50 Weeks of Opportunity
Each week for the next 50 weeks, we will share a piece of Opportunity’s history—major or minor, sobering or inspiring, we have gotten where we are today by facing some of the world’s greatest challenges, with you by our side. Please join us in celebrating the many impactful moments that have built the foundation on which we will embark on our most audacious vision yet: ending extreme poverty.
SEEP Conference: “Newspaper Headline Risk for MFIs-Transparency in Interest Rates and Returns”
The following post was published on the USAID‘s Microlinks blog on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010. It was written by Eric Meyer, Opportunity’s agricultural finance manager, who is guest blogging about the 2010 Annual SEEP Conference in Arlington, Va. this week for Microlinks. Click hereto see the original post. The microfinance industry in India has gotten some heat in the press lately. According to theWall Street Journal, in recent months local politicians in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh…
Read MoreWhat We're Reading and Discussing: Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo
Every Wednesday, we highlight an article, book or a blog in our “What We’re Reading” series. We feature works that are noteworthy, inspiring, educational or relevant to the work we do at Opportunity. We welcome your comments in the comment field below–tell us what you’re reading, or respond to the piece we’ve highlighted. The following post by Allison Bearden, an Opportunity intern in our Resource Development department, reflects on Dambiso Moyo’s bookDead Aid. As Allison reveals, Moyo…
Read MoreSEEP Conference: “Our Best Thoughts Come from Others”
The following post was originally published on the USAID‘s new Microlinks blog on Monday, Nov. 1, 2010. It was written by Eric Meyer, Opportunity’s agricultural finance manager, who is guest blogging about the 2010 Annual SEEP Conference in Arlington, Va. this week forMicrolinks. Click here to see the original post. Ralph Waldo Emerson once quipped that “our best thoughts come from others.” Despite the fact that I have already committed a personal pet peeve by leading with a quote,…
Read MoreEvent: Connecting and Inspiring Microfinance Professionals at the 25th Anniversary of the SEEP Conference
All this week, the 2010 SEEP Conference will be taking place in Arlington, Va. The annual conference is a forum for microenterprise development practitioners from around the globe to connect on the challenges and opportunities they face. Opportunity International is an associate partner at the conference, which is supported and attended by microenterprise practitioners, policy makers and funders working in the sector, such as USAID, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, CGAP, and more. A number of…
Read MoreEducational Entrepreneurs, Bringing Schools to the Underserved
Education is one of the most vital development tools for individuals and countries. Through the Banking on Education initiative, we’ve disbursed over 450 loans to educational entrepreneurs operating private schools in underserved neighborhoods in Ghana, Malawi, Uganda, the Dominican Republic, and India. As part of this initiative, Opportunity also partners with the IDP Foundation Rising Schools Program, which is pioneering a sustainable education model that combines financial and non-financial…
Read MoreCGAP Report: Mobile Phone Banking Effectively Reaches the Unbanked
CGAP Technology Blog posted a report yesterday on the effectiveness of “branchless banking” (mobile phone banking) in seven countries, with eight high profile m-banking providers, including M-PESA in Kenya and Tanzania. Among the highlights: 37% of active clients now in the formal financial system through mobile phone banking were previously unbanked… Mobile phone banking is scaling faster than MFIs. This means that mobile phones will be an integral part of the future of banking in the…
Read MoreOur Insight Trip to Meet the Microfinance Clients of Colombia
Our travelers gathered with Trust Group loan officers in their office to begin the day with morning devotions. The 15officers have 4,375 clients managed out of this particular office. Despite the heavy rain outside, there were smiles, warm welcomes, and lots of praise and worship inside. The opening devotional song translates to: “Do your part, we will change the world.” Hands were clapping, a tambourine was playing, eyes were closed, and voices were loud. They knew all the words by heart.…
Read MoreOhio State Students Break Bread to Fight Poverty
The following is a guest blog post by Megan Colgan, a senior undergraduate student at Ohio State University and a former Opportunity intern: Appetizers galore, tasty homemade meatloaf, a giant platter filled with an assortment of vibrantly colored roasted vegetables, scrumptious cookies and brownies, and more… Mouth watering yet? Mine sure was. I proudly looked at my dinner laid out across my long dining room table set for 15 of my good friends and fellow classmates at Ohio State University.…
Read MoreChicago Event: Granting Opportunities for Women Worldwide
The following guest post about this Chicago Council on Global Affairs event was written by Women’s Opportunity Network (WON) co-chair Betsy Perdue: “Studies show that women, when provided with a decent wage, invest 90% of their earnings in their families while men invest around 30-40%… Please join Jacqueline Novogratz and Kavita Ramdas for a discussion of the advantages and challenges of microlending and grantmaking approaches to invest in women and girls.” That was the intriguing invitation…
Read MoreProgram Update: Opportunity Launching Microfinance Bank to Reach More Families in Colombia
In Colombia, Opportunity is creating a finance company that will offer loans, savings, insuranceand training to entrepreneurs living in poverty. Opportunity’s three Colombian-based microfinance institutions are being consolidated to form Opportunity Colombia. Opportunity is preparing to submit a banking license application to Colombia’s Financial Superintendency. The consolidation will give nearly 20,000 families access to interest-bearing savings accounts. This will provide a critical safety…
Read More