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Half the World’s LDCs Can Emerge from Poverty, Says a New UN Report
On Tuesday, March 29, the United Nations issued a report, summarized at un.org under the title “Half of world’s poorest countries can escape poverty by 2020.” According to the report, which was produced by the Group of Eminent Persons appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, half the world’s 48 least developed countries (LDCs) can “graduate” out of Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Ban Ki-moon, Children, Clients, Conference, Economic development, Education, Ending Poverty, Events, Financial services, Istanbul, LDC, LDC Conference, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Poverty, Savings, School fee loans, School Proprietor Loans, Schools, small business loans, Turkey, UN, UN Report, UN Secretary-General, UNDP, United Nations, United Nations Development Programme
Today, Honor Human Rights Defenders, Celebrate Human Rights Day 2010
Human rights are the foundation of freedom, peace, development and justice[...] On this Human Rights Day, let us be inspired by those seeking to make our world more just. And let us remember that everyone — no matter their background, training or education — can be a human rights champion. -UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Read more…
Tagged Ban Ki-moon, Children, Community, Domestic violence, Education, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Geneva, Girls, Human Rights, Human Rights Day, India, Investing in Women and Girls, Loans, MediaGlobal, Microfinance, Mothers, Opportunity International, Poverty, Switzerland, The Case for Support: Bringing Opportunity to Women, UN Secretary-General, United Nations, videos, violence, Webcast, Women, Women's Opportunity Network, Women's Philanthropy, WON
UN Gathers This Week to Eradicate Poverty Through the MDG’s
The UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is taking place this week at the UN Headquarters in New York City. A gathering of 140 world leaders are strategizing and discussing how to achieve the eight goals in order to eradicate extreme poverty and its root causes by 2015. I was deeply inspired by their work and their words. Here Read more…
Tagged Ban Ki-moon, CNN, CNN.com, Education, Ending Poverty, Global Poverty, MDG, MDG's, Media, Microfinance, nicolas sarkozy, Opportunity International, Poverty, Un millennium development goals, UN Secretary-General, United Nations, YAO, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
Spotlight on Agricultural Finance: An Interview with an Agriculture Finance Officer
“Most of the world’s poor are smallholder farmers and their families. By targeting them, we can dramatically reduce extreme poverty and food insecurity.” -UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, addressing the Malawian parliament on May 29, 2010. Through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the MasterCard Foundation, Opportunity is now offering greater financial Read more…
Tagged accra, Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, andrew koehler, Ban Ki-moon, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Clients, Community, Education, Ending Poverty, Farmer, Farmers, Financial Times, Ghana, Insurance, Loan Officer, Loans, Malawi, MasterCard Foundation, Microfinance, Microinsurance, Opportunity International, Poverty, Savings, Smallholder farmer, Technology, The MasterCard Foundation, Training, Uganda, United Nations
Opportunity Ghana launches a mobile bank
“We have realized that many of our customers are travelling between 50 and 100 km [between 30 and 60 miles] to access banking services,” says Effie Cook, head of HR at Opportunity Ghana. “So we have focused our energies on developing innovative delivery channels that serve the needs of the marginalized and reach out to Read more…
Tagged Africa, Balance confirmation, Ban Ki-moon, Business and Financial Times, Cell phone banking, Cell Phones, Clients, Customer service, Deposits, Financial Access, Ghana, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, Poverty, Rural Outreach, Savings, Withdrawals
A Progress Report on the UN Millennium Development Goals
In September of 2000, the United Nations addressed the issue of global poverty by adopting the Millennium Declaration. The declaration pledged the members to accomplish measurable goals to eradicate global poverty by the year 2015. The Millennium Development Goals focus on eight areas of concern, including poverty and hunger, universal education, maternal health, and HIV/AIDS prevention. With the Read more…
Tagged 2010 InterAction Forum, Africa, Ban Ki-moon, Children, Education, Global Poverty, HIV/AIDS prevention, Hunger, Maternal Health, Microfinance, Millennium Development Goals, Opportunity International, Poverty, UN Secretary-General, United Nations, Universal Education, Women, World Vision
UN Secretary-General Visits Opportunity Malawi Mobile Bank
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Opportunity Malawi’s mobile bank in the UN Millennium Village of Mwandama on Sunday, May 30. “The secretary-general took time to talk with one of our customers who had just made a deposit. She had her smart card [bank card using biometric technology] in her hand and explained how she uses Read more…
Tagged Africa, Ban Ki-moon, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Cell Phones, Financial services, Kiosk, Loans, Malawi, MFI, Microfinance, Millennium Village, Mobile Banking, Mwandama, Opportunity International, Opportunity Malawi, Poverty, Satellite bank branch, Savings, Smart cards, Technology, Training, United Nations, Women's Opportunity Network, Women's Philanthropy, WON
