Blog Archives

What We’re Reading: Banking in Africa: Continent of Dreams

By Allison Bearden on March 22, 2013

Africa is the next frontier for banks from all corners of the globe. Last week, The Economist aptly portrayed both the high hope and sheer uncertainty felt by financial institutions serving the African continent in Banking in Africa: Continent of Dreams. A number of the article’s key points are central to both why and how Read more…

Posted in Bank Building, Our Work, Poverty, Resources, Rural Outreach, Technology, What We're Reading, Where We Work
Tagged Africa, Banking, Banking Tools, Economic development, Economics, Economist, Rural banking

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 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

Show Your Support for Women on Giving Tuesday

By Opportunity International on November 27, 2012

Happy Giving Tuesday to our generous Opportunity International community! Coming right after Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is a unique chance for nonprofits, families and businesses to come together to encourage the spirit of generosity and good will, to start the holiday giving season off right. Learn more about the movement at Read more…

Posted in Events, Fundraisers, Loans, Online Giving, Our Work, Poverty, Rural Outreach, Women
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Clients, Ending Poverty, Eugenie Nyirabagenzi, Financial services, fundraisers, Giving Tuesday, Global Poverty, Loans, Microfinance, One Woman Holiday Challenge, Opportunity International, Opportunity Rwanda, Poverty, Rwamagana, Rwanda, Women, women entrepreneurs

On Thanksgiving and Every Day, We’re Grateful for Clients like Eugenie

By Opportunity International on November 22, 2012

As you gather around the Thanksgiving table, enjoying your time with family and friends, we know you’re grateful for all your blessings. At Opportunity International, we’re grateful for the opportunity to be part of work that empowers clients like Eugenie Nyirabagenzi to feed their families and secure a more hopeful future for themselves and their communities. Eugenie Read more…

Posted in Agricultural Finance, Client Stories, Events, Loan officer, Loans, Microinsurance, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Savings, Training, Where We Work, Women
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Client Stories, Clients, Ending Poverty, Eugenie Nyirabagenzi, Farmer, financial literacy training, Financial services, Jean de Dieu Kampayana, Loan Officer, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Opportunity Rwanda, Poverty, rice, Rwamagana, Rwanda, Savings, Thanksgiving, Training, Weather-index crop insurance, Women, women clients

Habitat for Humanity & Opportunity Join Forces to Improve Housing in Africa

By Opportunity International on November 7, 2012

Opportunity International and Habitat for Humanity announced a new partnership to increase access to better housing for families living in poverty. The two organizations will collaborate to provide home improvement financing, housing support services and construction technical assistance to impoverished people to enhance the well-being of communities, beginning in Ghana, followed by Malawi and Uganda. Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Leadership, Our Work, Resources, Rural Outreach, Savings, Strategic Partners, Training
Tagged Adwoa Kwatemaa, Africa, CEO, financial literacy training, Financial services, Ghana, Habitat for Humanity, housing, Loans, Malawi, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Partnership, press release, Savings, strategic partners, sub-Saharan Africa, Training, Uganda, urbanization, Vicki Escarra

Today on World Food Day, there’s Hope for an End to Hunger

By Emily Riemer on October 16, 2012

Globally, nearly 870 million people are undernourished–about 12% of the world’s population. It’s World Food Day and social media is buzzing with challenging facts and stats about hunger, like the ones in this post. This information is important. There’s no doubt that it’s one of the great injustices that children anywhere go to bed hungry, that Read more…

Posted in Agricultural Finance, Events, Loans, Microinsurance, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Training, Trust Groups
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Children, Community, Crop insurance, Ending Hunger, Ending Poverty, FAO, Financial services, Food and Agriculture Organization, Food security, Ghana, Global Poverty, IFAD, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Loans, Made for Good, MFI, Microfinance, Microinsurance, Millennium Development Goals, Opportunity International, Poverty, sub-Saharan Africa, Training, Weather-index crop insurance, Women, World Food Day, World Food Programme, world hunger

It’s World Teachers’ Day!

By Emily Riemer on October 5, 2012

“Take a stand for teachers!” is the slogan of World Teachers’ Day 2012 today, which UNESCO celebrates with its partners, the International Labour Organization, UNDP, UNICEF and Education International (EI). Opportunity is so proud to honor teachers like Rosemary Namande, who educates hundreds of kids at the Nadulu Infant Primary School in Kampala, Uganda, boarding Read more…

Posted in Education, Events, Loans, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Videos, Women
Tagged Africa, Banking on Education, Children, Clients, Community, Education, Education finance, educators, Ending Poverty, Faith in Action, Financial services, HIV/AIDS, Loans, love, Microfinance, Nadulu Infant, Opportunity International, Orphans, Poverty, Rosemary Namande, School fee loans, School Proprietor Loans, Schools, Send a Girl to School, Students, Teachers, Uganda, Women, world teachers day, Youth

Meet Women Smallholder Farmers in Ghana

By Cynthia Greenwood on September 18, 2012

This past week, our Publications & Media Manager, Cynthia, has been traveling in Ghana to meet clients and staff, see our work in education finance and agricultural finance, and experience firsthand the technology innovations that help us reach many more clients. On Friday, I visited three women farmers–Emelia George, Enyoman Hlordzi and Gladys Donu–in Ada, an area two Read more…

Posted in Agricultural Finance, Loans, Local Staffing, Our Leadership, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Technology, Where We Work
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Clients, Community, Cynthia Greenwood, Education finance, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Ghana, Global Poverty, Loan Officer, Loans, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Poverty, Smallholder farmer, Technology, Vicki Escarra, Women

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