Subscribe via RSS
Subscribe via EmailMonthly Archives: July 2011
What We’re Reading: Top 10 Blogs About Microfinance & Poverty Eradication
Blogs are a great way to hear a variety of voices and experience an issue from diverse perspectives and if you’re interested in microfinance and global development there are a variety of sites full of information, opinions, and more. These blogs, like our Opportunity Blog, are fun ways to learn more about the voices and Read more…
Tagged Accion, Asia, banking with the poor network, Blog, Blogging, Blogs, Center for Financial Inclusion, CGAP, Community, Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, Defeat Poverty, Financial services, global development, Global Poverty, Grameen Foundation, India, India Microfinance, MFI, Microfinance, MicroFinance Transparency, Mykro, Nicholas D. Kristof, Opportunity Blog, Opportunity International, Poverty, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal
Bank on Africa this Summer and Be a Part of Something Big
Did you know? The African continent is home to 24 of the 25 most impoverished countries on earth, and in Sub-Saharan Africa, less than 10% of the population has an account with a financial institution.Opportunity International‘s Banking on Africa Campaign is bringing millions of Sub-Saharan Africans closer to the day when they can safely deposit Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Banking on Africa, Banking on Africa Campaign, Clients, Community, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Insurance, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Microinsurance, mobile banking vehicles, Opportunity International, Poverty, Rural Outreach, Savings, sub-Saharan Africa, Technology, Training
What We’re Watching: John Deere Classic on CBS Sports–John Deere Foundation Partners with Opportunity to Make a Difference
This video clip, which aired Sunday, July 10 on CBS Sports during the 2011 John Deere Classic PGA golf tournament, celebrates John Deere’s partnership with Opportunity International through the Classic and other initiatives. Here, John Deere chairman and CEO Sam Allen discusses the company’s commitment to philanthropy and economic development at home and abroad, ensuring Read more…
Tagged Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Ending Poverty, Farmers, Financial services, Food security, Global Poverty, Insurance, john deere, john deere foundation, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Poverty, Savings, Smallholder farmer, Training
Opportunity Co-Hosts Financial Literacy Conference in Kenya
This week in Nairobi, Opportunity International and The Financial Education Fund (FEF)–which is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID)–are co-sponsoring a Financial Literacy Conference to explore how access to financial services can be facilitated and enhanced through financial education initiatives. The Financial Literacy Conference opened with remarks from Professor Njuguna S. Ndunu’u, governor Read more…
Tagged Africa, Conference, Education, Financial Education Fund, Financial literacy programs, Financial services, Ghana, Kenya, MFI, Microfinance, Mozambique, Opportunity International, Poverty, Rwanda, South Africa, Training, Uganda
Prayers for Peace in Malawi
The following post is a letter from Bill Morgenstern, CEO of Opportunity International, to Opportunity’s staff and supporters about the recent demonstrations in Malawi. While we are still gathering information on the riots in Malawi, we wanted to provide you a brief update on the situation. There are reports that during the anti-government protests yesterday Read more…
Tagged Africa, Bill Morgenstern, Malawi, MFI, Opportunity International, Opportunity Malawi, political demonstrations, Poverty
Our Prayers for the Millions Affected by the Drought in East Africa
For the past two years, a drought has affected East Africa and has placed more than 10 million people at risk. The lack of rain, especially in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, has caused crops to fail, food prices to rise, and cattle to perish, reducing food sources and food security for the people. Unfortunately, there Read more…
Tagged Africa, Clients, Crisis, Crop insurance, crops, Drought, East Africa, Farmers, Financial services, Food security, harvest, humanitarian, IFAD, Insurance, Intern, international aid, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Kenya, Microensure, Microfinance, Microinsurance, news, Opportunity International, Opportunity Kenya, Poverty, Weather-index crop insurance
Update: Opportunity DRC in Kinshasa Grows, Expanding Microfinance to More People of the Congo
Opportunity Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) celebrated its grand opening on May 19th in the capital city of Kinshasa. Since Opportunity International‘s arrival in the DRC, we’ve seen marked changes in the lives of the Congolese people. Opportunity DRC is extending much-needed microfinance products in a country where only 1% of the population has access Read more…
Tagged 10000 women initiative, Africa, Clients, Democratic Republic of Congo, DR Congo, DRC, DRC Grand Opening, Emerging Leaders, emerging leaders program, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Gilbert Lagaillarde, Global Poverty, Goldman Sachs, Kinshasa, Loan Officer, Loans, local staffing, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, Poverty, Savings, Technology, Training, Women
What We’re Reading: “Rural and Agricultural Finance in the Spotlight at Cracking the Nut Conference”
A few weeks ago, Shari Berenbach, Director of USAID’s Microenterprise Development Office, wrote a blog post on the USAID’s IMPACTblog reported on a conference held in Washington that directly addressed the problems that face agricultural microfinance, as 600 million smallholder farmers currently live on less than $2 a day. Speakers at the conference emphasized new Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, ATMs, biometric fingerprint technology, biometrics, branchless banking, Cell phone banking, Colombia, Community, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Global Poverty, Kenya, Latin America, Loans, M-banking, M-PESA, Malawi, MFI, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, mobile branches, mobile phone banking, Mobile Phones, Opportunity International, Opportunity Kenya, Opportunity Malawi, Poverty, Rural banking, Rural Outreach, Technology, USAID, USAID Impact blog, what we're reading
Celebrating Independence Day around the World
On Independence Day, Americans celebrate with fireworks, barbeques, and joyous gatherings. We celebrate our “Americanness” whole-heartedly today and believe our national identity is a representation of the freedom that we gained in 1776. With that being said, none of us were alive in 1776! In fact, the majority of us don’t have relatives that were Read more…
Tagged Blantyre, Chennai, Clients, Deepa, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Fourth of July, Ghana, Global Poverty, Holiday, Independence, Independence Day, India, Loans, Malawi, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity India, Opportunity International, Opportunity Malawi, Poverty, Women
