Blog Archives

Conference Breakout: Investing in Half the Sky

The panelists at the breakout session, Investing in Half the Sky. From left to right: Diana Negroponte, Alice Gasatura, Julie Hindmarsh and Ruth-Anne Renaud. The following post by YAO member and Opportunity supporter Sonja Egeland Kelly is one of the many blog posts we published from the 2010 Fall Microfinance Conference. Click here to read all Read more…

Posted in Board of Governors, Events, Local Staffing, Microfinance Conference, OptINnow, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, Our Work, Trust Groups, Where We Work, Women's Opportunity Network
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3 Breakout Sessions Not to Miss at Fall Microfinance Conference

At Opportunity’s Fall Microfinance Conference, Oct. 8-9, in Washington, D.C., the days will be packed with breakout sessions and presentations from microfinance experts, international visitors and globally-minded individuals passionate about eradicating poverty. For me, this will be my first Opportunity microfinance conference[/intlink], and I’m really looking forward to hearing from guest speakers[/intlink] like Pulitzer Prize-winner Sheryl Read more…

Posted in Board of Governors, Events, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Strategic Partners, Technology
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Top 3 People Not to Miss at the Fall Microfinance Conference in Washington, D.C.

Twice a year, Opportunity hosts a big microfinance conference, bringing in experts in microfinance, poverty eradication and global development to share their knowledge and experience with Opportunity staff, supporters and people interested in learning more about microfinance. This fall, our conference in Washington, D.C. promises to be as inspiring and engaging as ever.  Get to know three Read more…

Posted in Board of Governors, Events, Our Work, Strategic Partners
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Innovations in Technology–Reaching More Clients

Daryl Skoog, Opportunity’s SVP of technology, develops innovations that improve the lives of our clients. Recently, I had the chance to join a conference call with the Colorado-based Skoog to learn about the exciting strategies and products he’s working on. Some highlights from the call: Cell phone banking[/intlink] is one of the most exciting tools to bring Read more…

Posted in Bank Building, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Technology, Where We Work
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Back-to-School for Children Living in Poverty

School administrator Jacinta Njoki, of the Wisdom Junior Educational Center in Kenya, works with her students in the schoolyard. She started her school in 2001 with a $375 loan from Opportunity, and now has 150 kids and six teachers. Welcome back to school. It’s an exciting time for kids of all ages: new teachers, new Read more…

Posted in Events, Loans, Local Staffing, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Strategic Partners, Where We Work
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Can you have fun when addressing global poverty? YAO says YES!

Can you have fun when addressing global poverty? YAO says YES! This past month, 30 YAO (Young Ambassadors for Opportunity) members gathered at the Board of Governors conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. For some of us who had traveled to Tanzania and Rwanda together last fall on the YAO insight trip it was a sweet reunion. Read more…

Posted in Board of Governors, Events, Our Mission and Vision, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
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Board of Governors Conference Recap #BOG09

Whether in the telling or the hearing, stories have power. Through them the endless varieties of human experience are revealed to us and through us, inviting us to discover meaning… find compassion… and perhaps glean wisdom and hope from the dramas of our shared humanity. Stories–our clients’ and ours–was the theme of the Opportunity International Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Strategic Partners, Where We Work, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
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Live: Ward Brehm Encounters the Power of Empowerment #BOG09

Ward Brehm delivered Friday night’s keynote address at the Board of Governors Conference. What a powerful story he has to tell. It is a story he tells on behalf of those who have no voice. Former chairman of the United States Africa Development Foundation (USADF), Brehm has walked among those living in chronic poverty. In Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, Our Work, Rural Outreach
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Live: Roger Thurow Insists There is "Enough." #BOG09

Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman’s  compelling book Enough: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty tells the story of the world’s food. It raises the question of supply and demand, which is easy to understand even if you were not an economics major. There is enough food to feed everyone in the world. Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Rural Outreach, What We're Reading
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Daniel Taylor: Tell Me A Story #BOG09

Hi! Let me tell you a story. Doesn’t your body, your soul just lean in a bit when you hear that? Oh please, tell me! Human beings live in stories. Today, Opportunity International’s Board of Governors begins its fall conference – Share her story, Change your world. Daniel Taylor, a professor of literature and writing at Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation
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