1st Place: Operation PeaceMaker in India

Location: India (Hyderabad and Warangal)

About the Project: Domestic violence is all too common in many households—so common that most women in India aren't aware of their legal right to live without abuse. Many women want to flee from domestic violence but have nowhere safe to go and feel little control over their lives and family environments. Opportunity partners with My Choices Foundation on the Operation PeaceMaker program, which trains local women to identify women in their community who are experiencing domestic violence and to stand alongside them as they work toward a solution. Each PeaceMaker provides support and access to services that deliver peaceful resolutions to violent situations, including counseling, rights education, legal aid, and case work. Since 2012, Operation PeaceMaker has opened five support centers, created a temporary home for survivors of domestic violence, and trained 215 PeaceMakers. They also offer vocational training skills in craft and sewing so these women can earn an income. Operation PeaceMaker recently launched the PeaceChampion program, which focuses on getting young men on college campuses to be allies in eliminating violence against women and girls.

2nd Place: Vocational Training for at-risk young women in Ghana

Location: Accra, Ghana

About the Project: Many girls and young women living in extreme poverty in the Northern regions of Ghana have to migrate to cities to find work so they can send money home to their families. Most of these young women become kayayei, or “head porters,” who make money by carrying heavy loads of goods on their heads and selling them in markets. The hours are long. The pay is poor. They are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.

Opportunity International Savings and Loans in Ghana has been reaching out to this group of young women since 2015. Their tailored vocational training and livelihood program provides these vulnerable young women with the business skills, financial knowledge, and materials to start their own small businesses (e.g. making soap, beads, or bread). Upon completion of the program, the women receive a starter kit with the materials they need to make their first products. By empowering these women to earn their own incomes, many are able to move to safer conditions closer to their families. The vision is to put 1,500 women through the program in two years.

3rd Place: Serving Families and Girls with Disabilities in Uganda

Location: Central Region, Uganda

About the Project: In Uganda, as in other countries, disability can result in social isolation and financial burdens. Opportunity Bank Uganda works with Cheshire Services Uganda, a nonprofit that supports and empowers children and people living with disabilities. By boosting family income and breaking down cultural barriers, the project addresses the notable education gap for the 91% of school-aged children with disabilities who are not enrolled in primary education.

Opportunity Bank Uganda focuses on the parents of children with disabilities who registered with Cheshire Services Uganda. They ensure that all who need it have a way to earn a livelihood through receive business management and financial literacy training, microfinance loans, savings, and insurance. In addition, the project works with local authorities to ensure there is counseling to help break local stigmas associated with disability and programs that prevent the abuse of children with disabilities. To date, more than 900 parents have participated in the program, with a goal of 2,000 parents reached in the next two years.

In Uganda, as in other countries, disability can result in social isolation and financial burdens. Opportunity Bank Uganda works with Cheshire Services Uganda, a nonprofit that supports and empowers children and people living with disabilities. By boosting family income and breaking down cultural barriers, the project addresses the notable education gap for the 91% of school-aged children with disabilities who are not enrolled in primary education.

Opportunity Bank Uganda focuses on the parents of children with disabilities who registered with Cheshire Services Uganda. They ensure that all who need it have a way to earn a livelihood through receive business management and financial literacy training, microfinance loans, savings, and insurance. In addition, the project works with local authorities to ensure there is counseling to help break local stigmas associated with disability and programs that prevent the abuse of children with disabilities. To date, more than 900 parents have participated in the program, with a goal of 2,000 parents reached in the next two years.