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親愛的扶輪社員們： Dear fellow Rotarians, 31 年前，當時還是孟加拉齊塔功（Chittagong）大學經濟學教授的默罕默德•尤努斯（Muhammad Yunus）發現一個極端貧窮的殘酷事實：自給自足與實質上的奴隸的差別遠比一般人所想像的還小。他發現，在喬布拉村（Jobra）那不過是幾分錢而已。 Thirty-one years ago, Muhammad Yunus, then a professor of economics at Chittagong University in Bangladesh, discovered a harsh reality of extreme poverty: The difference between self-sufficiency and virtual slavery is much smaller than one might think. In the village of Jobra, he found, it was just a few cents. 在跟一個做竹坐凳子的女工談話時，尤努斯得知，她每天早上要去借錢購買竹材，大約要25美分。只要一天沒錢購買竹材，她可能永遠無法還清貸款。尤努斯發現，整個村莊處於類似窘境的人很多。他們的全部負債是多少呢？27美元。 尤努斯理所當然做了他應該做的事。他還清了他們的負債。這些新的創業家很快就獲利，也還清他的貸款，微型貸款就這麼誕生。 While talking to a bamboo-stool maker, Yunus learned that the woman purchased her supply of bamboo on credit, for roughly 25 U.S. cents, every morning. Lacking the money for even a single day’s supply of bamboo, she would never be able to repay the loan. Throughout the village, Yunus found many in similar straits. Their total debt? Twenty-seven U.S. dollars. Yunus did what was, for him, the natural thing: He paid their debts. The new entrepreneurs quickly turned a profit, his loan was repaid, and microcredit was born. 給予非常貧窮的人小額貸款的構想是革命性的觀念，而且已經產生革命性的結果。光是在2005年，1億個微型貸款幫助了130個國家的人們。今天，扶輪社員們在全世界各地參與60多個微型貸款計畫。1999年，尤努斯在新加坡的國際扶輪年會受到推崇。2006年10月，他獲得諾貝爾獎。 The idea of giving small loans to the very poor was a revolutionary one, and it has had revolutionary results. In 2005 alone, 100 million microcredit loans helped people in 130 countries. Today, Rotarians are involved in more than 60 microcredit projects around the world. In 1999, Yunus was honored at the RI Convention in Singapore. In October, he received the Nobel Prize. 微型貸款的簡單原理也是扶輪的原理。積少成多，小小的改變能成為巨大的改變，表面上似乎無關宏旨的動作可能產生巨大的效果。正如25美分在孟加拉那個村子的意義絕不僅止於4分之1 美元，一個沒沒無聞的個人或村莊的繁榮也有國際意義。 The simple principle of microcredit is also a principle of Rotary. Small changes can become great changes, and a seemingly inconsequential act can have tremendous consequences. Just as 25 cents in that Bangladeshi village meant so much more than merely a quarter of a dollar, the prosperity of an unnoticed individual or village has international implications. 當我們來到世界瞭解月，尤努斯的成就提醒了我們，我們不可能知道我們所做所為的每一個結果。他基於同情心而給的27美元貸款，所做的好事影響深遠比他想像得到的來得大。我們的扶輪工作也達成我們看不到的好處：新的友誼、新的關係、在鮮少共通之處的人們之間產生溫情。 As we enter World Understanding Month, we are reminded by Yunus’ achievement that we can never know every consequence of what we do. His loan of $27, given in compassion, led to far more good than he could possibly have imagined. Our Rotary work also leads to benefits we’ll never see: new friendships, new connections, warm feelings among people who may have little in common. 我們都非常清楚，貧窮是和平及穩定的巨大障礙。因此，凡是睿智的慷慨舉動，凡是幫助他人活得更好的計畫，都是能帶給人們希望的行動。我們扶輪社員們都相信關愛別人的確會改善現狀。每個由一個人對另一個人所做的小小的仁慈之舉拉近了我們彼此的距離，並使我們更接近我們希望留給下一代的那種世界。 Poverty, as we know too well, is a tremendous obstacle to peace and stability. So, every intelligent act of generosity, every project that helps others to lead better lives, is also an act of hope. We Rotarians share the belief that love for others does make a difference. Each small act of kindness, from one human being to another, brings us closer to each other and to the kind of world we hope to leave to our children. 我們可能認為我們只是在給一所學校增添設備、提供物資給一個診所、或為一個遙遠的社區鑿一口井。但事實上，我們所做的一切都有助於創造一個更美好、更穩定、及更和平的未來。 We may think we are only helping to equip a school, supply a clinic, or build a well for a faraway community. But in truth, what we are doing is helping to build a better, more stable, and more peaceful future.
W.B. (Bill) Boyd 白義德 國際扶輪2006-07年度社長 President, Rotary International, 2006-07
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