10 of Our Favorite Blog Posts of 2014
As we prepare for the holiday season, we are counting down our 12 Days of Christmas - celebrating Opportunity's work around the world this year.
The Opportunity International blog captures the stories of our work each year. As I look back on 2014, I'm reminded of bright moments - the launch of Social Performance Management, engaging campaigns, inspiring Insight Trips and interviews with incredible supporters, among others. These moments paint the picture of a year full of progress, hard work and impact. So today, on our Tenth Day of Opportunity, we remember 10 of our best blog posts from 2014.
The 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…
Together, We Invested in 27,800 Families
On January 1, millions of Opportunity International clients around the world woke up, eager for the New Year to begin. Instead of worrying where their next meal would come from, they set food on the table. Instead of wondering how they’d earn enough money to provide for their families, they went to work in the businesses they created…
How Opportunity International is Helping To Rebuild The Philippines
In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan – one of the worst tropical storms on record – hit the Philippines. The typhoon devastated the island nation, destroying homes and businesses, and affecting more than 13 million people, including five million children...
Early 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...
Vicki Escarra on Global Reach, Impact and Technology
Opportunity CEO Vicki Escarra has been featured on the Chicago Tribune’s Blue Sky Innovation, a premium website and digital publication aimed at the growing community of innovation-minded business professionals and philanthropists in Chicago and around America...
Why Do We Invest in Women?
Women make up the majority of those around the world who are living in extreme poverty. They face legal and cultural inequities and are often excluded from the formal economy. They are more vulnerable to gender inequality, forced labor or even violence.
Entrepreneurcast: Meet Krista Carroll, Co-Founder and CEO of Latitude
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Krista Carroll, CEO of Latitude, to talk about entrepreneurship, giving back and how to balance running a business and a family. Krista and her husband Jeremy co-founded Latitude in 2009 after visiting Haiti and feeling inspired to serve humanity...
Opportunity International Responds to Flooding in Serbia
In response to heavy flooding across Serbia, Opportunity Bank Serbia (OBS) has donated one million dinars in humanitarian aid to flood victims through a local relief fund and collected financial contributions from its staff that will be used to buy supplies for a large number of rescue health centers opening across the country...
Celebrating #GivingTuesday with #Unselfies
It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season with all the shopping, traveling, family visits and parties, and we often forget that it’s the season of giving. So after eating till you’re stuffed on Thanksgiving and shopping till you drop on Black Friday, we invite you to give back on #GivingTuesday...
Why I Think We Can End Extreme Poverty In My Lifetime
It seems like a crazy dream: to end extreme poverty in my lifetime. But it’s a dream that has legs. One that has thought and passion and possibility behind it – so much so that it’s moving from heads and hearts into action...