Three girls, one shirt, one pair of shoes, 100 days, 2,500 dollars, 17 women, 85 lives. What does this mean? Nothing to most of us, but when those three girls are Abby, Bethany, and Chrissy it means a lot more. These three junior high girls decided to wear one shirt and one pair of shoes for 100 days to raise over $2,500! And for what? To do something that could help 17 women and their families in the developing world improve their lives.

Three junior high Opportunity supporters go "Plaid for People" and tell their story on Opportunity Canada's blog. (From left: Bethany, Chrissy and Abby)

“After reading ‘Do Hard Things‘ by Alex and Brett Harris we were inspired to make a difference. We really wanted to do something, anything really,” Bethany said, “so after some research we decided to raise money for Opportunity International. We wanted to do something useful with our teen years. We wanted to change lives.” And so they did by starting the “Plaid For People” campaign.

The project started on November 1, 2011 and will come to an end on February 8, 2012. On their story page on OpportunityCan–Opportunity Canada’s online platform where people can share their story, raise funds and invite others to end poverty and transform lives–the girls said:

We are wearing one shirt and one pair of shoes for 100 days. The shirt represent the very small amount of clothing that people in poverty have compared to us, and the shoes represent that 50% of the world (300 million of them being children) do not have shoes, and even if they do, they only have one pair.

By doing this we’re trying to place ourselves in their shoes, literally. We will be going around door-to-door in our neighborhoods raising money, holding events at our church and anything else that we can to meet our goal.

And they did. They fundraised at their church, craft fairs, Ten Thousand Villages, and a little bit in their neighborhoods. Arlene, Abby’s mom, said, “The three girls have astonished us with their dream to change world poverty through sacrifice and wearing one shirt and one pair of shoes for one hundred days to both experience simplicity and to raise awareness for Opportunity International.” She went on to say, “As a parent of one of the girls, I was skeptical. So I chose to sit back and ‘just see’ if they could actually raise money this way. But all their hard work, determination, and commitment to excellence has inspired many in our community! I’ve had to, fortunately, rearrange my thinking about teenagers and not put a lid on their dreams and abilities.”

So why on earth would three junior high girls want to do something like this? When we asked why they responded with, “For the glory of God.”

To learn more about the Plaid for People project, leave comments or make a donation, visit plaidforpeople.opportunitycan.ca.

NOTE (Opportunity Canada): The 17 women helped was calculated by taking the $2,500 raised and dividing it by the average loan size to first time clients of $142. For every one loan, it is our estimate that 4-6 others (children, relatives, employees, etc.) are impacted. Therefore the 85 lives impacted was calculated by taking the number of potential loans, 17, multiplied by 5, average number of others impacted. Funds that are generously raised and donated to Opportunity International are used to provide financial services, including loans, savings, insurance and training, to people trapped in poverty who can benefit from them.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (Photo courtesy of nobelprize.org)

This problem of spiritual and moral ‘lag,’ which constitutes modern man’s chief dilemma, expresses itself in three larger problems which grow out of man’s ethical infantilism. Each of these problems, while appearing to be separate and isolated, is inextricably bound to the other. I refer to racial injustice, poverty, and war.

Dr. King outlined the need to find a solution to all three of these great human problems, and when he addressed the issue of poverty, he outlined the need for aid not only for international but for domestic poverty.

So it is obvious that if man is to redeem his spiritual and moral ‘lag,’ he must go all out to bridge the social and economic gulf between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ of the world. Poverty is one of the most urgent items on the agenda of modern life. There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we have the resources to get rid of it.

You may read the lecture transcript at nobelprize.org or listen to an excerpt by clicking here.

