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.
A Closer Look: Opportunity’s Work in Colombia
Opportunity International’s very first loan was made in Colombia in 1975. Since then, Opportunity Colombia has been working to provide stable financial systems to reduce unemployment, social unrest and violence in the country. And it’s working to become a national-scale bank offering loans, savings, insurance and training to Colombians living in poverty. Opportunity Colombia’s current initiatives: • Launching a full-service, commercial bank in Colombia • Partnering with Compassion International…
Read MoreHappy Memorial Day! Make microfinance a part of your summer.
Today the first three-day weekend of the summer comes to a close. So what are you planning to do this summer? Join the YAO team for the 14th Annual Chicago Half Marathon/5K on Sunday, Sept. 12. Be a part of the fifth largest half marathon in the U.S. and run the lakefront course along South Lake Shore Drive. The YAO team will train together over the summer and share a pre-race pasta dinner. It’s a great way to get more involved in microfinance and join the fight against poverty, and you’ll be…
Read MoreThe Impact of a Ugandan Trust Group: An artisan, a Polaroid and a boda boda motorcycle
Today combined some of the best of the best. The 12 members of the Mutungo Stars Trust Group graciously welcomed us to their weekly group meeting this morning. They were eager to share the work of their businesses, which include all types of retail, as well as hair salons, mechanics shops and transportation services. Trust Group members Michael and Emmanuel were especially keen to show off their boda bodas (motorcycles) which not only seem to serve as a status symbol for them, but also provide…
Read MoreOpportunity Malawi’s Nkhata Bay bank kiosk is now open…
Opportunity Malawi’s Nkhata Bay bank kiosk officially opened to the public on April 14th, 2010. The kiosk, which will expand to a satellite branch, is located in Malawi’s northern region. According to Dickson, the kiosk’s customer service agent, “Things look promising – within barely an hour of opening the doors I started savings accounts for 10 families.” Malouje Sibusiso Kamanga, a secretary, opened her first ever savings account when she worked in Lilongwe. She was recently transferred…
Read MoreYAO Goes to Boot Camp
On Saturday, May 15, 33 young professionals gathered in Minneapolis, Minn. for the first-ever YAO Boot Camp. The group spent the afternoon learning how to turn their knowledge of microfinance into action through a series of discussions and presentations. YAO-Minneapolis member Riley Powell gave a lively, interactive presentation on the ABC’s of microfinance and the work of Opportunity International. YAO chair Liesel Pritzker led a Q-&-A with Arusha branch manager David Makanza of Opportunity…
Read MoreMeeting the Grandfather of Microfinance
Last Friday, YAO-Chicago chair Shannon Leutheuser and I had the chance to not only hear but actually to meet Dr. Muhammad Yunus at the Chicago Council of Global Affairs event, “Building Social Business.” Yunus is the founder and manager of Grameen Bank and the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, and he has written a new book called Building Social Business: The New Kind of Capitalism that Serves Humanity’s Most Pressing Needs. At the Chicago event, Dr. Yunus wore the traditional Bangladeshi clothing…
Read More"Building Social Business" with Muhammad Yunus
Last Friday, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs brought Dr. Muhammad Yunus to Chicago for a talk entitled “Building Social Business.” Dr. Yunus, often called the grandfather of microfinance, is the founder and managing director of Grameen Bank and the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Winner. Friday’s talk was attended by an audience that consisted of local professionals, business leaders, students and educators, who were all interested in learning more about the principles and impact of building…
Read MoreWhy we’re excited about the Tanzania launch on OptINnow…
Now that Opportunity has launched Tanzanian clients on OptINnow, participants from last September’s YAO Insight Trip to Tanzania want to share the good news. Here, they tell us what excites them most about the launch of Tanzania on OptINnow. “I’m excited to tell my family and friends, because they all know how much Tanzania means to me. Tanzania will always hold a special place in my heart, and I’m just so excited to see what God is going to be doing in the country!” -Suzie Hofert “I’m…
Read MoreCredit Suisse Microfinance Advocates Partner with Opportunity
Thank you to John Shon, Reference Data Group, Credit Suisse, for this guest blog post. The Credit Suisse Microfinance Advocates Network is an employee global network with the mission to promote microfinance to the rest of the bank. It is our goal to educate employees on current issues faced by the microfinance industry and to create opportunities to give back and become involved. Credit Suisse partners with four microfinance institutions, one of which is Opportunity International, and we are hoping…
Read MoreOpportunity International Tanzania Opens New Branch in Arusha
This week, Opportunity announces the launch of its Tanzanian clients on OptINnow.org. AJ Renold, our multimedia YAO reporter on the ground with Opportunity Tanzania, had the opportunity to travel to Arusha in March to attend the opening ceremony for its flagship bank branch, and he shares with us the story of this significant event… Thursday, March 25th was the opening ceremony of Opportunity Tanzania’s flagship Arusha branch. Opportunity Tanzania chairman of the board and the Arusha regional…
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