“Opportunity International is one of the most capable and innovative organizations working to expand access to basic banking and insurance worldwide.”
– Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President of Global Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
“I believe eradicating poverty is a choice we should make, and I believe it is a result we can achieve, if we focus on the right tools, the right people, and the right organizations…I believe Opportunity International is an organization that not only has its heart in the right place, but is building a systemic, sustainable solution to the world’s poverty.”
– Carly Fiorina, Chair of Fiorina Foundation; Former Chairman & CEO of Hewlett-Packard Company
“It is a great privilege to partner with Opportunity International in our effort to alleviate hunger in Malawi and Mozambique. Opportunity’s technology driven microfinance services help create a sustainable framework to increase food production and bring access to financing for thousands of hunger-afflicted people.”
– Robert W. Lane, Retired CEO, Deere & Company
“At Omidyar Network, we believe that every person has the power to make a difference in the world regardless of their economic or social standing. We are proud to support Opportunity International and applaud their innovative approach to poverty alleviation. Opportunity’s new technology based services will complement and amplify the value of its life-changing microfinance services.”
– Matt Bannick, Managing Partner, Omidyar Network
“For 14 years, Caterpillar Foundation has entrusted Opportunity International with our resources to bring the benefits of economic development to the poorest regions of the world. Thanks to our continued partnership, the Foundation’s recent investment will finance 175,000 emerging entrepreneurs in up to 25 countries.”
– Will Ball, Vice President, Caterpillar Foundation
“Opportunity International gives people hope and dignity. It gets people up on their feet. It’s the best tool I’ve seen in the world today to bring people out of poverty. Money that’s invested in microfinance never stops working.”
– Ambassador Tony P. Hall, Ambassador & Former U.S. Congressman
“As we struggle to care for AIDS victims, their families, and the widows and orphans they leave behind, we are grateful for the help and encouragement extended by our foreign friends. I am particularly grateful to Opportunity International for recognizing the potential for microcredit to transform the lives of thousands of Ugandans. We look forward to seeing more women walk tall and with pride.”
– Janet Museveni, First Lady of Uganda
“Opportunity International [is] helping to create hundreds of small businesses and cottage industries that the poor of the world can own and run themselves. What better way is there to carry out Christ’s mandate to help the poor…I have seen firsthand the good work done by Opportunity International and know that hundreds of thousands of jobs have been created by its efforts.”
– Tony Campolo, Professor Emeritus, Eastern University
“From the bottom of my heart, I believe in Opportunity International. This organization is like the starter dough our neighbor gave Mom to make sourdough bread. When you give people the opportunity to create wealth, you help them for the rest of their life. We dream of the day when every person in the world has starter dough.”
– Rick Warren, Pastor, Saddleback Church
“We all believe that we should be able to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps. But that doesn’t work if you don’t know what a bootstrap is, let alone have any…I love the work of Opportunity International because they always listen first, and through listening help discover talents and opportunities that can then be turned into income generating opportunities.”
– Ward Brehm, Chairman, The Brehm Group Inc.; Former Chairman for the United States African Development Foundation
“This [Opportunity International crop insurance] is a big deal for those of us who are working on trying to raise farm income in rural Africa…This is a very impressive thing.”
– President Bill Clinton
“Whether in Manila or in the countryside, we will make microfinance a cornerstone in our fight against poverty…Opportunity International [is] the first microlending program in the nation which was converted to a bank. It is time the poor people benefit from the savings of the nation.”
– President Gloria Arroyo, Republic of the Philippines
“Microfinance makes sense in theory and it makes even better sense in practice. With the range of opportunities it provides, the range of jobs it supports, the number of children it sends to school…microfinance really benefits those who need it most, and 85 percent of them are women.” (Speaking at the Medina bank branch opening, Opportunity Ghana)
– HRH Princess Anne, United Kingdom
