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News Blog

Technology & New Innovations at Chicago Microfinance Conference

by Emily Riemer

At Friday’s Chicago Booth and Zell Center Microfinance Conference, several of my colleagues and members of Young Ambassadors for Opportunity heard from Opportunity International‘s SVP of International Business Development, Dennis Ripley, who spoke as part of a panel called “New Products and Innovations in Microfinance,” along with Kate Cochran, COO at Vittana; Karl Muth, Consulting Economist at Grameen; and moderator Nina Diamond 0f DePaul University’s Richard H. Driehaus College of Business.…

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Three Rwandan Mothers I Met on the Women’s Opportunity Network (WON) Insight Trip

by Robin Ussery

I recently returned from a week-long Insight Trip to Rwanda with a group of Women’s Opportunity Network (WON) supporters from the U.K. and the U.S. We traveled in Kigali and to rural villages, visiting with clients and local staff, attending Trust Group meetings, and getting to know how Opportunity’s Rwandan clients live and work. Now that we’re just three days out from Mother’s Day in the U.S., my thoughts turn to the women clients and mothers we met. Talking to them reminds me that moms…

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Honoring Educators Today for National Teacher Day

by Opportunity International

Today in the U.S., in honor of National Teacher Day, we celebrate the dedicated educators who work tirelessly to grow the next generation of future leaders and responsible members of the community. At Opportunity, we know how crucial a good education is to ensuring the future of an entire community, which is why we’ve developed school proprietor loans and other education finance products–because when educators improve the lives of children, they are improving the lives of their families and their…

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Accion’s Michael Schlein, David Roodman and More at Friday’s Chicago Microfinance Conference

by Emily Riemer

On Friday, I attended the 8th Annual Chicago Booth and Zell Center Microfinance Conference along with Young Ambassadors for Opportunity. It was my third consecutive year attending this conference, and this year’s topic was “Micronext: Strategies and Challenges of Social Impact.” The day-long conference was hosted by the Emerging Markets Group at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, U of C’s Harris School of Public Policy Studies, and the Northwestern University’s Kellogg…

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Day 1 of My Live Below the Line Challenge for Opportunity

by Ian Haisley

Living Below the Line – Day 1: Shopping from Ian Haisley on Vimeo. Today is the first day of my Live Below the Line challenge for Opportunity, where I eat and drink for $1.50 a day for five days. Live Below the Line is a campaign that raises awareness about the 1.4 billion people who live below the poverty line and have to make $1.50 cover a lot more than food every day. My wife Jackie and my sister Natalie decided to join me in the challenge as well, which made it a bit easier to add variety to…

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Last Weekend of Willow Creek’s 2012 Celebration of Hope

by Opportunity International

This weekend marks the end of the three-week Celebration of Hope for Her event at Willow Creek Church in Barrington, Ill. Opportunity was one of over 40 ministries and organizations–and the only microfinance organization–represented, with booths set up in the megachurch’s lobby after Sunday services. The booths inform worshippers about different global initiatives all related to the empowerment of women–such as income-generating projects, clean water programs, and health and well-being–and…

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My Journey with Opportunity International Begins… Actress Malin Akerman Travels to Tanzania

by Malin Akerman

On March 9, my husband Roberto and I stepped off the plane in Arusha (a place I hadn’t heard of until this year), and we knew we were in for an adventure. I couldn’t wait to get started. In 2010 I had spent time in Johannesburg while filming Bang Bang Club. I became good friends with my security guard, Stranger (yes, that was his name), who invited me to his birthday party. It was the most beautiful party I had ever been to, in the township Soweto. I met mothers, daughters, sons, fathers and…

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Share the National Day of Prayer with Us

by Opportunity International

Today is the National Day of Prayer, officially marked as a day to “mobilize prayer in America and to encourage personal repentance and righteousness in the culture,” and listed on nationaldayofprayer.org alongside the scripture, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” (Psalm 33:12) At Opportunity we’re celebrating the day by sharing our prayers–for our loved ones, our community, and people around the world–with all our supporters and we want you to join us. We’ll be sharing…

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Grandmas, Friends, Wives and Mothers: A Tribute to Important Women in Our Lives

by Opportunity International

Young Ambassadors (YAO) members and Opportunity International staff weigh in on the important women in their lives and what they mean to them: My Grandma is one of my soulmates. Her heart has always understood mine and I have always understood hers. Ever since I was a child we have been able to talk for hours about life, relationships, and most importantly our Heavenly Father. My Grandma has taught me what it looks like to live a Godly life, where all your trust and faith rests in God’s promises.…

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Opportunity Mozambique is “Empowering Girls, Building the Future”

by Diane Ferguson

I just received this story from Mozambique that I wanted to share with you. The lovely staff of Opportunity Mozambique once again demonstrated their commitment to empowering and celebrating women by taking part in International Women’s Day 2012 in early April. Based on this year’s theme “Empowering Girls, Building the Future,” masses of women joined together to pay tribute to Mozambique’s women and girls who contribute significantly to their families and communities. These everyday heroics…

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