THE RUMI FOUNDATION

Recent News

— The Rumi Foundation is proud to announce a number of new potential projects and partners.

2012 – Global Poverty Project Fundraising Dinner

— Working with UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the Gates Foundation, the Global Poverty Project is coordinating a campaign to eradicate polio worldwide. Immunisation has been incredibly effective to reduce polio cases by 99% by 2010, and eradication of the final 1% – usually in the poorest countries – is within sight. Through public awareness, fundraising and discussions with governments, GPP’s End of Polio campaign is helping the world to achieve this goal.

The End of Polio campaign is especially important to The Rumi Foundation’s Founder, as one of his family members is a polio sufferer. The Foundation is planning a fundraising dinner in Perth, Australia for the Global Poverty Project with Cricket Australia.

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2011 – Meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar

— Aung San Suu Kyi has been the voice of Myanmar’s democracy for the past 20 years and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She was held under house arrest by Myanmar’s ruling military for a total of 21 years, and was released on 13 November 2010. Since her release, she has been visited by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and British Foreign Minister William Hague.

In late 2011, Rumi and Jay Verjee travelled to Myanmar on an education and fact-finding mission with a group of global business leaders and met with Aung San Suu Kyi. Her work and passion are admirable, and the Foundation continues to look for ways to support important and inspirational change-makers in the world.

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2011 - Meeting with Muhammad Yunus in London

— Muhammad Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2006 for his work at Grameen Bank, a pioneering microfinance institution supporting mainly women in extreme poverty in Bangladesh. As at October 2011, Grameen had loaned over US$11 billion to 8.4 million borrowers. Through his innovative “social business” model, Professor Yunus has opened new sources of capital to impoverished communities and is changing how we look at capitalism in our society.

Rumi Verjee met with Professor Yunus in late 2011 in order to exchange ideas and leverage Professor Yunus’ skills to identify a new model for socially responsible capitalism. The Foundation is planning to host a high level discussion and fundraising event in 2012 in London for this project.

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2011 – Meeting with President Jimmy Carter in London

— After stepping down as U.S. President in 1981, Jimmy Carter founded the Carter Center, an NGO which advances peace and health worldwide. Today, the Carter Center operates in 70 countries, helping to resolve conflicts, advance democracy, advocate for human rights and prevent diseases. The Center has alleviated the suffering of millions of people in disadvantaged areas, focusing on often-neglected but preventable diseases such as Guinea worm disease, river blindness, trachoma and malaria.

The Rumi Foundation is looking to work with President Carter on his Peace and Health Programs in Africa, particularly on providing access to rural health care and training health care workers.

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