Join our nationalcommunity

Prof. Muhammad Yunus

Some 30 years ago, economics professor Muhammad Yunus made his first loan of $27 to a group of 42 women so they could expand their bamboo furniture making business. The founder of the Grameen Bank and Nobel Peace-Prize winner has now changed the lives of millions of poor women through microcredit. Today 97 per cent of the 7.5 million borrowers at the Grameen Bank are women.

Yunus says many women were afraid of borrowing and would say they did not understand money. To Yunus, it was not their voice he was hearing, it was the voice of a history of neglect. He was determined to peel away this fear layer by layer and eventually he began to notice something remarkable. When money was lent to women, they were not only better borrowers, but also invested more of their earnings into their households.

Nicholas Kristof

Nicholas Kristof and his wife are behind The Half the Sky Movement; cutting across platforms to ignite the change needed to put an end to the oppression of women and girls worldwide. Their book Half the Sky should be compulsory for all year 12 students; it shines light on the struggles of women worldwide and most importantly shows hope; how a little help can transform the lives of women and girls abroad. If you haven’t read it; go get it NOW.

Dr Reg Hamlin

Together with his wife Dr Catherine Hamlin (our next guest speaker in Sydney and Brisbane), Reg has changed the lives of over 35,000 women and girls. His work with Fistula patients in Addis Ababa Ethiopia has given women and girls a second chance. A deeply compassionate man by all accounts, Reg took the destitute Fistula pilgrims under his wing and worked persistently for their plight until his death in 1993.

Phil Cleary

Since his sister Vicki was killed outside the kindergarten where she worked by her ex-boyfriend, Peter Cleary has been fighting for women’s rights.  His sister’s killer ended up serving only three years for the killing. The former politician and VFL star has been campaigning for reform in the law, to seek the justice that he believes his sister and many women are denied.

Glenn McGrath

He is cricket royalty and has used it for good. Glenn's name has become synonymous with not just cricket, but with providing support for Australian women diagnosed with breast cancer and their families through the provision of McGrath Breast Care Nurses. After his wife Jane fell victim to breast cancer Glenn has devoted his life to ensure her vision is fulfilled.

Need a Father's Day present for your dad? Win one here ...

Who's a dad you love and why?