Today, nearly 50 years later, the issues that Dr. King implored his audience to address are still urgent societal problems that need solutions. So today, in honor of Martin Luther King’s birthday, how will you answer his call? Will you address this BIG need for an end to injustice, violence and poverty? How and where will you embody God’s agape love — an unlimited loving kindness, charity, towards all people — which King described as “the love of God operating in the human heart?” At Opportunity International, we strive to embody this agape love in our work, bringing financial solutions to families, enabling them to work themselves out of poverty, to give their children a better future, and offering them the tools to live with dignity and find a voice–a “somebodiness,” as King termed it–in their community.

Let today, Martin Luther King Day, be the catalyst that prompts you to get involved with life-changing work that addresses economic and social injustice. Consider contributing to Opportunity’s fundraising efforts at opportunity.org/give or visit opportunity.org/be-tinvolved to take action. We hope that Dr. King’s legacy will inspire you today and all days.

Ann is carrying only 20 pounds of supplies on her back and staying in rustic hostels along the way. “Trusting that my daily needs will be met by the community along the Camino,” she says, “I will be living a simple life of faith, not unlike the women who are members of Opportunity Trust Groups.”

Explaining her motivation, Ann says, “For over seven years, I have been dedicated to supporting Opportunity International as it empowers women living in poverty in the developing world to create and grow businesses so that they may support, educate, and nurture their families. I am inspired by the miraculous changes that occur in the lives of these courageous women and in their families and communities.” Last year, Ann and her husband Steven Brooks, who live in Baltimore, Md., joined the Board of Governors in order to even further deepen their commitment to Opportunity.

Ann has the generous support of the T. Rowe Price Associates Foundation, which will match any funds (up to $10,000) donated by T. Rowe Price employees to her online fundraiser. Show your support for Ann’s pilgrimage by contributing to her online fundraiser, which is still accepting donations, and by sharing words of encouragement on her fundraiser page.

Want to put your faith into action? Support Opportunity through a walk, run, birthday, or any other event or life challenge. Go to opportunity.org/fundraiser to start your own online fundraiser today.

Background:
Opportunity International has a bold vision to bring life-changing financial services to five million impoverished people in sub-Saharan Africa over the next five years, where less than 10% of the population has an account with a financial institution. In 2008, Opportunity launched the Banking on Africa campaign to help develop an array of financial services that address the capital infrastructure needs of communities isolated from the financial system. For more, visit: opportunity.org/bankingonafrica.

Introduction:

• Banking on Africa focuses on rural families because 75% of people in Africa live in rural areas, and most of those are farmers.
• People need access to microfinance safety nets like loans, savings, and microinsurance because short-term economic setbacks can lead to long-term problems for households in poverty.
• Savings accounts are in extremely high demand enabling people to better prepare for their futures.

They are expanding this model in certain countries, such as with agricultural finance program in Malawi. The goals:

• To reach every family within 60 minutes of their homes, more recently aiming for 20 minutes
• Expansion of big branches, with smaller satellite branches in small villages
• Banking kiosks and ATMs
• Mobile banking vehicles are used to test demand before setting up kiosks
• Six mobile banking vehicles are already in use in Malawi

Two technology breakthroughs:

1. Point-of-sale (POS) devices:

• In retail shops (food stores, gas stations, post office)
• Less costly than brick-and-mortar banks
• Convenience and security of biometric smart cards to: make a loan payment, draw down from a loan, make deposits
• Transfer between accounts
• Reduction of transaction costs: branch banks $2.00, POS $0.20, cell phone banking $0.05 (lower for POS and cell phone banking due to fewer overhead costs like buildings or employees)

2. Mobile phone banking: Mobile phone ownership in Africa is growing fast. With an estimated 15 million mobile phone banking customers with Safaricom carrier alone, there is the potential to reach 90-95% of country in cost-efficient manner

Agricultural finance can be risky, and most commercial banks steer clear as a result. So key components of Opportunity’s agricultural finance program involves strategies to mitigate risks:

• GPS mapping of land to accurately determine land size
• Questionnaires to determine family size, cash flow of household to understand the financial situation, potential or limitations, of the family and determine appropriate loan levels
• Lend to borrowers with a good credit history with Opportunity
• Don’t over-indebt borrowers (protect borrowers)

Two of our major strategic partners in this program are the Gates Foundation and the MasterCard Foundation. These foundations don’t push for certain directions, allow Opportunity flexibility and spend time on the ground seeing Opportunity’s work firsthand, and they have a good alignment with Opportunity philosophy and strategies. They want to see continued focus on access to savings accounts for rural families, and an emphasis on moving small farmers from subsistence to commercial farming–want to do projects well, at scale, in a sustainable manner.

