Highlights

(as of December 31, 2010)

The generosity of our supporters helped Opportunity clients and their communities thrive in 2009. Our microfinance products made it possible for market vendors to fill their stalls with goods, artisans to make a profit, educators to expand schools and farmers to move beyond subsistence.

1,512,146 active loans

develop businesses, increase incomes, provide for families and create jobs for neighbors. 

788,300 savings accounts

give clients a secure place to save and grow earnings. 

1,366,515 microinsurance policyholders

protect their families with life, health and crop insurance. 

$142 is the average first loan

for Trust Group members who collectively share risk and guarantee repayment. 

84% of loans are made to women

who improve the quality of life for their families. 

96% loan repayment rate

allows us to keep more money circulating in new loans. 

12,414 staff members,

99% of whom are nationals, serve our clients in more than 20 countries. 

7,011 loan officers

are at the heart of our work, offering support and counsel to every client. 

Over 1.3 million clients receive training

to develop business skills and enhance personal growth. 

Related Photos

  • The Nyamata branch of the Urwego Opportunity Bank (UOB) of Rwanda.
  • John Chimkango a loan officer with the Opportunity International Bank of Malawi meets with members of the Chigumukire Trust Group.
  • Loan officer Maximos Biyazawo meets with members of the Chilambo ("The Country") Trust Group near Lilongwe, Malawi.
  • Client Milly Nassuna makes a savings deposit at Opportunity’s bank branch near the Kalerwe Market of Kampala, Uganda.
  • Padmavathy was surprised and relieved when Opportunity insurance covered her daughter’s urgent surgery. Not only did she receive the care she needed, but Padmavathy was spared the burden of a significant debt. Here she reviews insurance forms with her loan officer, Rajeswari.
  • Ruth Nassimbwa signs paperwork at the weekly Progressive Trust Group meeting.
  • Opportunity client Nuulu Nankya teaches preschoolers at Ladybird School, adjacent to the Kalerwe Market.
  • Loan officer Valamarthi (left) helped Deepa, a client from a marginalized gypsy community, start a container business.
  • In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, loan officer Rehema Paul (left) meets with the Mshikamano-B Trust Group.
  • Our mobile banking in the Rwamagana District of Rwanda serves remote clients.
  • at 17, Jorge Gepez learns about business at Opportunity’s Entrepreneurship training program in Colombia.
  • Opportunity Colombia clients Rubi Anillo (left) and Sandra Marquez record their Trust Group
  • When R. Jeyanthi became an Opportunity loan officer three years ago, she crisscrossed the streets of Chennai on her bicycle, forming 29 Trust Groups with 535 members along the way.
  • Opportunity managers attend leadership classes at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya.
  • Opportunity’s point-of-sale (POS) device brings banking services to our clients at this agriculture supply store in Malawi. Owner Rafi k Latiff (left) discusses POS usage with Webster Mbekeani, head of mobile marketing.
  • Client using an Opportunity ATM in Blantyre, Malawi
  • Emmanuel Zakia, one of two family members employed by loan client Kagimu Ceasar, makes paintings for tourists in Kampala, Uganda.
  • Malawi farmer Jakobo Chikayiko (left) discusses his groundnut crop with loan officer Chabubo Mzuma. In 2002, Jakobo lost his father to starvation during a drought. Now, no matter what the rainfall, Opportunity crop insurance protects his family from this risk.
  • Opportunity Malawi clients line up to deposit money or get loans at a mobile bank that makes weekly stops in their rural village.
  • To bring greater access to urban clients living or working far from the main branch, Opportunity uses a truck container ingeniously repurposed as a portable bank. A practical and affordable solution, these bank branches accept savings deposits and disburse loans.
  • Opportunity Malawi client Joyce Kango owns a small groceryconvenience store an hour away from Blantyre, the nearest city.
  • Catherine Dailes, with her one-year-old daughter, makes a withdrawal from her savings account at an Opportunity bank branch near her home in rural Malawi.
  • Bank cards that use biometric technology provide a convenient, secure way to bank, especially for those who are illiterate or lack formal identification. Clients’ fingerprints are recorded on their cards and used for quick and secure identification during transactions, such as at this ATM.
  • An Opportunity Malawi client uses her biometric-enabled Smart Card to make a transaction at an ATM in her community.
  • A Opportunity Malawi staff member shows a rural shop owner how to use this point-of-sale device to conduct a banking transaction.
  • Biometrics allow clients like Mercy Chipeta to access their accounts without formal and expensive paper identification.
  • Lucas Chingore now conducts business from a mobile bank that makes weekly stops within walking distance of his farm.
  • With an Opportunity loan, Libier Flores Lopez opened a sewing buisiness near Guadalajara, Mexico.
  • Opportunity Colombia CEO Gilberto Rubio, a 25-year banking veteran, meets with his staff.
  • Weather-indexed crop insurance offers client Alejandra Betita protection from typhoons in the Philippines.