Blog Archives

Opportunity International in Today’s USA Today

We are so excited to announce that Opportunity International has been featured in a special supplement in today’s edition of USA Today entitled, “Investing in Women and Girls: 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day.” This is a great opportunity for you to read all about our Banking on Women initiatives that help women gain financial freedom and change Read more…

Posted in Our Work, What We're Reading, Women's Opportunity Network
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What We’re Watching: At Davos, Bill Gates and the Needs of the Developing World

Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg interviews Bill Gates at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 28, 2011. Gates answers viewer questions and addresses the global need for expansive immunization, advanced agricultural techniques and the importance of traveling to see firsthand the needs of the developing world. For this and more, click the screenshot above to watch the Read more…

Posted in Events, Insight Trips, Our Motivation, Strategic Partners, Technology
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Gates Foundation Summit: The Power of Savings

On Nov. 16-17, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation held its first-ever 2010 Global Savings Forum in Seattle, Wash. Heads of government, banking, technology and international development gathered from around the world to discuss how to bring financial access to people living in poverty, with a particular focus on helping people protect their futures through savings. Read more…

Posted in Events, Local Staffing, Our Leadership, Our Work, Savings, Strategic Partners, Technology, Where We Work
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What We’re Reading: “Investing in Women & Girls” (MediaPlanet supplement, USA Today)

 Every Wednesday on our blog, we highlight an article, book or a blog in our “What We’re Reading” series. We’ll feature pieces or works that are noteworthy, inspiring, educational or relevant to the work we do at Opportunity. We welcome your comments in the comment field below–tell us what you’re reading, or respond to the Read more…

Posted in Our Work, Strategic Partners, What We're Reading, Women's Opportunity Network
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Melinda French Gates on the Impact of Agricultural Finance

 Want to do more to impact global poverty? In an interview in the August issue of Smithsonian magazine, Melinda Gates outlines the techniques the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is using to fight global poverty in the 21st century. (“Melinda French Gates on Saving Lives,” by Terence Monmaney) It’s part of the magazine’s 40th-anniversary issue, featuring ”40 Things You Read more…

Posted in Loans, Microinsurance, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Savings, Strategic Partners, Technology, Training, What We're Reading, Where We Work, Women's Opportunity Network
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Global Poverty: Melinda Gates Discusses What Can Be Done

In an interview with Melinda French Gates in the July/August issue of Smithsonian, the co-chair of the world’s largest philanthropic organization discusses what can be done and what is being done about global poverty and health. As part of the $22.7 billion the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given to development, education and health Read more…

Posted in Rural Outreach, Strategic Partners, Trust Groups, What We're Reading, Women's Opportunity Network
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Providing Financial Services to Women Creates a Better World

Opportunity has long known what U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated in a video message to the “Women for a Better World” conference in Spain on Saturday—that empowering women is the key to global progress and prosperity. While Opportunity serves all people regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or gender, we place a special emphasis Read more…

Posted in Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Women's Opportunity Network
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Join ONE, Melinda Gates, & Melanne Verveer

Here’s another opportunity to learn how you can become a more effective advocate in the fight against global poverty. Our friends at ONE are sponsoring an interactive conference next week with Melinda Gates and Melanne Verveer, the first-ever U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues. It’s easy to join in. Just RSVP with your telephone number Read more…

Posted in Events, Women's Opportunity Network
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This Quarter’s Book of Choice: Half the Sky

This quarter the Women’s Opportunity Network (WON) and Opportunity International’s staff book clubs are diving into Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. A read that Melinda Gates calls “a brutal awakening and an unmistakable call to action”, Half the Sky captures one of our era’s most pervasive human rights violations: the Read more…

Posted in Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, What We're Reading, Women's Opportunity Network
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