Opportunity’s due diligence before starting a bank in a country:

• Thorough market assessment, entry strategies
• Entry strategies specifically tailored for different countries
• Discussions with central bankers
• Acquiring deposit-taking license to get access to cheap funds
• Access capital markets once bank is sustainable
• Research and development on how to better reach clients

Opportunity fundraising goal for 2012: $384 million–

• $220 million from client deposits ($50 million raised so far)
• $124 million from donors ($109 million raised so far)
• $40 million from loans ($24 million raised so far)

Watch our video on Banking on Africa:

Clients gather at the banking kiosk in Fatima, Malawi. Reaching people in rural areas is an important step to alleviating global poverty in countries like Malawi.

Travel in your mind to the shores of Lake Malawi. In this remote region, extreme poverty is widespread. But because of the donations, hard work and advocacy of Opportunity supporters and staff, the Malawians here have been empowered financially.

To reach the unreachable, http://www.opportunity.org/Opportunity International[/intlink] Malawi has replicated its successful “hub-and-spoke” approach by opening a hub branch office in the district capital Nsanje, followed by the most recent launch of a “spoke”–a banking kiosk in the village of Fatima. Both locations are supported by an Opportunity Malawi mobile banking vehicle. This hub-and-spoke system is successfully increasing Opportunity’s http://www.opportunity.org/our-work/rural-outreach/outreach[/intlink] to more of these very isolated rural areas.

The new operations will initially help:

• 17,000 economically marginalized families to open secure http://www.opportunity.org/our-work/savings/savings accounts[/intlink]
• 3,500 families (approximately 17,500 people) to access small business http://www.opportunity.org/our-work/loans/loans[/intlink] and http://www.opportunity.org/our-work/training/training[/intlink]
• 3,800 individuals to receive coverage with credit life, crop, funeral and product transit http://www.opportunity.org/our-work/microinsurance/insurance[/intlink]

Mobile banking vehicles like this one help Opportunity to reach rural and isolated families like those in Fatima.

With your help, we can bring further expansions and improvements like these http://www.opportunity.org/our-work/where-we-work/microfinance-in-africa/microfinance-in-malawi/Malawian[/intlink] banking locations to more people living in poverty all around the world. To get involved in bringing http://www.opportunity.org/what-is-microfinance/microfinance[/intlink] to the more than two million Opportunity clients worldwide, go to http://www.opportunity.org/be-involved/opportunity.org/be-involved[/intlink].

How can you help?

1. Meet the experts and learn about microfinance. Join us for Opportunity’s Fall Microfinance Conference, October 8-9, in Washington, D.C. http://www.opportunity.org/opportunity-international-conference/Click here[/intlink] to learn more and to register.
2. Start a web-based fundraiser. Go to optinnow.org/fundraisers and launch a fundraiser for events like birthdays, travel, races and other sporting events, or just to raise awareness about this important issue. Engage the support of family, friends and colleagues to support your efforts and help end global poverty faster.
3. See the impact of Opportunity’s work firsthand. Travel on an http://www.opportunity.org/be-involved/insight-trips/Insight Trip[/intlink] to countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. You will return home inspired to effect global change.

Be a part of Opportunity’s working solution to global poverty.

Jim Betke welcomes Opportunity supporters into his and Maryellen's home in Oak Park, Ill.

