News Blog
An Outstanding Group of Ugandan Microfinance Clients
These people meet weekly in this very, very rough setting to repay their loans. They must each be current on their payments for the group to be deemed current. They all are. On their own (not an idea from the bank) over the past few years this informal group has established a “reserve fund.” The fund is now “over reserved” so as a group they are buying a motor scooter and hiring a driver to start a taxi service owned by the group. Amazing. I am just blown away. They have done this on an average…
Read MoreTanzania Reporter: Our Day at Arusha’s Faraja Center for Young Women
Reporting back from the recent YAO Insight Trip to Tanzania, Tanzania Correspondent Contest winner Kelly Flanagan shares photos from the community service day she and her fellow travelers spent at the Faraja Young Women Development Unit in Arusha. The Faraja Center is a residential facility that helps rehabilitate young female victims of human trafficking, offering them vocational skills training–such as English, sewing, cooking, handicrafts, computer skills and more–to help them build a better…
Read MoreVote for Jump for Opportunity, a Finalist in the Stay Classy Awards
We’re excited to announce that the Opportunity submission Jump for Opportunity has been selected as one of the top 25 Most Creative Fundraisers by a Charity in the 3rd Annual Classy Awards – the largest philanthropic awards show in the country. The awards are produced by Stay Classy, an online fundraising platform for nonprofits. Thanks to all Opportunity supporters who voted in the first round, we now have the chance to earn $15,000 and gain recognition for our work through this national competition.…
Read MorePhoto Blog: We’re Banking on Africa
This summer, Opportunity has launched the Banking on Africa Campaign. The campaign aims to bring millions of Sub-Saharan Africans closer to the day when they can safely deposit their savings, access loans to grow businesses, and purchase affordable insurance to protect their families—right in their own communities. Check out a photo tour below of some of the countries we’re serving in Sub-Saharan Africa. For more on the Banking on Africa Campaign, check out opportunity.org/africa.
Read MoreBreaking Down Barriers & Building Access Through Microfinance Innovations
Targeted to reach the most marginalized, Opportunity’s financial products help hardworking people overcome the inherent obstacles of poverty and build a more stable, secure and fulfilling life. Throughout the developing world, people are excluded from access to financial services by barriers like meager, unsteady income; illiteracy; gender bias; expensive transportation and geographic isolation. To address these challenges, Opportunity carefully crafts savings, loan, training and insurance products…
Read MoreEmbarking on My Journey to Rwanda & Uganda
For one week, our group of eleven will visit Opportunity International’s work in Africa. I invite you to come along on this adventure. Our motley crew rendezvoused in Rwanda on Saturday, August 6, and for the next week we’ll keep you posted on what we’re doing and feeling. We’re going on this journey, traveling through Rwanda and Uganda, to see the impact of Opportunity’s Banking on Africa initiative, a campaign to bring life-changing financial services to millions of people in rural and…
Read MoreMy Inspirational Meeting in Malawi with Microfinance Client Mary Jackson
Recently, Opportunity International staff members traveled to Malawi, seeing firsthand how technology enables us to deliver microfinance services to rural people living in extreme poverty. They met with Opportunity Malawi clients and local staff to capture the stories of entrepreneurs who are working hard to break the cycle of poverty. Below, read staff member Cynthia’s account of her meeting with client Mary Jackson. At first, Mary was very shy, and wouldn’t look me in the face when I sat down…
Read MoreTanzania Reporter Meets Emilia P. Mtei of the Chapakazi Trust Group
She is part of the Trust Group called Chapakazi (translation: Hard-Working) based in Moshi, Tanzania. Her passion is working at her small grocery store where she sells fish, avocados and various other vegetables. Emilia looks over at her loan officer Levina and laughs aloud as we YAO members ask her questions about her loan success and business goals. The women in this group are going into their second loan cycle, glowing with pride over their accomplishments. Levina translates for the women who…
Read MoreThe Top 10 Blogs about Poverty, Development and Microfinance
Blogs are a great way to hear a variety of voices and experience an issue from diverse perspectives and if you’re interested in microfinance and global development there are a variety of sites full of information, opinions, and more. These blogs, like our Opportunity Blog, are fun ways to learn more about the voices and contributors in the microfinance industry. Below are 10 interesting blogs that present unique perspectives on the topic of microfinance. Do you agree with our picks? Let us know…
Read MoreBank on Africa this Summer and Be a Part of Something Big
Opportunity International‘s Banking on Africa Campaign is bringing millions of Sub-Saharan Africans closer to the day when they can safely deposit their savings, access loans to grow their businesses and purchase affordable insurance to protect their families—right in their own communities. The Banking on Africa Campaign enables us to provide powerful financial tools in rural and remote areas that help build thriving communities and break the cycle of poverty. This summer, take a small part in…
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