Microfinance Loans to Give the Poor a Working Chance - Opportunity Blog

The Greatest Investment We Can Make

By Opportunity International on May 23, 2013

The following post is by Shannon Leutheuser. Shannon is a Young Ambassador for Opportunity and a member of the YAO Advisory Board.

As a working mom with two amazing young children, I can say without hesitation that there is no greater joy in my life than caring for my children. My life revolves around their every need – making sure they are well-fed, well-dressed and thriving in every way. Like many mothers I know, I serve them more food than they could ever eat and rarely refuse a request for dessert. I fuss over their every runny nose and flu and get their doctor’s advice on every developmental milestone. I schedule their days with music class and play groups, hoping to give them every opportunity to learn and grow.

By following the work of Opportunity International, I’m reminded that there are millions of mothers who love their children just as dearly but work with a very different set of resources. Rather than pleading with their children to eat one more bite of vegetables at the dinner table, they struggle to put food on the table at all. Rather than building a college savings fund from the time of birth, they must tell their children that they cannot afford the small monthly school fee required to provide a decent education. Harder still is that each day, a mother somewhere loses her precious child to malnutrition, easily preventable disease or unsanitary conditions.

95 percent of Opportunity International’s loans go to women, many of whom have experienced what it means to struggle to provide the barest of essentials for their families. Based on collateral of nothing more than a trust group of similarly-situated women, Opportunity International provides financial resources, education and training to women who have nowhere else to go. In return, these determined women create sustainable solutions to poverty and bear a 98 percent repayment rate. Most importantly, studies show that women clients reinvest 90 percent of their incomes back into their families – sending their children to school, ensuring they are clothed and fed, and saving for the future. But to any mother, this is probably no surprise – we share a common understanding that the greatest investment we can make is into our children, our families and our communities.

This Mother’s Day, in addition to honoring the women in my life, I honored the connection among all women in the common experience of motherhood. Opportunity International is building a network of women investing in women to end the cycle of poverty, and I am humbled to be a part of it.

Posted in Donors, Hunger, Women, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
Tagged ,

How far would you go to alleviate poverty?

By Opportunity International on May 22, 2013

The following post was written by Vanessa Felts.

Last October, my good friend and Opportunity Governor Deyl Kearin ran 155 miles across the hottest desert on the planet. In support of his pursuit, he started Run4Poverty to raise awareness and sustainable funds for people in impoverished circumstances. Not only did he complete one of the toughest endurance events out there, he raised over $42,000 for Opportunity International.

Vanessa FeltsMany people in Deyl’s community and those who followed him on his journey were inspired. They were inspired by the strength and endurance of one man. They were inspired to support and give. They were inspired to share it with their friends. This is exactly what Deyl had in mind, and hundreds of Opportunity loan recipients’ lives were changed.

What Deyl didn’t necessarily foresee was how he would inspire another (slightly crazy) person to attempt the same feat. He also didn’t know that this person would be a woman.

After hearing straight from Deyl about the grueling, humbling, elating and life-altering experience, I was intrigued. I was not only compelled by the physical event, but also the mental challenge and the clear purpose that went into Deyl’s race. These are the things I love and I believe we were made for.

There was only one hiccup. I, this inspired and empowered woman, had never even run a marathon before, let alone six in a row! I quietly considered the possibility at first and then subtly inquired of Deyl, “Hey, what do you think you’re going to do with all of that gear?” Immediately, Deyl’s eyes lit up and he said to me, “Ness, you can do this. It is 10% physical and 90% mental. You would kill it.”

How’s that for a pep talk? Well, if it wouldn’t have worked for you, it did for me. I was hooked. I could not think of a better way to test my physical and mental capacity and loved the idea of supporting Opportunity International’s clients in the process.

What further inspired me to attempt six marathons in six days was the fact that in looking deeper into the organization that Deyl ran for, I learned that Opportunity International’s loan recipients are 95% female. In some ways I think it is very appropriate for me to struggle physically and mentally, across inhospitable terrain, carrying all of my own gear, in order to raise awareness and funds for women that struggle as much if not more on a daily basis to provide for their families. I am inspired by these women and dedicated to making an impact by raising funds for sustainable change for women worldwide.

So on June 2, I will be carrying the baton for the next leg of Run4Poverty. My adventure will be in the Gobi desert in China, which is marked by mountainous desert terrain, dramatic ranges in temperature from up to 100 degrees to freezing daily, and a rich culture.

My goal is to empower one woman for every kilometer I run. That is 250 women at $150 per loan (the average size of a microfinance loan), for a total of $37,500. This is going to be a tough race. Knowing that one woman is given the opportunity to start her own business or find a creative solution to provide for her family for every kilometer I run will add fuel to my body and my mind. Help me empower these women by supporting one or more of my kilometers.

You can also follow me on my blog while I’m on my journey and share my mission with your friends! I can use all of the support and encouragement I can get. Wish me luck in the Gobi desert!

Posted in Board of Governors, Faith in Action, Fundraisers
Tagged ,

Growing a Family Small Business

By Ally Lynch on May 22, 2013

Francisco and Fidel Aleman are brothers working together to run a wood artisan business that has been in their family for the past 15 years. They were initially taught the trade by their “abuelo” Jose Jacinto Aleman. Jose is now 95 but still hangs around their workshop during the day.

Through partnering with Opportunity Nicaragua for the past 2 years as part of the Artisan Community Program, Fidel and Francisco have been able to export their products out of Nicaragua. Because of this, they have hired 3 additional workers from the community and increased their production and sales – sustainably growing the size of their small business. Fidel has 2 children that already have started learning the trade and helping out in the shop when they can. While they hope to keep the business “in the family”, they want to continue grow by training and hiring additional community members to work in the shop.

