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Happy 92nd Birthday, Nelson Mandela!
Where there is poverty and sickness, where human beings are being oppressed, there is more work to be done. Our work is for freedom for all. – Nelson Mandela, speaking in London’s Hyde Park, June 2008 Happy birthday to the father of post-Apartheid South Africa. On Sunday, July 18th, Nelson Mandela turned 92. The South Read more…
Spotlight on Agricultural Finance: An Interview with an Agriculture Finance Officer
“Most of the world’s poor are smallholder farmers and their families. By targeting them, we can dramatically reduce extreme poverty and food insecurity.” -UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, addressing the Malawian parliament on May 29, 2010. Through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the MasterCard Foundation, Opportunity is now offering greater financial Read more…
Tagged accra, Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, andrew koehler, Ban Ki-moon, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Clients, Community, Education, Ending Poverty, Farmer, Farmers, Financial Times, Ghana, Insurance, Loan Officer, Loans, Malawi, MasterCard Foundation, Microfinance, Microinsurance, Opportunity International, Poverty, Savings, Smallholder farmer, Technology, The MasterCard Foundation, Training, Uganda, United Nations
What We’re Reading: Roger Thurow Encourages Rwandan Farmers to “Keep Up the Momentum”
This week, Roger Thurow, Senior Fellow on Global Agriculture and Food Policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, posted a blog reporting on an unusual situation for farmers in Kirehe, Rwanda — an agricultural surplus. Thurow examines the situation, interviewing Agnes Kalibata, Rwanda’s minister of agriculture, and discusses the positive impact of USAID’s Feed Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Conference, Enough, Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty, Feed the Future Guide, Financial services, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Microfinance Conference, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Poverty, Roger Thurow, Rwanda, Savings, Technology, Training, USAID
Loans for Latrines: Innovations for Good Hygiene in Malawi
If Opportunity International‘s mission is to empower people to improve their quality of life and their futures, then good hygiene is critical. Not only does this lead to less illness and improved overall health, but it also helps people live with greater dignity. With that in mind, Opportunity Malawi has entered into a partnership with Read more…
Tagged Clean water, Empowerment, Families, Health, Hygiene Village Project, Latrine, Loans, Malawi, NGO, Opportunity Malawi, Sanitation, Trust Groups
Your Last Chance for Tanzania — Listen to the YAO Broadcast
The deadline is fast approaching for the Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO) Insight Trip to Tanzania, September 4-11, 2010. You must register by this Sunday, July 4th to secure your spot. Don’t miss the chance to see microfinance at work in this vibrant, developing African country. Today, listen to YAO manager Sonya Perez-Lauterbach’s interview with Read more…
Top 5 Posts About Tanzania
Journey to Tanzania by revisiting some of Opportunity‘s best blog posts from this spring… 1. Arusha Bank Branch Opening in Tanzania, by YAO multimedia reporter AJ Renold (5/19/10) 2. Happy Father’s Day from Opportunity (6/20/10) 3. The Important Role of Women in Tanzania, on International Women’s Day (3/8/10) 4. Why We’re Excited About the Tanzania Read more…
Tagged Banks, Clients, Fathers, Microfinance, OptINnow, Tanzania, Women
The World Food Prize Honors Grassroots Efforts in Hunger and Poverty Alleviation
Congratulations to the 2010 World Food Prize Laureates for their outstanding contribution to the elimination of world hunger. The World Food Prize honored David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, and Jo Luck, CEO of Heifer International, for their critical efforts in mobilizing and empowering everyday citizens to end hunger in communities around the Read more…
Women of the Congo: Bringing Hope through Microfinance
“It is a war that men have provoked, but women have paid the highest price.” These are the words of a UN peacekeeper in Lisa Jackson’s award-winning documentary, The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo, a film about the violence and violation faced by women living in the war-torn eastern region of the Democratic Republic Read more…
Tagged Banking on Africa, Bill Morgenstern, Board of Directors, CEO, Community, Democratic Republic of Congo, Economic development, Families, Financial services, Global Leadership Team, Hope, Kadita "A.T." Tshibaka, Ken Vander Weele, Mother, Ruth-Anne, Savings, The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo, Trust Group, UN, UN peacekeeper, War, Women, Women's Opportunity Network, Women's Philanthropy, WON
Opportunity Ghana launches a mobile bank
“We have realized that many of our customers are travelling between 50 and 100 km [between 30 and 60 miles] to access banking services,” says Effie Cook, head of HR at Opportunity Ghana. “So we have focused our energies on developing innovative delivery channels that serve the needs of the marginalized and reach out to Read more…
Tagged Africa, Balance confirmation, Ban Ki-moon, Business and Financial Times, Cell phone banking, Cell Phones, Clients, Customer service, Deposits, Financial Access, Ghana, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, Poverty, Rural Outreach, Savings, Withdrawals
