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Faith in Action: Opportunity Supporter Walks 500 Miles of Christian Pilgrimage El Camino de Santiago
With just 50 miles to go, Opportunity International supporter Ann Loar Brooks is about to complete a 500-mile walk for Ugandan women. Ann began her journey on August 27th, hiking the last 500 miles of the Christian pilgrimage El Camino de Santiago, which starts from southern France and winds through the Pyrenees across northern Spain. Her mission: to raise awareness Read more…
Tagged Africa, Board of Governors, Clients, Ending Poverty, Faith in Action, Financial Access, Financial services, Fundraising, Global Poverty, Microfinance, Online fundraising, Opportunity International, Opportunity Uganda, Supporters, Trust Groups, Uganda, Women, Women's Opportunity Network, Women's Philanthropy, WON
What We’re Reading: “How Small Loans Are Pulling Kenyans Out of Poverty Trap”
Kenya’s Daily Nation posted a piece this weekend that applauded microfinance institutions for offering financial solutions that reach more Kenyan people at the bottom of the economic pyramid. The article praises microfinance for helping to alleviate poverty in the developing world. The microfinance model has proved to be ”a potent tool for increasing access to finance, expanding production and opening Read more…
Tagged Africa, ATMs, Banking, Cell phone banking, Clients, Ending Poverty, Financial Access, Financial services, Global Poverty, Kenya, Loans, M-PESA, MFI, Microfinance, mobile phone banking, Mobile Phones, Opportunity International, point-of-sale devices, Poverty, Rural banking, Savings, Technology, Training, Trust Groups
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
Don’t Miss the Chance to See Microfinance Work Firsthand in Tanzania
“It was exciting to see how quickly Opportunity is growing in Tanzania. We met so many of its inspiring clients when we visited — real people working hard to improve their lives.” -YAO member and 2009 Insight Trip participant Anne Edwardson On September 4-11, 2010, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO) will offer a unique opportunity to Read more…
Tagged Africa, Arusha, Clients, Financial Access, Insight Trip, Kilimanjaro, Loans, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Poverty, Rwanda, Students, Tanzania, Tarangire National Park, YAO, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity, Young Professionals
A Closer Look: Opportunity’s Work in 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 Read more…
Tagged Clients, Colombia, Entreprenuership, Financial Access, Financial services, Insight Trip, Insurance, Loans, Microfinance, Opportunity Colombia, Opportunity International, OptINnow, Poverty, Savings, Technology, Training
Is access to financial services a human right?
Opportunity International’s April DuBois opened her presentation today at the 7th International Human Rights Forum in Lucerne, Switzerland, with this question. She and Opportunity’s Daryl Skoog partnered with Fabian Huwyler of Credit Suisse to present a special workshop on “Electronic Wallets – Reaching More of the World’s Poor with Financial Access.” And back in the States, Read more…
Tagged Africa, April DuBois, Children, Credit Suisse, Daryl Skoog, Education, Electronic transactions, Electronic wallet strategy, Financial Access, Human Rights, Insurance, International Human Rights Forum, Loans, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, Muhammad Yunus, Obstacles, Opportunity International, Poverty, Savings, Technology, Training
Opportunity LiveBlog: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Champions Rural Outreach
When Bill and Melinda Gates decide to take on a project, they do it with gusto. They call themselves “impatient optimists,” and firmly believe that they are changing the world, one person at a time. Associate program officer in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Financial Services for the Poor initiative, Clara Veniard is no Read more…
Gates and Mastercard Foundations Partner with Opportunity International
In an effort to reach people living in poverty in rural areas, Opportunity International has researched and implemented new products and platforms such as mobile banking, savings services, agricultural finance, cell phone banking, education finance and much more. Because they believe in Opportunity International’s innovative model, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The MasterCard Foundation Read more…
Melinda Gates Highlights Opportunity International
Earlier this week, Opportunity International was honored to host Melinda Gates as she visited some of our clients and experienced our banking services in Malawi. With the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Opportunity is expanding access to savings accounts, loans, training and insurance to people struggling to work their way out of Read more…
