News Blog
50 for 50: Celebrating 7 Educators During Teacher Appreciation Week
Opportunity International's Education Finance program began by recognizing education as an integral part of reducing global poverty and inequality. This year, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has only emphasized education's critical place in our world and reminded us of teachers' extraordinary creativity, tenacity, and strength. They navigated school closures, attempted to teach virtual classes without reliable connectivity, and ensured that children continued learning amidst so many challenges. In…
Read MoreThe Book Club is going back to where it all began
Many of you joined us for our Virtual Insight Trip to Colombia last week. Thank you for being part of this special tour—and make sure to check out the recording if you missed it. This month, our Book Club is also traveling to Colombia through fiction, diving into a popular new novel about the very first country in which Opportunity International gave loans to clients 50 years ago! Experience the Andes mountains, the city of Bogotá, and the daily lives of one family navigating hopes, dreams,…
Read More50 for 50: An Inside Look at Our Field Offices and Partners
One of our favorite parts of Opportunity International Insight Trips is visiting Opportunity's offices and outposts. It is always eye-opening to see where our global colleagues spend their days and where they meet, serve, and train clients. We have all changed how we work over the past year—and most of us have changed the physical location where we work, too! So we're taking a look back at some of our past visits to Opportunity's field offices and partners, and counting down the days until we're…
Read More50 Years of Memories
For 50 years, Opportunity International has provided financial services, training, and support to families living in poverty—and built a dynamic global community of partners, supporters, clients, staff, and friends.From grand openings to Insight Trips to our very first clients, Opportunity's history is marked by moments of joy, impact, and celebration. Join us as we look back on the journey and celebrate the people who have walked alongside us.This video originally aired at Opportunity's 50th Anniversary…
Read More50 for 50: Listen and Adapt - The Allmans' Story
David Allman, a successful part of the real estate community in Atlanta, is known for his deep involvement in community development and his commitment to meeting local needs. Years ago, David befriended and listened to the lessons of Bob Lupton, an outspoken proponent of missions that are aimed at the beneficiaries' needs, not at the desires of the donors or volunteers (Toxic Charity). Lupton's philosophy struck a chord and shaped the Allmans' outlook on missions, philanthropy, and development moving…
Read More50 for 50: How financial services and access have changed in the last 50 years
When Opportunity International was founded 50 years ago, most of the elements that define modern banking today were brand new ideas. The world’s first ATM was installed in a London suburb in 1967. In the United States, 51% of households had a credit card in 1970; today, 83% do. And in developing economies, financial services and access to markets remained largely unavailable throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Women were nearly completely excluded from the limited financial sector that did exist.…
Read MoreLeft to Tell - What we're reading this month
Last month we read A Girl is a Body of Water, a fictional exploration of girlhood and folklore in Uganda. This month, we're moving south to the neighboring country of Rwanda to remember a painful and essential moment in world history. Honor the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, recognized each year on April 7, by reading a powerful memoir that details one woman's experience during the Rwandan genocide. Join us as we read Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza,…
Read More50 for 50: 7 Bible Verses to Inspire and Encourage You
Many things about Opportunity International have changed since our founding, but one thing has remained unchanged for the last 50 years: the heart behind our work. Our motivation is clear: We respond to Jesus Christ's call to love and serve the poor. We seek to emulate the Good Samaritan, whose compassion crossed ethnic groups and religions. We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Each year, our philanthropy team chooses a Bible verse to serve as inspiration. The verse…
Read More50 for 50: Founders Circle Award Winners Ken Vander Weele and Larry Reed
On Saturday, February 20, 2021, we presented the first of a series of 50th anniversary awards. The first Founders Circle Awards went to a group of Opportunity International pioneers who helped us innovate our strategies and programs to better serve clients. These awards celebrate the earliest days of initiatives that have come to define Opportunity's work—and we are so excited to go back and remember how these programs began. In 1998, then-Opportunity Network CEO Larry Reed issued a Change or Die…
Read More50 for 50: Founders Circle Award Winner John Magnay
On Saturday, February 20, 2021, we presented the first of a series of 50th anniversary awards. The first Founders Circle Awards went to a group of Opportunity International pioneers who helped us innovate our strategies and programs to better serve clients. These awards celebrate the earliest days of initiatives that have come to define Opportunity's work—and we are so excited to go back and remember how these programs began. In the early 2000s, Opportunity Bank of Malawi noticed a challenge facing…
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