Blog Archives

Why I’m Living Below the Line

Allison manages Young Ambassadors for Opportunity at Opportunity International and is Living Below the Line for Opportunity from April 29-May 3. At my desk at the Opportunity International office, I have surrounded myself with words and images that inspire me. There are photos of my friends and family—people who have provided for me, supported me, Read more…

Posted in Donors, Events, Online Giving, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, Our Work, Strategic Partners, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
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Opportunity International joins forces with Carly Fiorina’s One Woman Initiative

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
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“The Chronicle of Philanthropy” Spotlights Opportunity International as an Innovative Nonprofit

“The Chronicle of Philanthropy” featured Opportunity International‘s microinsurance work with subsidiary MicroEnsure and our CEO Vicki Escarra in an article published today. As part of Opportunity International’s commitment to bringing insurance to protect more people in poverty, Opportunity divested much of its share to allow for a capital infusion that will increase MicroEnsure’s market reach. Opportunity Read more…

Posted in Agricultural Finance, Microinsurance, Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Poverty, Strategic Partners, What We're Reading
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The Power of Technology to Eradicate Poverty

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
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Microinsurance Expanded through New Strategic Investors

Opportunity International announced today that it had divested its majority stake in microinsurance organization MicroEnsure. This will bring additional capital and relationships in order to scale the successful MicroEnsure microinsurance model to serve even more clients in poverty with crop, health, life and property insurance products. New investors in MicroEnsure include International Finance Corporation (IFC), Read more…

Posted in Microinsurance, Our Leadership, Our Work, Strategic Partners, Uncategorized
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CEO Vicki Escarra Checks in from 2012 Peter Drucker Forum in Vienna

This is an inspiring week as I attended the fourth annual Global Peter Drucker Forum in Vienna, Austria, where several hundred leaders from the corporate, academic and NGO settings gathered to explore the future of management and its impact on the future of global society. Peter F. Drucker was a management consultant, educator, author and Read more…

Posted in Agricultural Finance, Education, Events, Loans, Microfinance, Microinsurance, Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Savings, Strategic Partners, Technology, Training
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With a Grant from Citi Foundation, Opportunity Brings Financial Solutions to More Colombians

Opportunity opened a financially-regulated, full-service bank to serve people living in extreme poverty in Bogotá, Colombia in early October. Leveraging a grant from Citi Foundation, a long-time supporter of programs promoting the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of low-income people, we’re developing the capacity to conduct formal banking transactions, including interest-bearing savings, with the goal Read more…

Posted in Bank Building, Microfinance, Our Leadership, Our Work, Savings, Strategic Partners, Technology, Where We Work
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Credit Suisse Celebrates 10 Years of Microfinance

Congratulations to our corporate partner Credit Suisse on achieving 10 years of leadership in microfinance. Opportunity International CEO Vicki Escarra participated in two panel discussions, both of which highlighted innovations in products and delivery mechanisms to reach and serve clients more effectively. “We take a private equity approach by providing leadership and financial training as Read more…

Posted in Events, Loans, Microfinance, Our Leadership, Strategic Partners, Training
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Habitat for Humanity & Opportunity Join Forces to Improve Housing in Africa

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
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Opportunity Colombia’s Grand Opening Celebration as a Deposit-Taking Bank

Opportunity Colombia celebrated its grand opening event in Bogota last month. As a regulated financial institution, Opportunity Colombia can now offer a full range of financial services to its clients, including interest-bearing savings. By 2015 it aims to reach 60,000 Colombians who live at the base of the economic pyramid. With 150 attendees at the Read more…

Posted in Bank Building, Client Stories, Donors, Events, Faith in Action, Loan officer, Local Staffing, Our Leadership, Our Work, Savings, Strategic Partners, T24, Technology, Where We Work
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