Last week, a group of Opportunity supporters met together in Maryellen and Jim Betke’s home in Oak Park, Ill. Their common denominator? They are all champions of Opportunity’s microfinance work who live in Oak Park and River Forest, Ill.

Over the past 12 months, 80 Opportunity supporters in the Oak Park-River Forest area have raised almost $200,000 together. Motivated by their compassion for those living in poverty, the same group has raised a total of a half million dollars in the past four to five years.

The evening of stories and conversation was both a celebration of what the group had accomplished together and a promise of things to come. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and lemonade on the warm summer evening, participated in a silent auction, and gathered in the Betkes’ living room to hear from Michael Okleme, an Opportunity staff member who had worked as a loan officer in Ghana before coming to the US.

“When I was a loan officer and then a supervisor with Opportunity Ghana, I wore many hats,” explained Michael. “Our clients depend on loan officers for many things: they settle domestic disputes, dispense business advice, become a spiritual mentor, and more. Loan officers truly care for Opportunity’s clients.”

Michael enjoyed questions from guests throughout the evening, answering from his own experience on topics like competitive advantage, loan sharks, and the importance of savings and credit scoring.

Opportunity supporters enjoy a lively question-and-answer session with Michael Okleme.

“My heart is continually warmed by people’s interest in Opportunity’s mission,” said Sarah Tesch, manager of Opportunity Partners. “This event was particularly inspiring as guests asked thoughtful questions and a few discussed their life-changing experiences during their travels to visit our clients. We have the privilege of engaging with amazing people at both ends of our work–both our supporters here and our staff and clients in the developing world. It was a treat to share an evening with the Oak Park-River Forest group.”

The evening was a definite success, motivating us to continue to care about the under-resourced entrepreneurs around the world. To be connected with an Opportunity gathering near you, contact Sarah Tesch at stesch@opportunity.org or Michael Okleme at mokleme@opportunity.org.

The Two Dollar a Day Challenge has selected Opportunity International as their microfinance charity partner, encouraging all student groups involved with TDC to fundraise for their challenge week on behalf of Opportunity International. TDC requests that all proceeds go to funding hardworking entrepreneurs on OptINnow.org.  Check out the TDC blog at http://www.twodollarchallenge.org/.

Looking forward to seeing how the experience of living on $2 a day motivates students across the country to action!

The Opportunity International Board of Governors at an evening reception in Scottsdale, Arizona this weekend

With a common passion to help people in the developing world work their way out of poverty, the Opportunity International Board of Governors is a vital ingredient in the fight against global poverty. Numbering over 600 families nationwide, the governors believe that by joining together and supporting the work of Opportunity, they can leverage their resources to make a huge impact.

This year, Opportunity’s governors have been busy. Hosting international visitors, holding fundraising events, educating their networks, inspiring their neighbors, and involving their hearts in the important work of microfinance. They have gone on Insight Trips, learned the language of financial services and developed the all-important “elevator speech” to share the good news about microfinance.

Almost 200 people came to this year’s conference.

Board of Governors Chair Mary Lynn Staley served as the emcee during one session, and offered the following encouraging remarks:

“Regardless of the details of our individual stories, I suspect that all of us in this room share something very powerful: the desire to expand our ordinary perspectives and see the bigger picture. At the moment we reach out to the global community, we discover that we are part of that bigger picture. And suddenly, the world seems smaller.

“We have the opportunity to profoundly touch the lives of people around the world, and in doing so feel our own lives enriched. When we reach out globally, the illusion of national boundaries dissolves, and we increase our fellowship as God’s family.”

Indeed, the Opportunity governors are a group of people who are reaching out globally. Their world has become smaller, and their love for the poor has become bigger.

Congratulations to the Opportunity International Board of Governors for your dedicated efforts.

If you have been inspired by this conference, or encouraged by the Opportunity International Board of Governors, or energized by the Young Ambassadors of Opportunity, or motivated by the Women’s Opportunity Network, then why don’t you get involved? We would love to have you join the Opportunity International Family.

