Blog Archives

Does the Shoe Fit?

By Opportunity International on April 11, 2013

Day 2: Opportunity International Philippines Insight Trip A post by Lisa Leslie Henderson As I reflect on the experiences of the day, in the hopes of choosing one to highlight in this blog, my thoughts drift to Imelda Marcos – the wife of Former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. I’m thinking of her shoe fetish—she had Read more…

Posted in Client Stories, Donors, Events, Faith in Action, Health, Insight Trips, Loan officer, Local Staffing, Our Method, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, Our Work, Poverty, Resources, Women
Tagged Imelda Marcos, Philippines, The Philippines

3 Ways Opportunity International Will Tackle Poverty in Mozambique This Year

By Allison Bearden on March 7, 2013

Opportunity Mozambique is providing over 57,000 impoverished clients with loans, savings and insurance to catalyze sustainable economic development across the country. In 2013, Banco Oportunidade de Moçambique (BOM) will reach more impoverished families through the following three strategies, among others: Investing in Savings Expansion with New Products and Promotions. Savings help protect low-income families against Read more…

Posted in Hunger, Loan officer, Loans, Local Staffing, Microfinance, Our Method, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, Our Work, Poverty, Rural Outreach, Savings, Technology, Training, Transformation, Where We Work
Tagged Agricultural finance, Clients, Financial Access, Financial services, Mozambique, Savings

Opportunity International joins forces with Carly Fiorina’s One Woman Initiative

By Opportunity International on February 15, 2013

Opportunity International today announced a dynamic partnership with Carly Fiorina and the One Woman Initiative to empower an additional two million women living in poverty through financial resources, education and training to build sustainable futures. As a Global Ambassador to Opportunity International, Fiorina will lend her voice and influence to Opportunity’s efforts to build a Read more…

Posted in In the News, Meet Our Staff, Our Leadership, Our Method, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, Our Work, Strategic Partners, What We're Reading, What We're Watching, Women
Tagged Carly Fiorina, Education, Financial resources, Global Ambassador, One Woman Initiative, Partnerships, Training, Vicki Escarra, Women

Six Questions with Opportunity International’s Technical Proposal Writer Allison Bearden

By Allison Bearden on February 1, 2013

How long have you worked at Opportunity? I began in August 2010 as an intern and I accepted my current job in May 2011, so I’ve been in this position for a little over one and a half years. What career path led you here? I went to Westmont College, back home in California (I Read more…

Posted in Meet Our Staff, Our Motivation, Our Work, Women
Tagged Interview, proposals, six questions, staff, strategic partners, Technical Writers, Technology, Travel

150,000 people displaced by Flooding in Chokwe, Mozambique

By Opportunity International on January 31, 2013

Flooding of up to six feet has ravaged homes and businesses in Chokwe, Mozambique over the past week, killing 38 people and displacing over 150,000. According to Opportunity Mozambique’s head of branch network, Lusungu Kaunda, “The office is badly damaged and more importantly, over half of our 2,600 clients in the rural village have lost Read more…

Posted in Client Stories, Local Staffing, Our Work, Where We Work
Tagged Africa, Flooding, Mozambique, natural disasters

The Power of Technology to Eradicate Poverty

By Opportunity International on January 18, 2013

Technology efficiently and cheaply brings financial services to people in remote or rural areas. It breaks through barriers throughout the developing world, where people are excluded from financial services because of illiteracy, expensive transportation and geographic isolation. With the support of our strategic partners, individual donors and dedicated staff, Opportunity International leverages technology to help free people Read more…

Posted in Bank Building, Biometrics, Cell phone banking, Client Stories, Loans, Local Staffing, Our Work, POS devices, Poverty, Resources, Savings, Strategic Partners, Technology, Where We Work, Women
Tagged Africa, Annie Nyangomba, ATMs, biometric fingerprint technology, Cell phone banking, Client Stories, Clients, Cloud technology, Community, Democratic Republic of Congo, DR Congo, Ending Poverty, Felicitus Mmboge, Financial services, Global Poverty, invest in technology, Kenya, Kinshasa, Leaders, Loans, local staff, Marie-Claire Ina, MFI, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, Nairobi, Opportunity International, POS devices, Poverty, Satellite bank branch, Technology

Uganda Clients Increase Savings

By Opportunity International on January 9, 2013

Leveraging creative community outreach, Opportunity International Uganda is helping clients invest in their own futures through savings accounts. In just a few months in 2012, a savings drive launched by Opportunity Uganda increased the value of clients’ deposits by 23%, according to the bank’s CEO, André Lalumière. André attributes the campaign’s success to radio advertising Read more…

Posted in Events, Local Staffing, Microfinance, Our Leadership, Our Method, Our Work, Resources, Savings, Training, Where We Work
Tagged Africa, André Lalumière, bank branch, Banking, Banks, Branch staff, Clients, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Impact, Impact newsletter, Kalagi, Kampala, Loan Officers, local staff, Microfinance, Nateete, Opportunity International, Opportunity Uganda, Poverty, Savings, savings drive, Uganda

Opportunity Ghana Innovates to Reach More Marginalized Clients

By Dana Lunberry on January 3, 2013

Opportunity Ghana is using innovative technology to provide financial services to a greater number of impoverished people in remote and rural areas of the country, many of whom have never before had access to formal banking. Through a “hub-and-spoke” method, Opportunity International uses low-cost delivery methods, including kiosk satellite branches, point-of-sale (POS) devices, cell phone Read more…

Posted in Bank Building, Cell phone banking, Loan officer, Local Staffing, POS devices, Rural Outreach, Technology, Where We Work
Tagged accra, Africa, Banking, Cell phone banking, Clients, Community, Ending Poverty, Financial Access, Financial services, Ghana, Kumasi, Loan Officer, Loan repayment, Loans, Microfinance, mobile banking vehicle, OISL, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, POS devices, Technology

Greater Food Security Moves Small-Scale Farmers from Subsistence to Success

By Opportunity International on December 27, 2012

Millions of sub-Saharan Africans lack access to sufficient high-quality food. Even where natural resources are ample, people suffer from chronic malnourishment due to lack of access to financing, quality seed, fertilizer and distribution channels. That’s why Opportunity International is working to increase regional food security by equipping small-scale farmers with the resources they need to Read more…

Posted in Agricultural Finance, Client Stories, Hunger, Loans, Local Staffing, Our Work, Poverty, Rural Outreach, Savings
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, fertilizer, Food security, Hunger, input suppliers, kiosks, Loans, malnourishment, Opportunity International, Poverty, Rwanda, satellite branches, Savings, seed, Smallholder farmer, subsistence farming, Uganda, value chain

Christmas Greetings from Ghana and Opportunity’s Global Family

By Opportunity International on December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas from Opportunity International‘s global family to yours. On this sacred day, we wish you a Christmas filled with joy, peace and love! Effie Cooke, Opportunity’s head of human resources in Africa, brings a special message from Ghana in a joyful video below. We hope it brings you inspiration today and in the days Read more…

Posted in Events, Local Staffing, Our Leadership, Videos
Tagged Africa, Christmas, Effie Cooke, Ghana, head of hr, local staff, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, videos

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