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Subscribe via EmailMonthly Archives: February 2012
How Will You Celebrate Women on March 8th?
In just one week, on Thursday, March 8th, the world will celebrate International Women’s Day 2012. On this day, organizations and individuals will gather to celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future. Here at Opportunity, where 85% of our clients are women, we’re passionate about equipping the next generation of women Read more…
Tagged biometric fingerprint technology, Clients, Community, DR Congo, Education, Ending Poverty, Facebook, Financial services, Global Poverty, Half the Sky, International Women's Day, IWD2012, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Mothers, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, Savings, School fee loans, Schools, Social Media, Students, Uganda, Women, Women's Philanthropy
Meet Client Monica: She is Clothed with Strength and Dignity
When I’m having a rough week, I take a quick break to remember Opportunity‘s clients, like Monica Koranteng, who is most definitely a Proverbs 31 woman. Meet Monica: she watches over the affairs of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Before being introduced to Opportunity Ghana, Monica worked as a “hawker,” Read more…
Connecting in Rural Areas with Enterprise Open Sky (EOS) Technology
In remote areas of Mozambique, Ghana and Rwanda, far from the nearest brick-and-mortar bank branch, many Opportunity International clients, regardless of where they live or work, can make transactions in real time using Enterprise Open Sky (EOS). Built by Opportunity’s MIS Services, EOS is a set of computer programs that works seamlessly in conjunction with the core banking system, provided Read more…
First Day of School in Nicaragua
The idea seemed almost too good to be true: a self-sustainable, private high school providing academic coursework in tandem with technical classes and apprenticeship within reach of people living in rural poverty. If it could be done, it would be completely in line with Opportunity Nicaragua’s Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) model. I was sold: hook, Read more…
Tagged Agriculture, Clients, Community, David Allman, David Kone, Education, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Geralyn Sheehan, Global Poverty, Granada, Latin America, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Nicaragua, Opportunity International, Opportunity Nicaragua, Poverty, Schools, Students, Training, YAO, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity, Youth
What We’re Reading: A Microfinance, Poverty, Empowerment Reading List
Looking for your next big read? We’ve put together a list of compelling books we’re reading, running the gamut from microfinance and international development, to global aid and putting your faith into action. Check out our list and let us know what you think in the comment field below. What would you add, and what Read more…
Tagged Banker to the Poor, Daryl Collins, Dead Aid, Ghana, Global Poverty, Half the Sky, Jacqueline Novogratz, Katie Smith Milway, Kojo, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Muhammad Yunus, Nicholas D. Kristof, One Hen, Opportunity International, Portfolios of the Poor, Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day, Poverty, Sheryl WuDunn, The Blue Sweater, unpoverty, unpoverty rich lessons from the working poor, Women, Women's Opportunity Network, Women's Philanthropy, WON
Our Prayers for Victims of Monday’s Devastating Earthquake in Philippines
On Monday morning, a 6.7-magnitude earthquake (U.S. Geological Survey) struck central Philippines in a narrow strait just off Negros Island. The epicenter was closest to Tayasan, a coastal town of about 32,000 people flanked by mountains in Negros Oriental province. The quake could be felt in at least seven central provinces, including Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Cebu Read more…
A Trip Down Memory Lane with Some New-Old Photos
We have a lot of great photos at Opportunity International. With all of the amazing clients we get to meet and all of the places we get to work, great pictures aren’t hard to come by. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to keep them neatly organized, some of those photos get buried underneath all of Read more…
Look Good, Do Good
This week only, the social entrepreneurs at Sevenly selected Opportunity International as their featured nonprofit, designing t-shirts and a hoodie for sale to benefit our work. They were especially inspired by our work in India, focusing their week-long campaign on our microfinance there, especially health insurance through our microinsurance subsidiary MicroEnsure. After all, our financial services Read more…
Opportunity Canada: 3 Girls Go Plaid for People in the Developing World
We’re always looking for cool new ways that Opportunity supporters find to help us end poverty. So when we read this story on Opportunity Canada’s blog about three teens going plaid for Opportunity, we loved it! Check it out below or on opportunityinternational.ca. Three girls, one shirt, one pair of shoes, 100 days, 2,500 dollars, Read more…
