But it's hard to argue with Yunus' success. Micro-lending has reached more than 100 million people worldwide, many of them women. Loans of $30 have launched businesses that turned sufficient profits so that children from formerly impoverished families could attend college. Yunus tells other stories about women who have purchased land. The bank also provides housing and student loans.

None of this is about undermining cultural values. It's about empowering women, who in turn will invest in their children and their futures. Ultimately, it is about peace and security by targeting the poor because, as Yunus explains, "all biases are against that."

It's American-style banking turned on its head. These borrowers don't have collateral. Many have no means of repaying their loans initially. But these loans have an exceptionally high repayment rate. Perhaps it is because these tiny loans are such a profound investment in the human potential and the opportunity to empower the least powerful in many cultures — women and children.

Marjorie Cortez, who nearly drove her car off the road as she yelped for joy when she heard a radio news account that Yunus had won the Nobel Peace Prize, is a Deseret News editorial writer. E-mail her at marjorie@desnews.com.