Microfinance Loans to Give the Poor a Working Chance - Opportunity Blog

Spotlight on the Annual Report: Empowering Emerging Women Leaders in Microfinance

"I knew that being part of the Emerging Leaders Program was going to change me," says Beatrice William (left foreground). Read more about the Emerging Leaders Program in Opportunity's Annual Report.

"I knew that being part of the Emerging Leaders Program was going to change me," says Beatrice William (left foreground). Read more about the Emerging Leaders Program in Opportunity's Annual Report.

Meet Beatrice William.

Beatrice is undergoing training through Opportunity International’s Emerging Leaders Program – part of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women Initiative–which trains talented women in banking and finance to help them establish or advance careers in microfinance as loan officers and bank managers.

“When I heard that I had been chosen to come to Nairobi for the Emerging Leaders Program, I knew that it was going to change me. And it has,” Beatrice says.

Beatrice graduated from the Institute of Finance Management in Tanzania, served an internship with Citigroup International, and obtained an advanced diploma in banking. She lives with her husband in Dar es Salaam and has been employed as a loan officer at Opportunity Tanzania since April 2009. She serves 350 clients, many of whom run small shops or sell groceries from carts.

She says she’s learned a lot and gained new skills by participating in the Emerging Leaders Program, and she plans to share these learnings with her fellow Opportunity staff members. Beatrice hopes to become a bank branch manager in the future. And some day, she wants to start her own business providing training to women entrepreneurs who are working their way out of poverty.

The Emerging Leaders Program is changing the lives of women working for Opportunity in eight African countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Read more about the program on page seven of our 2009 Annual Report, and explore the new report to learn how we’re Helping Communities Thrive by providing financial access to over two million economically marginalized people in more than 20 countries. That’s why we say, “It’s more than http://www.opportunity.org/what-is-microfinance/microfinance[/intlink]: it’s a working solution to global poverty.”

Comments

  • http://www.SmallInternetBusiness.org Stargazeads

    This is an extremely invaluable program for women and well overdue. I personally feel that we need to focus on this particular demographic if we are truly going to survive as a nation. Our business force needs more female leaders to give a fresh and needed perspective.

    http://www.SmallInternetBusiness.org

  • Flippingwebsitesonvideo

    That all sounds good in theory, but how will it be executed in the most economical fashion? I think that there is a lot of invaluable information here, but my main concern is in the implementation.

    I guess in the end trial and error is how all the good programs succeed.

    Good Luck

  • eriemer

    The program already is in progress. It's an exciting opportunity for bright, ambitious female managers to improve their career prospects in their communities in the developing world. Read more here: http://www.opportunity.org/opportunity-internat…. And read the story of one of the participants, Zela: http://www.opportunity.org/media-center/stories….