Donate

Menu

Donate

Follow Us

Search

PO Box 2826
Carol Stream, Illinois 60132

Toll Free: 1-800-793-9455

© 2026 Opportunity Internationala 501(c)3 nonprofit. EIN: 540907624.

News Blog

What We’re Pinning: Cities Around the World

by Emily Terrell

Opportunity works in more than 20 countries around the world, and many of our clients live in urban areas. So this week, we pinned some of our favorite urban landscapes from countries that we work in. What’s your favorite city in the world? Mexico City skyline. Makati City in the Philippines. A neighborhood in Kigali, Rwanda. Nyando Slums in Nairobi, Kenya. Beautiful Cartagena, Colombia. Kampala, Uganda.

Read More

First Day with Vicki Escarra, Our New CEO

by Opportunity International

Watch our video with Opportunity‘s new CEO Vicki Escarra. Get to know Vicki and welcome her in comments below or on Facebook. Vicki Escarra'a First Day from Opportunity International on Vimeo.

Read More

The Fruits of their Labor

by Opportunity International

As we celebrate our Monday off for Labor Day, most of us don’t realize it’s a national holiday started by the labor movement to honor the achievements of working people with a much-needed day of rest. Our clients are some of the hardest-working people we know and so we wanted to take a moment to lift up just a few of them in honor of this U.S. holiday. Below, meet three resourceful, energetic entrepreneurs who are transforming their lives through Opportunity, ingenuity and very hard work. Have…

Read More

Meet Our Staff: How World Travel Brought Me Home to YAO

by Allison Kooser

For the past month, when people have asked me how I am doing, I have answered, “I’m living the dream!” As the new manager of Young Ambassadors for Opportunity, I spend my days interacting with smart, motivated, and fascinating individuals, travelling around the country strengthening communities of like-minded people in YAO chapters, and developing plans to better inspire, educate, and involve young leaders in the work of Opportunity International. Most importantly, I go to work each day knowing…

Read More

What We’re Pinning: Entrepreneurs & Labor Day

by Emily Terrell

Opportunity wouldn’t exist without the hard work of the millions of entrepreneurs around the world that we are blessed to have as clients. In honor of Labor Day and our clients’ tireless efforts, here are some of our favorite entrepreneurial pins of the week! Let’s hear it for the entrepreneurs of the world! Success requires a leap of faith and an ability to fill in the gap. (Pin via social entrepreneurship incubator Panzanzee) Infographic: Who are the entrepreneurs and what are they up…

Read More

An Education and a Brighter Future for Nicaraguan Girls

by Malin Akerman

The following post was written by actress and Young Ambassador Malin Akerman about her July visit to Opportunity’s Emprendedora School in Granada, Nicaragua. It was first published on the Half the Sky movement‘s blog. For more blog posts by Malin, click here. For information on Opportunity’s partnership with Half the Sky, visit opportunity.org/halfthesky. In late July, I took a whirlwind, one-day trip to Granada, Nicaragua. I arrived in this poverty-stricken country and we spent one full day…

Read More

Paying it Forward

by Dan Zarlenga

“I’m at a point in my life where I want to give back,” was his response. “You know, kind of pay it forward.” At the end of the training session for my alma mater’s mentoring program (I volunteer to help college students with their professional development) I had asked my fellow volunteer why he chose to participate. When he said “pay it forward” his tone of voice was unmistakably happy and perfectly genuine, while his face told the story of someone who had worked hard, had been greeted…

Read More

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

What We’re Watching: Banking on Education in Ghana

by Emily Riemer

Forty-six million African children have never set foot in a classroom. That’s why we offer education finance initiatives in Malawi, Uganda and in Ghana, where access to school fee loans and school proprietor loans help to create a better future for children and educators at local neighborhood schools. Get to know why we work in Ghana with an introduction to our education finance program in this Banking on Education video, created in partnership with Students of the World: Banking on Education from…

Read More

What We’re Pinning: Women’s Empowerment

by Emily Terrell

We believe that one of the keys to poverty eradication is the empowerment of women. Women represent 70% of those living on less than $2 a day, but typically spend 90% of their income on their families. So in honor of all the hardworking and courageous women around the world, here are some of our favorite pins about women’s empowerment from this week. To help an entire the community, start with the women (via Women’s World Banking). A powerful woman who makes a difference! Manal al-Sharif, on…

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