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In Memory of Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
I had the great honor of twice meeting Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai. The first time was in the frenetic hallways of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. The second was in a quiet lecture room at the Los Angeles Public Library. While the settings were in stark contrast, Professor Maathai was quite the same Read more…
Supporting Smallholder Farmers and Laying the Groundwork to End Hunger
To end hunger, we need to grow more food in the developing world. But as we all know, before you plant the seeds, you must prepare the soil. In order to grow more food in the developing world, we must invest in agricultural training, infrastructure and systems that will empower farmers, countries and continents to Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Congress, Ending Hunger, Feed the Future Guide, Food security, Hunger, hunger fast, John Magnay, Opportunity International, President Bush, President Obama, Rajiv Shah, rural savings, Smallholder farmer, Tony Hall, U.S. Ambassador, UN, USAID
Worldwide Voices in Support of Microfinance and Dr. Muhammad Yunus
Earlier this week, Opportunity International and a dozen other leading microfinance organizations issued an open letter (below) supporting Nobel Laureate and Medal of Freedom winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Since then, we have seen an increasing number of statements in support of Dr. Yunus from high-ranking U.S. officials including Senator John Kerry, organizations like ONE and Read more…
Leading Researchers in Support of Microfinance
This week, nine leading economics researchers–from MIT, UC-Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, Boston University and the Chicago Booth School of Business–co-wrote a piece for the Financial Times entitled, “Microcredit is Not the Enemy.” In it, they support the principles of microfinance, defend it against the extreme attacks being leveled at the sector, and caution against undermining the Read more…
Tagged Ending Poverty, Financial services, Financial Times, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity International
Andhra Pradesh: Will the Crisis Spread Throughout India?
In mid-October, the government of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh passed an ordinance severely restricting the operations of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the region. The controversial action was taken after local officials complained of wide-spread abuses in the rapidly growing for-profit microfinance sector; the MFIs have challenged the ordinance in the state’s high Read more…
Tagged Agricultural finance, Andhra Pradesh, Bank Building, Bank for the poor, CGAP, Clients, Education, Ending Poverty, Financial services, India, Insurance, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Microinsurance, Opportunity India, Opportunity International, Poverty, Rural Outreach, Savings, SEEP Network, Smart Campaign, Technology, Training
Melinda Gates Highlights Opportunity International
Earlier this week, Opportunity International was honored to host Melinda Gates as she visited some of our clients and experienced our banking services in Malawi. With the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Opportunity is expanding access to savings accounts, loans, training and insurance to people struggling to work their way out of Read more…
The Tragedy in Haiti: How You Can Help
At Opportunity International we are heartbroken over the horrible suffering and staggering devastation in Haiti. Please join with us in praying for the people of Haiti and supporting the ongoing relief effort. In this immediate aftermath, we would encourage you to consider supporting one of our partners with operations in Haiti or one of the Read more…
Tagged Compassion International, Earthquake, Fonkoze, Habitat for Humanity, Haiti, World Relief, World Vision
Development as a strategic, economic and moral imperative
“Women and girls are one of the world’s greatest untapped resources and a terrific return on investment…I have seen for myself the transformative power of microlending in women’s lives and their families and communities.” The above quote is from a speech given earlier this week at the Center for Global Development by Secretary of State Read more…
Painters, Activists & Engineers at the Clinton Global Initiative
On the last evening of The Clinton Global Initiative, I ended up chatting with the following three people: a painter who uses his art to teach children in Mexico about tolerance and peace, a small business loan officer who works for a community development organization in Harlem, and an engineer who is piloting a solar Read more…
