A decision to carry on working saw the former orphan turned businessman become one of the world leaders in micro-enterprise, with the bank he founded almost 30 years ago worth more than $US530 million.
The 67-year-old Australian-based social entrepreneur is touring the country as part of a speaking tour organised by Tear Fund, and his visit to Dunedin last week was the first time he had been in the city since his honeymoon 43 years ago.
Raised in a Masterton orphanage, Mr Bussau developed a taste for business at a young age, before he and wife Carol moved to Sydney, where they found success in the construction industry.
Earning enough to retire at the age of 35, the couple decided instead to travel to Indonesia after an earthquake devastated the region.
Among the devastation, Mr Bussau recognised a need to lend money to locals so they "could get a hand up and not a hand-out".
The idea of using a capitalist approach to alleviate problems in developing countries quickly caught on, and the non-profit bank, Opportunity International, which he formed in 1979 with an American counterpart, was now operating in 35 countries, he said..
The idea of micro-enterprise was to lend money to budding entrepreneurs so they could break free of the poverty trap, support their family, and employ someone else.
Almost 30 years later, Opportunity International has served more than one million clients, with more than $US530 million on its books.
The system worked because impoverished people in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe were often shut out from applying to banks because they had little or no collateral, he said.
"They are forced to go to loan sharks to get loans. The loan sharks can charge as much as 1000% in interest and even break their kneecaps so people don't run away - we don't do that."
One of the features of the scheme was the employment opportunities it gave in some of the world's poorest countries, with a new job created every 20 seconds, he said.
Opportunity International also had a high rate of repayment, with 98% of people repaying their loan.
Mr Bussau said he now spent most of his time consulting governments and multinationals, such as Coca-Cola, Nike and McDonald's, on how to help developing countries.
"It is a very satisfying life, but I believe everyone has the potential to make a difference."
