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.
Leading Researchers in Support of Microfinance
This week, nine leading economics researchers–from MIT, UC-Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, Boston University and the Chicago Booth School of Business–co-wrote a piece for the Financial Timesentitled, “Microcredit is Not the Enemy.” In it, they support the principles of microfinance, defend it against the extreme attacks being leveled at the sector, and caution against undermining the financial services that their research has demonstrated “fill a vital need in developing countries.” “Microfinance…
Read MoreFive Million People in Five Years: Bank-Building in Africa
Last Wednesday, Opportunity staff and supporters gathered for the quarterly conference call hosted by the Board of Governors. The topic was “Bank-Building in Africa” and Opportunity’sBanking on Africa campaign, a discussion led by two of our experts in the International Business Development department: Dennis Ripley, SVP of programs, and Simona Haiduc, VP of program management. Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO) member Ed Kashmarek got a chance to join in and he shares an…
Read MoreIn South Africa this Week, Tomorrow’s World Leaders Usher in Hope for the Future
Yesterday, December 13, was the start of the World Festival of Youth and Students in Pretoria, South Africa, the largest youth festival in the world. More than 500 young people from around the world are gathering all this week, Dec. 13-21, to discuss social, political and economic issues that affect their generation. Youth represent a growing share of the population in many developing countries, particularly those like South Africa, where the adult population has been heavily affected by AIDS deaths. South…
Read MoreToday, Honor Human Rights Defenders, Celebrate Human Rights Day 2010
This year, the theme for Human Rights Day, on Friday, Dec. 10, is recognizing and acclaiming human rights defenders who act to end discrimination, often at great personal risk to themselves and their families. According to the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, “the day is also intended to inspire a new generation of defenders to speak up and take action to end discrimination in all of its forms whenever and wherever it is manifested.” So read the stories of human rights defenders…
Read MoreMobile Banking Reaches Remote Microfinance Clients in Malawi, Tanzania
Mobile banking including mobile phone banking continues to be one of the great success stories in poverty alleviation for geographically remote microfinance clients in sub-Saharan Africa. Yesterday, the Bureau of International Information Programs at the U.S. State Department published an online article highlighting the ways in which mobile banking is reaching more geographically remote clients in Tanzania andMalawi. According to the report, the majority of Tanzania’s 41 million inhabitants…
Read MoreONE Blog: “Cada madre cuenta!”
In honor of World AIDS Day this month, celebrity activist Christy Turlington Burns reports on her ongoing work with (RED) and the ONE Campaign on the No Child Born with HIV campaign. At Opportunity, we’re inspired by her commitment to improving the lives of women in the developing world with these health initiatives. The following blog post, ”Cada madre cuenta!“written by Burns, was originally published on the ONE Blog, and it is Burns’ final post in the three-part series: Model,…
Read MoreWhat We’re Reading: Dynamic Duos Champion Our Microfinance Work from St. Louis
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 is from our winter Impact newsletter, which you can find here. The piece is full of examples of how and why our supporters work so tirelessly to…
Read MoreOpportunity Ranked in Top 5 Microfinance Nonprofits by Philanthropedia
This week, Opportunity International was rated in the top 5 microfinance nonprofits by Philanthropedia, a charity-rating organization that evaluates nonprofit effectiveness through surveys of industry experts. To determine which nonprofits were making the biggest impact on microfinance at the international level, Philanthropedia surveyed 131 international microfinance experts with an average of 10 years of work experience in the field. As you can see from the reviews posted, Opportunity was…
Read MoreLocal Event: Investment in Women, the Power of the “Multiplier Effect”
On Monday, December 6, at the Nineteenth Century Club in Oak Park, Ill., Betsy Perdue, co-chair of the Women’s Opportunity Network (WON), shared about the ‘multiplier effect’ and how it increases the social and economic impact of microfinance on women in the developing world, as she led a program called “Education, Microfinance and Empowered Women.” The concept of the multiplier effect is that for every $1 that is invested in Opportunity’s clients, we estimate that $1.47 worth…
Read MoreImproving Housing In Colombia
For many Colombians, heavy rains bring about serious challenges. Client Danilsa Maria Hernandez Ramos of Arjona, Colombia (center) makes a healthier home for her children through our roof and floor loan product. Nobody knows this better than Danilsa Maria Hernandez Ramos of Arjona. Danilsa’s traditional village home used to pool with water, turning her dirt floors into mud and creating an unhealthy environment for her children. Now, after a two-year pilot program,Opportunity has rolled out…
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