Opportunity International Celebrates 1 Billion in Loans Released
January 2025 – Opportunity International, a longstanding global leader in mobilizing capital for the extreme poor and promoting multi-dimensional economic development, reached a milestone $1 billion invested in education through its signature Education Finance programming. In partnership with 200 Financial Service Providers (FSPs) from across 32 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, Opportunity’s EduFinance program has officially supported over 15 million children through investments in the nonstate school sector, the entrepreneurs who develop institutions of education, and the families seeking to send their children to quality schools.
“13 years back, Opportunity embarked on an audacious goal, partnering with local financial institutions to fund local entrepreneurs to rapidly expand the availability of high-quality, low-cost education in underserved communities across low- and middle-income nations” said Opportunity CEO Atul Tandon. “Excited to ring the bell on an achievement we never thought possible, our investments across 50,000 schools has built human capital and better futures for millions of students and their families.”
Opportunity International EduFinance provides tailored technical assistance to locally-based financial institutions to help design, launch, and grow education loan portfolios in underserved markets. The organization’s efforts have recently been recognized by HundrED's Global Collection Report, which presents a curated selection of the world's most impactful and scalable educational innovations.
In the 5th Edition of their annual State of the Affordable Non-State School Sector report, Opportunity International highlights the growing demand for non-state education worldwide, estimating that an additional 38 million school seats will be needed by 2026 in low- and middle-income countries. That need is reflected by the inclusion of 23 new financial institutions joining Opportunity’s Education Finance initiatives and a 16% year-on-year increase of loans disbursed by Education Finance financial service partners.
“By working with local financial institutions, we are able to mobilize funds even in harder-to-reach, lower-income markets,” said Opportunity’s Head of Education Finance, Andrew McCusker. “We are just as proud of this billion-dollar achievement as we are to have over 200 local partners supporting this effort, enabling us to expand our reach to families and entrepreneurs who need it most.”
New impact data from the organization also reveals that financial inclusion strategies for nonstate schools can lead to better learning outcomes. Learners from low-income families, particularly girls, may gain up to six months equivalent of additional learning in schools that receive financial support and/or training.
At scale, this impact can have dramatic economic consequences for a nation, with an additional year of education resulting in increased income generation to an individual over the course of their life.
Opportunity’s EduQuality professional development programming provides training, strategy, and other support for school proprietors and teachers alike – providing them with new techniques to help them grow infrastructure and develop higher-quality institutions. The EduQuality program continues to support 3,304 schools across 13 countries.
Opportunity’s Education Finance programming began with research and testing of education services in Ashaiman, Ghana in 2007. Over the last 17 years, the organization has designed specialized financial products for school owners and families that are aimed at improving access to quality education for children in low-income communities as well as supporting the training of school leaders and teachers to deliver the best education possible.
About Opportunity International
Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been empowering people to work their way out of poverty since 1971. Opportunity provides 18.7 million people with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2023, Opportunity International and its partners served 20 million clients, helped fund 7,000 schools that reached 1.9 million children, and they released more than $1.85 billion in capital across 31 countries.
Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X.
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Opportunity International Celebrates 1 Billion in Loans Released
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