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News Blog

Guest Post: Believe in Sheela

by Desiree Adaway

The following is a guest post by  Desiree Adaway, Sr. Director of Volunteer Mobilization at Habitat for Humanity. It was first posted on her personal blog. I want you to believe in Sheela.  She is  a leader of  Opportunity International’s Baba Trust Group meeting in Chennai, India. Nineteen women have joined together to repay loans, learn accounting skills and socialize They are doin it for themselves.  One powerful way that women are doing it for themselves  and helping to make sure…

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The Gift of Health

by Sonja Egeland Kelly

Very often, we take health for granted. While the healthcare debate rages in Washington D.C. and around the U.S., the majority of us have health insurance, or at least have access to medical care in the case of an emergency. People in the developing world, however, do not often have the luxury of health insurance or even quality medical care. MicroEnsure, Opportunity’s Micro Insurance subsidiary, is changing this reality for millions of people around the globe, including the Ramtekke family in…

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Opportunity’s new start-up in Tanzania to become a regulated financial institution?

by Ian Haisley

Opportunity Tanzania has begun the transition to become a regulated deposit-taking institution.  With the help and guidance of Opportunity’s Bank Building Team, Tanzania’s CEO, Peter Olivier expects to secure a license from the Bank of Tanzania to operate as a regulated deposit-taking entity during the first half of 2010. This Micro Finance Institutionlicense will allow Opportunity Tanzania to provide most of the same financial products and services to hard-working poor families as a commercial…

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Microfinance Movie Night: Indiana University

by Amy Carol Wolff

Last night I had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours with Indiana U’s Trockman Microfinance Initiative (TMI) at an event where they reported on their recent trip to Opportunity International’s office in Oak Brook and then we enjoyed an hour-long movie highlighting the microfinance industry. I have to say, I was impressed with the turn-out! Almost 30 students showed up in the middle of the week before finals to watch a movie about the global impact of this economic development tool. First,…

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Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Teach me and I will understand.

by John Wayman

Eighteen hours ago, I was one of 10 students from Northern Illinois University preparing to embark on a trip to Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, to learn more about and study in depth the elements that comprise the principles of microfinance.  Eighteen hours later, my peers and I have witnessed firsthand the power and the genuine passion that fuels microfinance. Words do not begin to describe the feelings and emotions that I felt within myself and amongst my peers and the Opportunity…

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This Christmas, Give the Gift that Keeps Giving

by Ian Haisley

This holiday, OptINnow introduces a great gift idea for all the people on your gift list – even the impossible ones! OptINnow gift cards are a simple and thoughtful way to engage friends, family and business associates in changing the world. When you give an OptINnow gift card, you are helping to end global poverty faster, one loan at a time. Your gift will empower entrepreneurs to start or build businesses so they can work their way out of poverty and achieve their dreams to feed, house and provide…

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Gender Integration highlighted at USAID Administrator Confirmation Hearing

by Ruth-Anne Renaud

We are pleased to share that on Wednesday, December 2nd at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Confirmation Hearing for Dr. Rajiv Shah, the nominee for USAID Administrator, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) posed a a question to Dr. Shah on gender integration, and specifically asked for Dr. Shah’s commitment to carry out gender integration as part of U.S. foreign assistance.   Please see below for an excerpt from Senator Cardin’s remarks as well as Dr. Shah’s response to his question. Also, please…

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My Life Changing Experience: What I learned from a Woman Leader

by Darcy St. John

Yesterday was life-changing. I could write a book about this one part of my visit to Nicaragua, so describing it in a few paragraphs is going to be a challenge. I’ll start at the beginning. The main reason for our visit to Nicaragua was to interview a woman for the book my mom and I are writing together. How Strong Women Lead, which will come out in 2011, will feature women of all backgrounds – famous, unheard of, and everything in between – who are leaders of their community or even the known…

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#MifiMon: Women and Microfinance

by Sheethal Shobowale

The following is a guest post by Sheethal Shobowale, Kiva Fellow at MFIs Asociación Arariwa in Cusco, Peru and Emprenderin La Paz, Bolivia starting in January. Interested in learning about microfinance? Follow our biweekly Twitter discussion group #mifimon (because Microfinance Mondays was too long for Twitter’s 140-character limit). Our aim is to host an exchange of ideas about issues relevant to the microfinance industry. You’re welcome to lend your voice, whether you’re a practitioner in…

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World AIDS Day: Lending Hope to Africa

by Sonja Egeland Kelly

AIDS continues to devastate sub-Saharan Africa. Thirty million people have died already, leaving 14 million orphans behind. Without decisive action, millions more will die, at the rate of over 6,600 a day. This figure is likely to increase because of the 9,500 new daily infections in Africa alone. Today marks World AIDS Day. The day is meant to raise awareness on behalf of those living with the disease, on behalf of those fighting for a cure and on behalf of those left behind by the pandemic. There…

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