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Opportunity International Honors World AIDS Day
December 1, 2012 is World AIDS Day. Today, we at Opportunity International stand with millions around the world, including our clients, in the fight against HIV/AIDS. As an organization that offers AIDS education in some of the world’s hardest hit communities, we look forward to the day when families, friends and clients are freed from Read more…
Tagged Africa, AIDS, Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, Brad Skeba, Clients, Community, Democratic Republic of Congo, DR Congo, Education, Ending Poverty, Global Poverty, Health, HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS prevention, Microfinance, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, Poverty, sub-Saharan Africa, Training, Trust Groups, Uganda, Unicef, World Aids Day, World Health Organization
What We’re Watching: Documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide on PBS
We’re tuning in tonight to PBS to watch the long-awaited documentary, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. (Airing in two parts, tonight and tomorrow, October 1 and 2, at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT.) With Nicholas Kristof as your guide, as well as Sheryl WuDunn, Hillary Clinton, and activist celebrities America Read more…
Tagged Cambodia, Children, Community, documentary, DR Congo, Education, Ending Poverty, Global Poverty, Half the Sky Movement, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, Healthcare, Hillary Clinton, maternal mortality rates, Microfinance, Mothers, Nicholas D. Kristof, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, PBS, Sheryl WuDunn, Sierra Leone, strategic partners, what we're watching, Women, women's empowerment
Our Cover Star: Meet the Annual Report’s Annie Nyangomba of the DRC
Annie Nyangomba is a 38-year-old mother of two who lives in Kinshasa, DR Congo. The smiling face of this client graces the cover of our 2011 Annual Report as she holds out her finger to be read at the Kinshasa branch of ‘s newest operations, Opportunity DRC. With support from the UNCDF, it’s one of Read more…
Tagged 2011 Annual Report, Africa, Annie Nyangomba, annual report, biometric fingerprint technology, Clients, DR Congo, DRC Grand Opening, Financial services, Gilbert Lagaillarde, Kinshasa, Loans, Microfinance, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, Poverty, Training, what we're reading, Women
Success Story: Banking on Africa Campaign
In 2008, embarked on its most ambitious effort to date, a $123.6 million Banking on Africa campaign to expand financial services for impoverished families throughout sub-Saharan Africa. With the partnership of our committed supporters, we’re celebrating the successful completion of this campaign and we’re confident we’ll reach our Banking on Africa goal: to reach five Read more…
Tagged Africa, Bank Building, Banking on Africa, Banking on Africa Campaign, Clients, Community, DR Congo, DRC, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Global Poverty, Impact, Insight Trip, Kinshasa, Loans, Masina, MFI, Microfinance, Online fundraising, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, Poverty, strategic partners, sub-Saharan Africa, Trust Group
A Better Future for the Congo: Developing the Next Generation of Congolese Fathers
The following post by Kadita “A.T.” Tshibaka, member of Opportunity’s , was originally published in The Huffington Post on Friday, June 15. The original post is here. My greatest challenge as a father has been the moments of terror when my children were gravely ill, and we thought we were going to lose them. It happened with Read more…
Tagged Africa, Board of Directors, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, DR Congo, DRC, Father's Day, Fathers, Financial services, Kadita "A.T." Tshibaka, Loans, Microfinance, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, Training, violence
One-Year Anniversary of Grand Opening of Opportunity DRC
One year ago, celebrated the grand opening of its operations in the DR Congo with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the heart of Kinshasa’s Masina market. Three weeks ago, on Tuesday, May 22, 42 local and international staff, dignitaries and supporters gathered to celebrate the one-year anniversary of this milestone at a special luncheon in Kinshasa Read more…
Tagged Africa, anniversary, ATMs, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Caterpillar Foundation, Cell Phones, church, Clients, Colin McCormack, Democratic Republic of Congo, donor, DR Congo, DRC, DRC Grand Opening, Gilbert Lagaillarde, Harry Turner, Keith Flintham, Kinshasa, Loan Officer, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Nadine Pembele, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, point-of-sale devices, SAJE Foundation, Savings, Training, UNCDF, UNDP, Women
Fathering Opportunity: Meeting Congolese Client and Father Figure Papa Roger
The following post is by Harry Turner, CEO of Opportunity’s Global Microfinance Operations, recounting his recent trip to DR Congo where he met Papa Roger, an extraordinary father and a father figure to a group of 17 orphaned young men. On our trip we visited client Papa Roger. There couldn’t be a more holistic view Read more…
Tagged Africa, Clients, Community, DR Congo, DRC, Dreams, Father's Day, Fathers, Financial services, Harry Turner, Kinshasa, Loans, Microfinance, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, Orphans, Poverty, Savings
What We’re Reading: “Tapping into the Potential of the Unbanked in the DRC”
This post, “Tapping into the Potential of the Unbanked in the DRC,” was originally published Wednesday morning on ACCION International‘s Center for Financial Inclusion Blog, written by Kadita Tshibaka, a member of ‘s . Kadita was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and spent 33 years working around the world in Read more…
Tagged Accion, Africa, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Blog, Board of Directors, Center for Financial Inclusion, Center for Financial Inclusion Blog, Citigroup, Clients, Dartmouth College, DR Congo, DRC, DRC Grand Opening, Financial Access, Financial services, FINCA, Formal Labor Force, Gallup Poll, Gates Foundation, Global Findex, Kadita "A.T." Tshibaka, Kinshasa, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, Portfolios of the Poor, Poverty, ProCredit, Savings, savings club, sub-Saharan Africa, Technology, unbanked, World Bank
How Will You Celebrate Women on March 8th?
In just one week, on Thursday, March 8th, the world will celebrate International Women’s Day 2012. On this day, organizations and individuals will gather to celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future. Here at Opportunity, where 85% of our clients are women, we’re passionate about equipping the next generation of women Read more…
Tagged biometric fingerprint technology, Clients, Community, DR Congo, Education, Ending Poverty, Facebook, Financial services, Global Poverty, Half the Sky, International Women's Day, IWD2012, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Mothers, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, Savings, School fee loans, Schools, Social Media, Students, Uganda, Women, Women's Philanthropy
Prayers for Peace in the DR Congo
We wanted to provide you with a brief update surrounding the situation that is unfolding on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in response to last week’s elections. International news agencies such as Voice of America, BBC, and United Press International (UPI) have reported that tensions surrounding the elections resulted in violence Read more…