Together this weekend, we have brought our stories into one another’s lives. And as a result, we emerge with harmonies and beats and vignettes that produce a common narrative. As we end this weekend, please enjoy this celebratory drumming.

The festival includes presentations and panel discussions, and I will be representing OptINnow in the panel discussion, “Will Kiva Kill Your Nonprofit? Donations 2.0”. I will be joined by a group of remarkable panelists including: Skylar Woodward of Kiva, Milo Sybrant of Amnesty International USA, Michael Cervino of Beaconfire Consulting, and Katie Bisbee of DonorsChoose.org. It is a great opportunity for Opportunity International, in particular OptINnow, since this panel is already is being marked as one of the festival’s top panels.

SXSW Interactive has become a focal point for nonprofits who see technology as integral to accomplishing their missions, and  are looking to learn, share, and dream about what’s possible.

The “Will Kiva Kill Your Nonprofit? Donations 2.0” panel will focus on the relatively new person-to-person online fundraising strategy first introduced by Kiva and now being absorbed, adapted and transformed by other organizations, including Opportunity. By being an innovative online fundraising platform that not only connects donors to clients, but also creates an online community, teaches visitors about microfinance and provides various ways to get one and one’s networks involved, OptINnow will undoubtedly be a strong voice at the table.

The panel will explore tough questions about the donations 2.0 model and social media and how they apply to nonprofits of all industries and have fundamentally changed donors’ expectations on transparency and accountability. The person-to-person/ donor-to-client model is common with microfinance organizations; however, the question remains whether this model will be relevant for other nonprofits, in particular advocacy organizations like Amnesty International. 

Participation in this panel and our attendance at many others will most certainly be a learning experience for all of us. Being surrounded by innovative organizations, ideas and leaders will expand our views and ideas for OptINnow. The SXSW Web site says, “Year after year, the festival is a launching pad for new creative content.” We look forward to being part of this launching pad: being involved in the conversations, working with other nonprofit leaders and learning how we can make OptINnow a better fundraising, educational and engagement tool for donors.

If you’d like to learn more about the discussions and what people are saying about events as they are happening, The PepsiCo Zeitgeist allows you to take the pulse of SXSW without having to read through hundreds of thousands of Tweets from Austin. Go to http://sxsw.com/node/4335 for more information.

The program, where students live or eat on just $2 per day for one week, raises money for Opportunity Trust Groups in Kenya and Colombia through our peer-to-peer lending website, OptINnow. This initiative gives students the chance to make a personal connection with Opportunity’s clients, learning more about their lives and work.  Throughout the week, students have the chance to create educational opportunities for their peers (i.e. panel discussions, video screenings, etc.) and cool fundraising events like concerts and sports tournaments.

Here’s a little background on Two Dollar Challenge:

During the fall semester of 2006, Dr. Shawn Humphrey gave UMW students in his principles of macroeconomics class a unique challenge: live on $2 a day for a week. In the spring of 2007, that challenge became the “Living on $2 a day” project for his economic development class. The project is now called Challenge Week. Students participate by choosing a cause and a partner, and setting a monetary goal.

Over the past few years, the UMW group has raised over $7,000 benefiting microfinance. This year, the group is  calling on universities and high schools across the country to come together during the month of April, choose a week, and help to raise at least $15,000 to help provide Opportunity’s life-changing microfinance tools to people living in poverty in the developing world.  

TDC provides materials on how to shape this event so that it is fun, educational and productive for the students involved. The manual offers fundraising ideas, event suggestions and leadership tips.

Current school partners include: University of Chicago, Ohio Northern University, Indiana University and UMW. And we’re looking for more. If you or someone you know is interested in joining this exciting event, http://www.opportunity.org/contact-us/contact us[/intlink].

UPDATE: Current TDC school partners include University of Chicago, Ohio Northern University, Indiana University, UMW and Westminster College (Utah).