A Closer Look: Opportunity’s Work in Colombia

Opportunity Colombia client Bertha Urrutia runs a general store just outside of Cartagena, Colombia.

Opportunity International’s very first loan was made in Colombia in 1975. Since then, Opportunity Colombia has been working to provide stable financial systems to reduce unemployment, social unrest and violence in the country. And it’s working to become a national-scale bank offering loans, savings, insurance and training to Colombians living in poverty.

Opportunity Colombia’s current initiatives:

• Launching a full-service, commercial bank in Colombia
• Partnering with Compassion International on a youth initiative to teach 17- to 19-year-olds entrepreneurial skills
• Working with Opportunity’s Colombia country champion team to educate and inspire new financial partners
• Offering special roof and floor loans to help clients improve their homes

Interested in seeing the impact of Opportunity Colombia’s microfinance services firsthand? Join us for an Insight Trip to Cartagena, Colombia on Oct. 5-7, 2010. For more information, click here.

If you can’t make the Insight Trip, you can still make an impact. Fund the loan of a Colombian entrepreneur on optinnow.org.