Bangladesh with its 120 million people is one of the most densely populated countries. It is found in one of the worlds biggest river deltas. Most of the inhabitants, who are mainly Islamic, live in the beautiful countryside. Although very fertile, overpopulation and frequent natural disasters make life a continuing struggle; 85% live below the povertyline. The bengali professor Muhammad Yunus cares about their fate. In 1983 he founded the Grameen Bank, which lends money to the poor and landless only. Today the Bank works in 35.000 villages and has more than 2 million borrowers, 94% of them are women.

Signature of Change shows us three of them: Uzifa, Awsha and Momensa. By following them in their day to day activities, we see the considerable social and economic consequences from the Grameen loans; not only for the members.

'Allah is going to punish anybody who is involved in the Grameen Bank', a religious leader shouts. Most Bengali men are radically opposed to the Bank. The rich are even more adamantly opposed. The poor are becoming less dependent on them as they learn to take care of themselves.
During the documentary Professor Yunus tells about the founding, development and future of the Bank. He seems like an impossible mix of socialist and capitalist ideals; a harmony of contradiction. His ambition is to create a poverty free world, for which he indeed set the first steps. The Grameen Bank model has been copied in more than 40, also western, countries.

© 1996 MovieTron