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Microfinance

“The Hype is Long Over” – Microfinance CEOs Respond to Washington Post Article, “Microfinance Doesn’t End poverty, Despite All the Hype”

by The Microfinance CEO Working Group

The following post was published today on the Center for Financial Inclusion’s blog. The Microfinance CEO Working Group consists of the CEOs of leading microfinance organizations ACCION, FINCA International, Freedom from Hunger, Grameen Foundation USA, Opportunity International, Pro Mujer, VisionFund International, and Women’s World Banking. In the post below, the CEOs respond to the recent Washington Post article by David Roodman. This may surprise you. As the CEOs of eight global microfinance…

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What We’re Reading: A Microfinance, Poverty, Empowerment Reading List

by Opportunity International

Looking for your next big read? We’ve put together a list of compelling books we’re reading, running the gamut from microfinance and international development, to global aid and putting your faith into action. Check out our list and let us know what you think in the comment field below. What would you add, and what doesn’t make your list? Like you, we’re always looking for a good book recommendation so we want to hear from you. 1. Portfolios of the Poor: How the World’s Poor Live on $2…

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Check It Out! Credit Suisse Reports on the Impact of Microfinance & Technology in Malawi

by Opportunity International

We’re pleased to announce that Opportunity International is featured in this month’s Credit Suisse Bulletin. The four-page article, which was the result of Credit Suisse’s visit to Opportunity Malawi last year, is located on pages 42-45. Click here to see a complete copy of the Bulletin or read the story online. Click here to watch new video on credit-suisse.com featuring Opportunity's technological innovations in Malawi, and the impact they have on the lives and businesses of rural clients…

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Thank You for Your Partnership in 2011

by Opportunity International

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your partnership in 2011. As we look back on the year, we know that it’s because of your ongoing support that Opportunity International is able to empower our clients and their families with life-changing opportunity. Of course, there’s still so much to do. This past year marked Opportunity’s 40th anniversary of bringing life-changing financial solutions to the world’s most impoverished people. As we start the new year, we’re looking forward…

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Year-end Update from MicroEnsure, Providing a Powerful Safety Net for the World’s Most Vulnerable People

by Diane Ferguson

As we approach the end of year, we’re celebrating a big 2011 full of growth for MicroEnsure, Opportunity International‘s microinsurance subsidiary. Here are a few highlights from the year in review… During 2011, MicroEnsure grew ten-fold in Africa to cover more than one million people in Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania. Within two years, the company expects to serve more than five million people in Africa, the vast majority of whom have never had access to insurance. In the past year, MicroEnsure…

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Solar Panel Loans Offer a Beacon of Light for Ugandan Families

by Diane Ferguson

In November, Opportunity Uganda launched a solar energy microfinance loan to provide power to families currently living with no or unreliable electricity. Opportunity Uganda is now offering clients like Betty Aute, a papyrus weaver and mother of two, a solar panel loan of about $300, which covers panels and installation and is repayable over two years, to bring light to their family homes. The implications are life-changing and endless–when it becomes dark at night, so many productive activities…

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Celebrating 40 Years of Microfinance with the “Holiday Fête” in Scottsdale, Arizona

by Opportunity International

On Tuesday evening, Dec. 6, 2011, the members of Opportunity International’s Arizona Board of Governors hosted the “Holiday Fête: Commemorating 40 Years of Client Impact and Transformation,” a 40th-anniversary celebration at the Gainey Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale. “Opportunity International is proud to celebrate our 40th year of working alongside our clients, staff and supporters to fight global poverty,” Jon Yasuda, Opportunity’s SVP of resource development and interim CEO, said about…

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Skip the Mall Today

by Opportunity International

We’re offering a way for you to skip the mall and spread the joy all at the same time. Instead of fighting the crowds on Black Friday, order Opportunity International gift cards at opportunity.org/giftcard for all your family and friends. With our gift cards, they’ll experience the joy of helping an entrepreneur like Margaret Wangui (pictured) grow her business with a small loan—enabling her to feed her family, send her children to school and improve her community. In addition, right now, your…

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Opportunity Participates in the 2011 Global Microcredit Summit

by Opportunity International

This week, one of the largest microfinance industry conferences in the world launches in Valladolid, Spain. The 15th annual Global Microcredit Summit runs Monday, Nov. 14-Thursday, Nov. 17 and features Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, and more than 2,000 delegates from over 100 countries, including Opportunity International‘s Richard Leftley, president and CEO of our microinsurance subsidiary MicroEnsure. The Summit gathers microfinance practitioners,…

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Tunes for Tanzania–who knew a Tuesday could be this good?

by Lauren Anderson

While everyone seemed moved by the goal of building a bank in Tanzania, as I gauged from the robust rounds of applause, Tuesday’s Tunes for Tanzania event was also just a good time for all. We packed into Schubas in Chicago to listen to the music of three different bands; we strategized to win tantalizing raffle prizes; and all around the room, circles of people kept morphing to make new conversations. It was a room full of YAO members, their friends, and people who’d heard about the event online…

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