Donate

Menu

Donate

Follow Us

Search

Donations: PO Box 2826, Carol Stream, IL 60132

Toll Free: 1-800-793-9455

© 2026 Opportunity Internationala 501(c)3 nonprofit. EIN: 540907624.
Headquarters: 101 N Wacker Drive, Suite 1150, Chicago, IL 60606

News Blog

Filtered by:
Microfinance

Starting a New Branch in Kyenjojo, Uganda: Building Community Relationships

by Christa Countryman

Microfinance is more than just loans and savings and business—it’s a way forward for many families with few resources and little hope. Wherever we work, we strive to understand the local communities and to get to know the families who use our resources. This is my fourth in a six-part blog series that explores how we serve the families of Kyenjojo, Uganda. In communities where formal banking is uncommon or nonexistent, community education is key to building trust and engagement in the services…

Read More

Ranked One of Philanthropedia’s Top Microfinance Organizations for 2012

by Opportunity International

This week, we were honored to learn that a group of 72 experts identified Opportunity International as one of 11 high-impact nonprofits working in the field of international microfinance. As a result, Philanthropedia has chosen to highlight us as one of their ranked microfinance organizations on their website and on GuideStar’s Take Action site. There, Philanthropedia’s analysis states: “Microfinance experts believe that Opportunity International is innovative in developing new products and…

Read More

Understanding the Needs of Farmers in Kyenjojo, Uganda

by Christa Countryman

Microfinance is more than just loans and savings and business—it’s a way forward for many families with few resources and little hope. Wherever we work, we strive to understand the local communities and to get to know the families who use our resources. This is my third in a six-part blog series that explores how we serve the families of Kyenjojo, Uganda. The Kyenjojo area is agriculturally diverse with crops such as tea, coffee, bananas, pineapples, cassava, sweet potatoes, maize and many others.…

Read More

Up Close and Personal: A Firsthand Look at an Insight Trip to Colombia

by Dan Bodwell

In late April, Dan Bodwell, Opportunity’s regional director in Los Angeles, took his first Opportunity International Insight Trip, traveling to Colombia with Opportunity Canada staff and supporters. He sent back glowing and detailed reports from his trip. Below, travel along with him with these glimpses into his week. Day 1 I’ve arrived safely in Cartagena. We have a full itinerary for the next four days. We’ll meet directly with at least six individual clients, three Trust Groups, and two…

Read More

What We’re Reading: The Launch of Roger Thurow’s New Book The Last Hunger Season

by Opportunity International

If you’re looking for a summer read that inspires, Roger Thurow just released his new book, The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change. The Last Hunger Season gives you a look into the lives of four smallholder farming families in western Kenya as they work to move from subsistence farming to sustainable farming, from farming-to-live to farming to make a living, all through agricultural development on one acre of land each. It also tells the story of strong,…

Read More

Remembering All Heroes Who Fight for a Cause Greater Than Themselves

by Emily Riemer

Memorial Day, although a domestic U.S. holiday, calls to my mind a universal theme: the honor and reverence due to the men and women who have fought and died for a cause bigger than themselves. Though our focus at Opportunity International is most often on international issues such as chronic poverty; empowerment of women and the disenfranchised; and a sustainable solution to economic instability; this holiday, in honoring the lives of fallen Americans, cuts to the heart of something we should never…

Read More

Obama Announces Food Security Partnership at Chicago Council on Global Affairs Symposium Before the G8

by Opportunity International

Last Friday, agricultural finance took center stage at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs symposium, “Advancing Food and Nutrition Security,” in Washington, D.C. on the eve of the G8 Summit. President Obama announced a partnership among the G8 member nations, African countries and the private sector called the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which has a goal of lifting 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years. More than 45 private companies – including Monsanto,…

Read More

Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Freedom for One Another

by Christa Countryman

In my work as a writer for Opportunity International, I think a lot about what inspires people, and I spend at least an equal amount of time considering what inspires me. To be truthful, when I look at the world around me, I often feel as though we (as a collective) have no heroes. Or, rather, perhaps we recognize no heroes. We have information about heroes, and we watch movies about heroes, but this doesn’t often seem like it matters. What does it matter if we know about something wonderful, but…

Read More

What We’re Reading: “Tapping into the Potential of the Unbanked in the DRC”

by Kadita Tshibaka

This post, “Tapping into the Potential of the Unbanked in the DRC,” was originally published Wednesday morning on ACCION International‘s Center for Financial Inclusion Blog, written by Kadita Tshibaka, a member of Opportunity‘s Board of Directors. Kadita was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and spent 33 years working around the world in Citibank‘s Operations, Credit/Risk, Financial Institutions, Treasury, Corporate Banking, and Country Management, culminating in…

Read More

Happy Mother’s Day! Meet Mother & Kenyan Staff Member Betty Mutua

by Opportunity International

Betty Mutua, Regional Relationship Officer at Opportunity Kenya and a mother of two, visited the U.S. last month and spoke to us about the challenges and triumphs of being a mom while working full-time and going to school. We were so inspired by the grace with which Betty handles the universal challenges of being a working mother and finding time for her children (Hint: they sit down to do their homework together!), that we wanted to share the conversation with you. Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers…

Read More

Filters

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Subscribe to receive Opportunity International microfinance news and updates via email or RSS.

Subscribe via RSS

Subscribe to our Newsletter