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Carol Stream, Illinois 60132

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© 2024 Opportunity Internationala 501(c)3 nonprofit. EIN: 540907624.

News Blog

Our Insight Trip to Meet the Microfinance Clients of Colombia

by Westina Matthews Shatteen

Our travelers gathered with Trust Group loan officers in their office to begin the day with morning devotions. The 15officers have 4,375 clients managed out of this particular office. Despite the heavy rain outside, there were smiles, warm welcomes, and lots of praise and worship inside. The opening devotional song translates to: “Do your part, we will change the world.” Hands were clapping, a tambourine was playing, eyes were closed, and voices were loud. They knew all the words by heart.…

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Ohio State Students Break Bread to Fight Poverty

by Megan Colgan

The following is a guest blog post by Megan Colgan, a senior undergraduate student at Ohio State University and a former Opportunity intern: Appetizers galore, tasty homemade meatloaf, a giant platter filled with an assortment of vibrantly colored roasted vegetables, scrumptious cookies and brownies, and more… Mouth watering yet?   Mine sure was. I proudly looked at my dinner laid out across my long dining room table set for 15 of my good friends and fellow classmates at Ohio State University.…

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Chicago Event: Granting Opportunities for Women Worldwide

by Betsy Perdue

The following guest post about this Chicago Council on Global Affairs event was written by Women’s Opportunity Network (WON) co-chair Betsy Perdue: “Studies show that women, when provided with a decent wage, invest 90% of their earnings in their families while men invest around 30-40%… Please join Jacqueline Novogratz and Kavita Ramdas for a discussion of the advantages and challenges of microlending and grantmaking approaches to invest in women and girls.” That was the intriguing invitation…

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Program Update: Opportunity Launching Microfinance Bank to Reach More Families in Colombia

by Diane Ferguson

In Colombia, Opportunity is creating a finance company that will offer loans, savings, insuranceand training to entrepreneurs living in poverty. Opportunity’s three Colombian-based microfinance institutions are being consolidated to form Opportunity Colombia. Opportunity is preparing to submit a banking license application to Colombia’s Financial Superintendency. The consolidation will give nearly 20,000 families access to interest-bearing savings accounts. This will provide a critical safety…

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A Trust Group in India: The Most Marginalized Women Can Be Reached

by Lydia Baldridge Meier

It is refreshing to me that there has been a lot of discussion recently about economic and social empowerment of people living in poverty. Between the report on the Millennium Development Goals progress and the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City in September, it seems the world’s most engaged global leaders are taking notice of the need to alleviate global poverty. The Pudhiya Padhai Trust Group in Chennai, India helped 19 women grow from outcasts to family providers. Today, there…

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What We’re Reading: The Poor Will Be Glad

by Eric Walcott

Every Wednesday, we highlight an article, book or a blog in our “What We’re Reading” series. We feature works that are noteworthy, inspiring, educational or relevant to the work we do at Opportunity. We welcome your comments in the comment field below–tell us what you’re reading, or respond to the piece we’ve highlighted. The following post by Eric Walcott, an Opportunity intern in our Resource Development department, reflects on Peter Greer and Phil Smith’s book The Poor Will Be…

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Why Women? Investing in Women Invests in Communities

by Opportunity International

Throughout the world, women represent an estimated 70% of those living on less than $2 a day. They suffer most from the chronic effects of poor nutrition, insufficient access to healthcare and limited educational opportunities. And they comprise the majority of victims of forced labor, gender violence, and legal and cultural inequities.  Yet, when women are empowered economically, they spend an estimated 90% of their income to support of their children, families and communities–leading to families…

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In the News: Mobile Phone Banking and Opportunity Malawi

by Opportunity International

The Financial Times has just published a story online and in print in their World Food supplement about the effects of mobile phone technology on smallholder farmers in Africa. The article, “Mobile technology: Phones prove useful tools for small farmers,” (written by Sarah Murray; published online Oct. 14, 2010, in print Oct. 15, 2010) featured insight from Opportunity Malawi CEO Aleksandr-Alain Kalanda along with other scholars and experts in microfinance and global development. Cell…

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Today is World Food Day–Saturday, Oct. 16

by Opportunity International

Saturday, Oct. 16th is World Food Day, a day designated by the U.N.’s World Food Programme to raise awareness and support in the fight against global hunger. From wfp.org: “World Food Day on October 16 reminds the world that around 1 in 7 people alive today are going hungry[...] [Though,] this year, the number of hungry people on Earth went down for the first time in five years, …there are still more than 925 million people, mainly children, who do not eat enough to be healthy.” At Opportunity’s 2010…

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New Video: Opportunity International Emerging Leaders Program

by Opportunity International

We have just posted a new, updated video about our work with the inspiring women in the Goldman Sachs Emerging Leader Program. Part of the 10,000 Women Initiative, the Emerging Leaders Program is changing the lives of young women working for Opportunity International in eight African countries (Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo). These women receive training in banking and finance to help them establish or advance careers in microfinance…

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