9.16.2004 ET

(CSRwire) WASHINGTON - Grameen Foundation USA(GF-USA, www.gfusa.org), a global, non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating poverty through access to micro-credit, presented The Honorable Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland, is with its 2004 Grameen Foundation USA-Deutsche Bank Humanitarian Award. The award was presented at an awards ceremony and dinner on September 14, 2004 at the Atrium, a historic setting in the Deutsche Bank Berlin headquarters, following a micro-credit roundtable and reception.

The Humanitarian Award honors a person who has significantly impacted the lives of the poor by their advocacy for social justice, human rights, poverty reduction, and gender equity. President Halonen, Finland's first female head of state, is widely respected for her advocacy for social justice, human rights and women's empowerment.

"President Halonen exemplifies what an individual can accomplish with focus, tenacity and determination. Her global vision and humanitarian perspective are inspiring," stated GF-USA President Alex Counts.

Points out Hanns Michael Holz, Global Head Sustainable Development Deutsche Bank: "We are particularly proud to honor Her Excellency Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland, with the 2004 Grameen Foundation USA-Deutsche Bank Humanitarian Award. With personal enthusiasm and great spirit, Her Excellency Tarja Halonen is indeed a role model for those willing to empower the poorest of the poor."

GF-USA also announced the recipients of its coveted practitioner awards honoring micro-credit institutions that help poor borrowers lift themselves from poverty. Practitioner awards carry a $10,000 prize underwritten by eBay Foundation. The Excellence Award recognizes an established micro-credit institution that has distinguished itself as an industry leader. The 2004 honoree is Al Amana of Morocco. Al Amana has expanded almost 300% over the last three and a half years and currently serves more than 110,000 clients.

The Pioneer Award recognizes an emerging program that is breaking new ground as an innovator and/or works in a region of the world that traditionally has been underserved by quality micro-finance programs. The 2004 recipient is Integrated Development Foundation (IDF) of Bangladesh. Its service area is Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh, a region suffering from severe poverty with little access to health care, clean water and communications. Its population consists of 13 different tribes with different languages and cultures. IDF serves 38,000 clients.

An integral part of this annual gathering was a "Knowledge Sharing Roundtable," which facilitated discussions of success strategies and challenges among industry experts and thought leaders. Participants included such global luminaries as Dr. Muhammad Yunus, founder and managing director of Grameen Bank.

GF-USA empowers the world's poorest people to lift themselves out of poverty with dignity, through access to financial services and to information. GF-USA was established in 1997 to advance the work and philosophy of the Grameen Bank and ensure that the micro-credit success story reaches millions more who can benefit.

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