Posted in Client Stories, Our Work
Tagged ,

Quantity Isn’t The Only Challenge to Ending Hunger

By Opportunity International on May 21, 2013

Heather Rubacky is the Opportunity International College Ambassadors Coordinator and recently participated in the Live Below the Line challenge.

I love food. I love eating food, making food, sharing food, even just talking about food. It provides me with more than just basic nourishment; it’s my go-to stress reliever, pick-me-up, and icebreaker. I cater friends’ cocktail parties. I measure my exercise in terms of treats earned. And despite my mother’s best training, I constantly play with my food (see the edible football stadium and Peeps Diorama contest entry).

My favorite part is taking something ho-hum, something ordinary, something expected… and making it a surprise. Frosting strawberries to look like Christmas trees. Cheeseburger sliders made out of cake. Bite-sized grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup shooters. Adding a twist creates what I’ve always considered the higher purpose of eating: to delight.

When I signed up for the Live Below the Line challenge, I thought the hardest part would be stretching my daily $1.50 allowance. So imagine my pride as I rung up my purchases for the week (2 boxes of orzo, 2 cans of corn, and a bell pepper) and my total came to less than $7. The “hard part” done, I merrily skipped home to make my first serving of pasta.

After my fourth meal of plain, unsalted pasta with microwaved corn, all I wanted was a cookie. I even went so far as to take one out of my freezer stash, put it on a plate and set it in the microwave, before guiltily putting it back. I wasn’t really hungry but I was so far from satisfied, both nutritionally and emotionally.

By Thursday I was sluggish from my starch-only diet, grumpy from the thought of eating another bowl of reheated orzo (which I may never eat again), bored from avoiding cooking for my family and friends, and coping with simultaneous caffeine and Pinterest withdrawals. But mostly I was deeply humbled by my misguided thinking on Monday that the “hard part” was doing math and shopping smartly.

I realize now how naïve it was to think that the only challenge to hunger is quantity of food available. Even when there is plenty of food around, is it the right food? Does it provide the right nutrients, a balanced diet, or fuel for the body and mind? My diet last week did none of this and only fueled my own frustration at committing to give up even healthy eating for five days. I spent most of Friday contemplating why I had ever thought this challenge was a good idea, and even with only a few hours left in the challenge, I nearly quit. So much for Monday being the hard part.

Food is such a basic but pivotal part of our existence. In the past, I have donated bags of rice to families in extreme poverty and thought, “Wow, they must be so grateful that we’ve provided this.” Now I realize that just isn’t enough.

In the end, this challenge meant more than just giving up fresh produce for a few days. It meant radically changing my thinking about the broader societal impact of extreme poverty… and orzo.

Posted in Fundraisers, Hunger, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
Tagged

Lessons from Mom

By Opportunity International on May 17, 2013

Julia and Erin Smith are both Young Ambassadors for Opportunity. They were introduced to Opportunity International by their mother, Governor Jill Smith. Erin is currently fundraising for Opportunity International at https://www.opportunity.org/give/fundraisers/erinandmichael

It was Christmas morning and I was eager to open all of the presents to get to the final envelopes in the tree. In our family, we always save any envelopes in the tree for last… the envelopes are often our biggest gifts; they might include a picture and a check towards a big ticket item. There were two envelopes left… one with my name and one with my sister’s name on it. What big new item would it be this year? I thought as I ripped it open. I found a gift card for Opportunity International and a letter from my parents about the joy of giving. This card allowed me to go online, look through stories of women all over the world who live in poverty and are in need of a small amount of capital to get their businesses going, and see the face of the women I could help by redeeming my gift card.

I am grateful to have a mother who passionately dedicates her time to an organization like Opportunity International. Her involvement with Opportunity – from hosting people from all over the world in our home to setting up an Insight Trip for me to go to the Dominican Republic when I was 13 to see poverty with my own eyes – has been an example for me to make giving a priority in my life. My sister and I both chose to become Young Ambassadors for Opportunity when we graduated from college and began our careers. It has been such a special experience to remain a part of the life-changing organization our Mom introduced us to growing up.

–Julia Smith

Julia and Erin Smith

Thanks to my mom’s passion for serving others and combating worldwide poverty, Opportunity International has been a part of my life since Mother’s Day of 1986, the day I was born. Yes, my mother became a mother on Mother’s Day.
My mom has a heart that is wide open to God’s unbounded plans for her. Or in other words, she never turns down the chance to visit with Opportunity clients in any corner of the world. She is fearless.

She has traveled throughout Latin America, Africa & Asia to connect face-to-face with men and women whose lives have been transformed by Opportunity International: parents now able to send their children to school, women supporting and praying for each other in trust groups, communities turned around by newfound economic growth. Witnessing such transformation has driven my mom’s dedication to Opportunity for 27 years and counting.

While my mom loves to tell me what to do (sorry Mom, it’s true), I have learned far more from observing how she treats others. Not only has she impacted lives across continents, but she has also opened up our family home to more people than I can count. She cares deeply for each visitor, student or intern that steps through our doors. Through her involvement with Opportunity, our family has come to know some of the most inspirational people you’ll ever meet.

This Mother’s Day, I am thankful for a mother whose heart is open to life’s greatest adventures and possibilities, and whose commitment towards serving others remains stronger than ever before.

–Erin Smith

Posted in Donors, Fundraisers, Women, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. ...
  10. 153