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Cell Phone Banking Technology Comes to Opportunity Malawi
Opportunity International is excited to announce that, after several years and many challenges, Opportunity Malawi launched its cell phone banking product, Banki Mmanja, on May 7 in the rural district of Dowa. In 2007, Opportunity started work on a project that could tap into the country’s huge network of cell phone users and bring the bank Read more…
Tagged Africa, Cell Phones, Children, Credit Suisse, Dowa, Half the Sky, International Women's Day, Kenya, Loans, Malawi, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, Nairobi, Ndirande, Opportunity International, POS devices, Poverty, Rural banking, Technology, WON
Women Helping Women: Panel Discussion Inspires Women’s Investment Group
It is a unique situation: a roomful of professional U.S. women gathered together to learn how to help expand the professional prospects of poor women in other countries. At the lunchtime talk, “Beyond the Basics of Microfinance: Empowering women through scalable, sustainable, multi-faceted financial solutions,” hosted by Women Investment Professionals (WIP), Chicago women from the Read more…
Tagged Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Children, Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs, Education, Global Opportunity Quilt, Half the Sky, Insight Trip, Kenya, Microfinance, Mother's Day, Nike Foundation, Opportunity International, OptINnow, Poverty, Ruth-Anne, Savings, Trust Groups, Women, Women Investment Professionals, Women Leaders, Women's Opportunity Network, Women's Philanthropy, WON
Here’s a Meaningful Easter Gift Idea
Are you looking for a special gift to put in your child’s or grandchild’s Easter basket amidst the brightly colored eggs and chocolates? Consider an OptINnow gift card (starting at just $25) to help teach youngsters about the importance of giving back out of the many blessings your family has received. Later that day, spend a Read more…
Tagged Business Loan, Children, Colombia, Easter, Entrepreneurs, Ghana, Gift Cards, Gift Idea, Holiday, Kenya, Mexico, OptINnow, Philippines
Opportunity Partners with Two Dollar Challenge: Student Program Makes Poverty a Reality
Opportunity International is pleased to announce our partnership with Two Dollar Challenge (TDC), an organization based out of the University of Mary Washington (UMW) in Fredericksburg, Va. 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 Read more…
Tagged College, Colombia, Education, Ending Hunger, Ending Poverty, Fundraising, Hunger, Indiana University, Kenya, ohio northern university, Opportunity International, OptINnow, Poverty, Schools, Students, TDC, Trust Groups, Two Dollar a Day Challenge, Two Dollar Challenge, University, University of Chicago, University of Mary Washington, westminster college, YAO, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity, Youth
Yes, We Care, Kenya
Capturing the stories of our field staff and clients during our time in Uganda and Kenya inspired us, and we hope it inspires you. While we were having dinner on our final night in Kenya, Ruth-Anne Renaud gave me the idea of starting up a fundraising group at OptINnow.org. It was easy to do, and Read more…
Tagged Build businesses, Children, Education, Ending Poverty, Families, Fundraising, Kenya, Loans, Nutrition, OptINnow, Ruth-Anne, Uganda, We Care Kenya, Women, Women's Opportunity Network, Women's Philanthropy, WON
#Mifimon: Where in the world is microfinance working?
The following is a guest post by Grameen America DC’s Alice Geglio, for Opportunity International Interested in learning about microfinance? Follow our biweekly Twitter discussion group #mifimon (because Microfinance Mondays was too long for Twitter’s 140-character limit!) The aim is to host an exchange of ideas about issues relevant to the microfinance industry. You’re welcome to lend Read more…
Tagged #MifiMon, Accion, Afganistan, ASA, China, Clients, Financial Regulations, FINCA, Gameen Bank, Ghana, India, Kenya, Latin America, Mexico, MFI, Microenterprises, Microfinance Institution, OptINnow, Peru, Rural banking, Southeast Asia, The Economist, Twitter
Equipping Countries to be Agriculturally Self-Sustainable
There is a green revolution occurring in the developing world led by passionate individuals with a heart for change. Within this revolution, Opportunity International is equipping nations to do something radical–to feed themselves. In honor of www.blogactionday.org, I would like to introduce Lucas Chingore. Lucas is a farmer in Mozambique. His desire was to farm Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agriculture, Agrifinance, Blog Action Day, Climate Change, Community, Enough, Farmer, Financial Access, Financial services, Food security, Food Sustainability, Ghana, Green Revolution, Kenya, Loans, Lucas Chingore, Malawi, Mozambique, Roger Thurow, Rwanda, Savings, Scott Kilman, South Africa, Sustainable development, Tanzania and Uganda
The Power of Mobile Money
The microfinance world was buzzing this week about the latest edition of The Economist (9/24/09), which features a special report on the “power of mobile money.” According to Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, the mobile phone has become “the single most transformative tool for development.” A number of innovative uses for the phone Read more…
Tagged Africa, Economist, G-Cash, Information and communications technology, Kenya, M-banking, M-PESA, Malawi, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, Mobile Phones, Opportunity Kenya, Philippines, Safaricom, Smart Money, Tanzania, WIZZIT
Women Advancing Microfinance in Chicago
At Opportunity International’s US office, we draw our motivation and sense of purpose from the stories of our clients and their families as they build a bridge out of poverty. This week, I am further inspired by a different group of people – the members of Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM) Chicago. On September 17th this Read more…
Tagged Accion, Chicago, Development, Education, Ending Poverty, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Microenterprise Development, Microfinance, SEEP Network, ShoreBank, Traditional banking sector, Training, WAM International, Women, Women Advancing Microfinance, Women's Philanthropy, WON
