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News Blog

Governor Spotlight: Smith Family

by Kelli Walker

Bruce and Janey Smith live with their two children outside of Washington, DC, near Bruce’s parents, Gordon and Helen Smith. The Smith family connected with Opportunity International about 25 years ago and continue to be loyal, committed, and active supporters. Left to right: The Smith family: Nihl, Janey, Bruce, Lillian Bruce’s father, Gordon, owned a savings and loan bank in Virginia that led to his involvement in opening banking operations in the Philippines in the 2000’s. Gordon spent a…

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The Heart of Our Work: Opportunity International Clients

by Kelli Walker

Mukyala Janat Wabika Justine is a farmer based in Buyala Jinja district, Uganda. She is 37 years old; she and her husband have five children. Janat had the desire and will to grow her harvest; she needed to learn best agricultural practices and have access to financial resources. In 2019, she participated in local agricultural training, learning better farming methods. She ventured into horticulture, growing cabbages and nakati (also known as bitter tomato, Ethiopian eggplant, garden eggs, or pumpkin-on-a-stick).…

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When Women are Empowered, Everyone Benefits

by Simona Haiduc

Women's economic empowerment isn't just a humanitarian effort—it is essential to the growth of strong, prosperous communities worldwide. When systemic barriers are removed, and resources are accessible, women can become truly unstoppable agents of change in their communities. They drive economic growth, provide jobs, and reinvest in their children's education and healthcare. More importantly, tearing down gender barriers to markets is a viable business strategy that can uplift millions. According…

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“It is for the children that we make these improvements” – School Leader reflections on USAID CATALYZE EduFinance impact

by CATALYZE EduFinance

Mr. Nzibonera had overcrowded classrooms at his school in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Ms. Claribel was trying to do all the work herself to run her school in the Dominican Republic. Leaders of a school in Guatemala that educates learners with hearing impairments were struggling with the school’s financial management. In Zambia, a lack of financing options limited Ms. Stella’s plans to invest in her dream school. Each of these low-fee private schools faced challenges. But, these…

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Governor Spotlight: Lauren Beard

by Kelli Walker

If you spend any time with Lauren Beard, you’ll find yourself joyfully swept up in her forward-moving, passionate energy. Opportunity International is fortunate to be in Lauren’s purposeful orbit; she is a vocal advocate and generous supporter of creating sustainable change in the lives of people living in poverty. Last October, she raised almost $23,000 to support The Rise, Opportunity’s program to reach women in Malawi. Growing up, Lauren and her family lived in several different states,…

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Staff Spotlight: Simona Haiduc

by Kelli Walker

As an organization, Opportunity International is rooted in the values of commitment, humility, stewardship, and transformation. For over five decades, we have listened first to our clients, then responded with solutions that enable people living in poverty to break the chains of generational poverty. Simona Haiduc has been listening and responding to people in need for over 20 years—motivated by her belief in the power of transformation and business solutions to poverty. Thanks to her commitment,…

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Colombian Extreme Poverty on the Rise, but We Have the Tools to End It

by Camilo Garcia

Camilo Garcia New reporting from Colombia’s national statistics governance arm (Departamento Administrativo Naciional de Estadística) shows that we saw a rise in the number of Colombians experiencing extreme poverty last year – a trend most notably observed in Cartagena, where the extreme poverty rate surged from 10.1% to 12.7%. 13.8% of Colombians, approximately 6.9 million people, are living on less than 196,698 pesos per month ($2.15 a day). These individuals struggle every day to secure…

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$5.5+ million to change lives

by Laura DesGranges

“Clothes really do change lives,” cabi CEO Katie Malone shared with an arena full of cabi Stylists at their bi-annual gathering called cabi Fashion Week. But how, was the inevitable question. When Opportunity CEO Atul Tandon took the mainstage, he made sure not to leave until every one of the 2,200 women entrepreneurs in the audience understood the power of their commitment to cabi. For more than 15 years, Opportunity International and cabi have partnered together to help realize their founders’…

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Atul’s Year-In-Review 2023

by Atul Tandon

As we look excitedly to the year ahead, set bold goals, and dream up new innovations, it’s so important that we take a moment to pause and reflect. Our global community—a community that includes you—has accomplished so much in the last 12 months. What’s more, our clients have built their businesses, grown their savings, and achieved countless milestones, resulting in remarkable transformation for themselves, their families, and their futures. When our global team, donors, and partners come…

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SDG Action: Opportunity International at the United Nations

by Joe Dutra

“The SDGs are not about checking boxes.  They’re about the hopes, dreams, rights and expectations of people and the health of our natural environment.  They’re about righting historic wrongs, healing global divisions and putting our world on a path to lasting peace.” – UN Secretary General Antonio Guitierrez. This year’s United Nations General Assembly was more than a convening of leaders, it was a clarion call for action. With data showing a slowdown in progress for the UN Sustainable…

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