The Grameen Bank fights poverty in Bangladesh one small loan at a time. The microcredit system was developed by Mohammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank. In Bengali, which is the official language of Bangladesh, Grameen means rural. This is exactly what Grameen Bank is, a rural bank for the poor. Grameen provides small loans averaging eighty-six dollars to villagers in Bangladesh who want to create a new business or develop an existing one. Grameen focuses primarily on women in these small villages due to the cultural limitations placed on women in Bangladesh. It is becoming increasingly popular among Bangladeshi women to apply for these microloans to start a business and become an important part of their village's economy. Microlending is increasingly popular among banks around the world due to the ninety-eight percent repayment rate. The Boston Globe estimates that approximately 150 million people have applied for a microloan worldwide (Poor Women). Using the microlending system, villagers can break out of poverty by using loans for their businesses. Bangladesh recently gained independence from Pakistan during a civil war. In the first thirty years the country could barely support itself and its population. In those days, most people in Bangladesh lived on less than a dollar a day. The country, it seems, was born into poverty. In the documentary “Pennies a Day” Yunus said: “Poverty is a darkness around you, there is no hope of being seen.” (qtd, Pennies) Since Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority country, Grameen Bank's microloans are given mostly to women, about 96% (Pennies). Women in Bangladesh are underrepresented and are usually not present in the market. Grameen is ch... center of paper....... DVD.Epstein, Keith and Geri Smith. “The Ugly Side of Microlending.” Business Week.Bloomberg LP, December 17, 2007. Web. February 12, 2010..DeMause, Neil. “Rebuilding a Broken Economy, $50 at a Time.” CNN money. CNN, February 4, 2010. Web. February 7, 2010. smallbusiness/haiti_microloans/>. Bennett, Drake. "Small change." The Boston Globe September 20, 2009: n. page Network. January 31, 2010. small_change_does_microlending_actually_fight_poverty/?page=1>. “Bangladesh Bank Targets Poor Women (sidebar).” File issues and disputes. Problems and controversies. Facts On File News Services, May 31, 1996. Web. January 28. 2010. .