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.
Make a Difference This Mother's Day!
Say thank you to the women who have inspired and influenced you – including the moms who are on your Mother’s Day gift list – and help Opportunity International empower more female entrepreneurs around the world.
Read MoreGlobal Citizen Nights Concert with Aloe Blacc
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend an amazing concert held by Global Citizen in association with Opportunity International. Global Citizen holds free concerts throughout the U.S. whereby artists donate their time in exchange for attendees taking meaningful actions to reduce global poverty. That night at Chicago’s Vic Theater, Aloe Blacc, The Main Squeeze, and Johnnyswim performed a high-energy, stimulating, and ultimately inspiring show. Besides simply being a great concert, I left the…
Read MoreChanging the world, one mile at a time
On April 26, a team of six dedicated Opportunity International supporters ran the Leona Divide 50/50 Trail Race to raise funds and awareness for our clients in the Philippines. Their motivation was to provide help and hope to these clients, many of whom lost their homes, businesses, and tragically, even family members in Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013. This group of runners - the Run4Poverty team - was made up of Opportunity International Governor Deyl Kearin, and supporters Vanessa Felts, Kasey…
Read MoreTo teach is to touch a life forever
My mom, Millie Hindmarsh, was a farmer's daughter whose father prized education so highly that he paid for her to board in town to go to school at the height of the Great Depression. Thanks to his investment, Millie became a teacher in one room school houses in Nebraska for 29 years. Her starting salary was $27 a month! For the robust sum she was responsible for stoking the fire, cleaning the school, pitching for the soft ball team, being school nurse as well as teaching 7 grades and making preparations…
Read MoreCelebrate the Important Women and Mothers in your Life
In honor of the women around the world who have given hope to so many of us, you can celebrate the important women and mothers in your life by creating patches on our 5th Annual Global Opportunity Quilt. From now until May 11, say thank you to the women who have inspired and influenced you – including the moms who are on your Mother’s Day gift list.
Read MoreThe First Step In Continual Improvement: Social Performance Report Released
A major objective of Opportunity International’s Social Performance Management (SPM) program is to better report on how we are achieving our mission to reach those living in poverty and to help them transform their lives. Last month, we took a big step towards that objective by publishing the first Opportunity International Social Performance Report, which presents data on how we are performing against our mission and documents progress towards implementation of the SPM strategy itself. The publication…
Read MoreEarly Successes from Opportunity International’s Branchless Banking Initiative in Rural Tanzania
Tanzania’s agricultural sector has the capacity to dramatically reshape Africa’s economic outlook. However, most of the country’s farmers have little to no access to financial services, training, agricultural inputs (including fertilizer and high quality seeds) and local markets where they can sell their crops. Without these important resources, Tanzanian farmers cannot earn enough income from their crops to afford all of their household needs. As a result, many rural families are forced to…
Read MoreHow to Thank Your Mom on Mother's Day
It takes just a few minutes to pick from one of our predesigned patches or use your own photos with a message, quote or poem and dedicate a patch to someone special to you - a truly meaningful Mother's Day gift.
Read MoreThe Race Continues
A couple of years ago, Opportunity International Governor Deyl Kearin ran 250km across the Sahara Desert in the first Run4Poverty. Deyl's mission was to accomplish a harrowing mental and physical feat and in doing so, inspire people to give to others who are in much more challenging circumstances.
Read MoreMeet Kyle from YAO-Dallas
My name is Kyle Harger and I am a Dallas area native. I briefly jumped across the Red River to attend the University of Oklahoma and upon graduation returned to the great State of Texas. Currently, I work for Amegy Bank as a commercial banker, where I have the opportunity to help small businesses grow by lending them money and helping them with all of their banking needs. The most common question I get in my job is “Are banks lending any money yet?” For the record, yes we ARE lending money.…
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