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.
Iron Sharpens Iron
Day in and day out in their custom tailor shop, the husband and wife team of Faith and Frank Rubanda of Mubende, Uganda, demonstrate the powerful transformation that is made capable when a marriage is rooted in both love and an uncompromising dedication to partnership. Faith and Frank are parents to seven children and are both gifted with a true entrepreneurial spirit. For years the husband and wife team dreamed of starting a tailoring business. The couple worked hard and used…
Read MoreClient Love Stories
Federico Rodriguez Bastos and his wife Ruth are working together to support and empower their children, Luis Miguel and Adriana. Encouraged by the love they have for each other and their family, Federico and Ruth have built a business and a life – together. Life has been challenging for Federico and Ruth - a guerrilla war in rural Colombia drove them out of their hometown, forcing them to leave behind their only asset - their land. Faced with the likelihood of poverty as he moved his family to…
Read MoreProtecting a Child's Future
Parents, no matter where in the world they are from, have the same desires for their children. They want them to succeed. They want them to live a life better than their own. They want them to learn and be educated and have the skills and confidence to achieve a meaningful life. This love, this deeply entrenched desire to see their children flourish, is one of the critical intangibles that powers the success of so many of Opportunity International’s clients. It’s why they work so hard day after…
Read MoreWorking for our Families
Evans Ssenabulya and his wife, Roy, have three daughters under the age of 10. As he watched his beautiful girls grow up, Evans noticed how many children in the community, mostly girls, were removed from school when their families could not cover the associated expenses. He longed for a brighter future for his own daughters and knew that education was a critical step toward them achieving their dreams. Motivated by his deep love for his family, Evans set out to create opportunities for his daughters…
Read MoreGates Annual Letter Cites Ways to Break the Cycle of Poverty
I was particularly pleased yesterday morning to see the 2015 Gates Annual Letter, published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, highlighting breakthroughs in farming and mobile banking as two things poised to change the world over the next several years. Two of Opportunity International’s major initiatives in recent years have focused on agriculture, including helping African farmers increase their crop yields to feed more people, and technology, including launching and expanding our mobile…
Read MoreHow Traveling To Rwanda Changed My Perspective
Mary Goldberg is a Junior at Loyola Academy in Chicago. She works with her cousins to increase awareness about Opportunity's work on her high school campus, and she traveled to Rwanda with her family in the summer of 2014. To learn more about bringing Opportunity to your school, visit opportunity.org/campus. When I tell people that I went to Rwanda with my cousins, my grandmother and my uncle, a common response is, "Where is that?" Surprisingly, not many of my peers have heard about this…
Read MoreWe're Empowering Africa's Farmers to Face Climate Change
You may already know that Opportunity International’s agricultural finance initiative helps smallholder farmers in Africa enhance their agricultural yields, household incomes and living standards. What you may not know, however, is that the program also protects both our agricultural clients and financial institutions against some of the key risks associated with global climate change, including catastrophic farm losses. Opportunity International is addressing climate change in a variety of ways,…
Read MoreLooking Beyond Traditional Giving
In 2009, David Allman wasn't one to let even a worldwide economic downturn get in the way of his support for Opportunity International. David, a prominent real estate developer in Atlanta, is Chair of Opportunity International, Nicaragua. He and his wife Donna are also highly involved in the Ambassadors Council. Like many others, he felt the effects when the financial markets fell, and cash became a precious commodity. "My passion for what Opportunity is doing in Nicaragua hadn't changed a bit,"…
Read More1 Client at a Time
Merry Christmas to you and your family! I'm honored to wrap up our special 12 Days of Christmas series by highlighting a key reason Opportunity International has been so successful over the years in helping people around the world break the cycle of poverty, transform their lives and strengthen their families and communities. Every client relationship begins with an understanding that each individual has unique needs, dreams and potential. That means each client receives highly personalized services…
Read More2 Media Stories You Don't Want to Miss
This year, Opportunity International Global CEO Vicki Escarra spoke about our innovative, transformational work in a number of prominent news outlets, including Bloomberg and CCTV. As we remember 2014, here are two interviews that you don't want to miss: Vicki Escarra, Global CEO for Opportunity International, discussed Opportunity's goal to create 20 million jobs around the world with Bloomberg's Trish Regan on "Street Smart." Vicki Escarra also spoke on CCTV regarding bridging the gap…
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