for the poor and of the poor. No matter what kind of countries, races, religions, as long as they are in this world, they are all eager for equality. But “poverty”, like a tiger (a stumbling block) in the way, is a lasting impediment to its realization. However, you success and your Grameen Bank are coming, which has rekindled the hope of the numerous poor people for a better life; and had many entrepreneurs of a social conscience encouraged and learn the experience.
You and Grameen Bank are of no national boundaries, but the wealth and hope of the whole world and all human beings. You are also the role model for my life-long learning and efforts! Finally, please forgive me again if I take the liberty to trouble you. I fervently look forward to your reply!
Best wishes of health and happiness to your family!
Your new friend: Xiong Ning
June 26, 2007"
Professor Yunus’s Memorial Message in Xiong Ning’s Honor Click here to see the video
Transcript of Professor Yunus’s Memorial Message
MUHAMMAD YUNUS: Good afternoon. I’m Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh. I’m honored to be invited by XiAn Musical Radio Station to attend this very special event in memory of our dear friend, Xiong Ning.
Xiong Ning is a visionary Chinese girl who made a commitment to devote herself to help the poor people in China. The traffic accident clearly stopped her young life. But, she leaves the most beautiful story and the most precious spirit for all of us, for you, for me, for the rest of the world.
Juliet Wu’s translation of my book, Banker To The Poor, somehow inspired her. I had no idea that the book would inspire to the extent she has expressed herself through her letter. Juliet Wu translated her letter and sent it to me. I was amazed by the passion she has expressed, the commitment she has demonstrated in her letter. We’re all touched by the determination she has expressed in bringing end to the poverty in the whole of China. Her deep thought over the cause of poverty and the solutions to fight against it will touch everybody all over the world.
How much I wish that I could work with her to make her dream come true. It’s so unfortunate at such an early age she had to leave this world, leaving her dream unfulfilled. Now this is our turn now, on this particular day, to commit ourselves to promise that we’ll carry the spirit of Xiong Ning and fulfill her dream and make sure we end poverty on this planet.
With Xiong Ning we promise nobody in this world will remain a poor person. We’ll create museums for poverty; the only place people can see poverty will be the museums, poverty museums. We’ll introduce an award, the Xiong Ning award for helping poor people. And it will be named as Xiong Ning Yunus Award to female volunteers. This award will be given every year to remember Xiong Ning and also remember our commitment and recognize the person who contributed the most in bringing end to poverty. And I’m sure Xiong Ning will be very happy from the other world that her effort will not go in vain, will carry the torch and make sure the work she left incomplete, we’ll complete it on her behalf.
Today, Xiong Ning has brought us together. Her memory will inspire us and we’ll make a commitment to fulfill the dream of Xiong Ning. And we’ll revisit every year what she hoped, what she wanted to see this world to be, and see how much success we bring to it, how much contribution we could make in making this dream come true.
I express my heartfelt condolences to the family of Xiong Ning and all her friends. Today, the only thing I can tell the members of the family, we’re all Xiong Ning. We are your family members. All the people in China and all the people who commit themselves to ending poverty in the world are members of your family. And we’ll work together and keep the memory of Xiong Ning alive. She will inspire us to move forward.
Thank you very much.
Comments (2)
Comments
Julie said
As seen from Xiong Ning's commitment to the movement of poverty alleviation, Mr. Yunus clearly and irrevocably has planted the seed of inspiration in those of us without distinguised power, harboring an indistinguishable fire for transformation in the lives of impoverished persons. Persons, whom exactly like ourselves, are without distinguished power, harboring an indistinguishable fire for the transformation of their lives and the lives of those they love.
May 28, 2008
Echo said
I still remember the first time she took me to the orphanage. She was just like an Angel, shining and pure eyes, kissing and huging every kids softly. She had the power to spread the happiness in those hurt little hearts and remove the darkness in those eyes.
She was a very special lady. Her influence for good shone from her like a beacon. She could have had a decent job, living a wealthy and prosperous life, being a successful woman like the others. But money in her eyes is just a medium you can give out to help the one who needs to be helped, and money never decerves you to put your whole life, even dignity, to pursuit. There are always something matter the most for her: freedom, equality and love. That is why she willingly chose to be a poverty-fighter and a free-seeker.
A lot of people cannot understand her dream, her dream to help all the poor to live a better life, her dream to help all the kids in the orphanage to have a bright equal future, her dream to make all her friends away from illness and sadness, and her dream to make this world a paradise.
She really got a lot of dreams, dreams look so unreal so unrational to most people's eyes. But she never gave up. I saw her tears, her helpless and her broken heart, but she never gave up trying to inspire more people to come with her, to fight together for the dreams, the dreams which are bound to be realized one day. Those hardships and misunderstanding never stop her but make her stronger and more convinced. The day she told me she wrote a letter to Professer Yunus, who has fulfilled his dream to build the bank for the poor for thirty years, was the happiest day in her life.
A speical lady with so many great dreams in her heart can never die, for she has built us a paradise in heaven.
