<p>Many Americans may not recognize Muhammad Yunus' name but they have heard of his work. Yunus, who won the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday, is considered the father of microcredit, a groundbreaking approach to fighting poverty that has dramatically changed developing nations around the world.</p><p>Yunus, a 72-year-old former economics professor at Chittagong University in Bangladesh, has put a particular focus on helping impoverished women, who he said are often the biggest catalysts for change in their communities.</p><p>"Today's award confirms what millions of women and working poor around the world already know: that Professor Yunus is a champion of women's rights, economic development, and the belief that every human being should have the opportunity to become self-sufficient," said Kathy Calvin, President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation.</p><p>Yunus, who has already been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Nobel Peace Prize, visited the Deseret News offices earlier this month to discuss the ways the power of business can be harnessed to solve the world's most pressing social problems: hunger, sanitation and health.</p><p><a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865578498/Microcredit-founder-says-business-can-end-poverty.html">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/beyond-profit-a-talk-with-muhammad-yunus/">Beyond Profit: A Talk With Muhammad Yunus</a> (New York Times (blog))</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=djyIhylCDZMOaKMTqyoNhD5vTJL0M&ned=us">6 additional articles.</a></p>