David Bussau AM
2008 Award
Micro-credit pioneer
Thirty years ago David Bussau went to Bali to help rebuild rural areas devastated by an earthquake and found that traditional development solutions still left poor families trapped in poverty. He realised that what poor people wanted was work and that with jobs they could start to solve many of their other problems. His solution was to offer small business loans - a hand up instead of a hand out. David established the non-profit Maranatha Trust to fulfil his dream of helping the poor help themselves. In 1979 he joined forces with a like-minded counterpart in the USA to form Opportunity International. The results have been outstanding, with over 800,000 clients, mostly women, and creating millions of jobs in twenty-nine developing countries. David continues his work in micro-enterprise development by building relationships and providing consultancy services to governments, multi-national companies, and other organisations that have caught his vision and joined the fight against poverty.
