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Growing Rural Economies through Agricultural Finance in Africa
In the last decade, Opportunity International embarked on an agricultural finance and rural savings program to spur economic activity and provide enduring resources for smallholder farmers and other rural clients in five African countries, including Uganda, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique and Rwanda. Opportunity’s approach is to help farmers move from subsistence growing to cash crop production Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Breakout session, coffee farmer, Crop insurance, Ending Poverty, Insurance, John Magnay, Loan Officer, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, OIC2011, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Opportunity Malawi, opportunity mozambique, Opportunity Rwanda, Opportunity Uganda, Poverty, Savings, Smallholder farmer, Training
Empowerment through Microfinance–Meeting Rwandan Microfinance Client Dorosera Mukagahima
Dorosera Mukagahima made our long two-hour bus ride worth the trek to her remote village. She’s the elected treasurer in her Trust Group of about 30, mostly women. In her business she buys and sells goats—about three at a time. She proudly told us of her sturdy mud brick home with a metal roof, situated Read more…
Tagged Africa, Banking on Africa, Banking on Africa Campaign, Banking on Africa Insight Trip 2011, Clients, Community, Ending Poverty, Family, Financial services, Genocide, Insight Trip, Loans, mark lutz, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Opportunity Rwanda, Opportunity Uganda, Poverty, Rwanda, Trust Groups, Uganda, Women
An Outstanding Group of Ugandan Microfinance Clients
These people meet weekly in this very, very rough setting to repay their loans. They must each be current on their payments for the group to be deemed current. They all are. On their own (not an idea from the bank) over the past few years this informal group has established a “reserve fund.” The Read more…
Tagged Africa, Banking on Africa, Banking on Africa Campaign, Banking on Africa Insight Trip 2011, Clients, Community, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Loans, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Opportunity Rwanda, Opportunity Uganda, Rwanda, Uganda
Embarking on My Journey to Rwanda & Uganda
For one week, our group of eleven will visit Opportunity International’s work in Africa. I invite you to come along on this adventure. Our motley crew rendezvoused in Rwanda on Saturday, August 6, and for the next week we’ll keep you posted on what we’re doing and feeling. We’re going on this journey, traveling through Read more…
YAO-ZA! Young Ambassadors Launches its Denver Chapter
The following post was written by YAO member and YAO-ZA! co-organizer Amy Steinhoff. Greetings from the Denver chapter of Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO). We are thrilled to officially become part of the YAO network after YAO-ZA!, our successful chapter launch on Saturday, May 21st. Thanks to a dedicated team and the generous support of Read more…
Tagged Africa, Board of Governors, chapter launch, Denver, Ending Poverty, Events, Facebook, Financial services, fundraisers, International Visitor, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Opportunity Rwanda, Opportunity Tanzania, Rwanda, Transformation, YAO, YAO-Denver, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
What We’re Reading: Opportunity Rwanda’s Daniel Ryumugabe & Chicago Supporters Gather to Discuss Left to Tell
On Monday, I joined 15 women for a meeting of the Chicago Women’s Book Discussion Group in the home of Kim Stephens, a member of Opportunity International‘s Board of Governors. The group, led by my Opportunity colleague, regional director Linda Vander Weele, has been meeting regularly for the past two years to discuss books that touch upon Read more…
Tagged Africa, Board of Governors, Book discussion, Chicago, Community, Economic development, Education, Ending Poverty, Events, Genocide, God, Governors, International Visitor, Kigali, Left to Tell, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Opportunity Rwanda, Paul Kagame, Poverty, Ruth-Anne Renaud, Rwanda, Transformation, Transformational Training, UOB, Urwego Opportunity Bank, Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda, violence, Women's Opportunity Network, Women's Philanthropy, WON
Caterpillar Foundation Extends Corporate Giving Challenge, New $1M Match in 2011 to Reach More with Microfinance
This week, Opportunity International and the Caterpillar Foundation, the charitable arm of global equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc., announced the successful culmination of its 2010 Corporate Giving Challenge raising $2 million in total donations. The Foundation also announced a new pledge to match an additional $1 million in new business and corporate donations to Opportunity in 2011. These Read more…
Tagged 2010 fall microfinance conference, Africa, Banking on Africa, Caterpillar Foundation, Caterpillar Inc., Caterpillar match, Clients, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Opportunity Rwanda, Poverty, Rwanda, Savings, strategic partners, Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda, Will Ball
Empowering Rwandan Women in Microfinance
By Jeffrey Lee, CEO of Urwego Opportunity Bank (UOB) of Rwanda In Rwanda, gender equality is real. For example, more than 50% of the Rwandan senators are women. The chief justice is a woman. Approximately 40% of the state ministers are women, including the ministers of agriculture, of trade, of foreign affairs. Indeed, women are Read more…
Tagged 10000 women initiative, 2010 fall microfinance conference, Africa, alice gasatura, Emerging Leaders, emerging leaders program, Ending Poverty, fall microfinance conference, Financial services, Goldman Sachs, Kenya, Kigali, Loan Officer, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Nairobi, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Opportunity Rwanda, Poverty, Rwanda, Urwego Opportunity Bank, Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda, Women, Women Leaders, Women's Opportunity Network, Women's Philanthropy, WON
Microfinance Loan Officers Go Green with Electronic Bikes
Opportunity International’s loan officers are going green. They are traveling to loan client locations with the assistance of electric bicycles. If electric cars are the epitome of a culture that is constantly trying to reduce its carbon footprint, then electric bicycles (e-bikes) rank in the same category. That’s why Daryl Skoog, Opportunity International’s SVP of Read more…
Tagged Africa, Clients, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Ghana, India, Kenya, Loan Officer, MFI, Microfinance, Mozambique, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity India, Opportunity International, Opportunity Kenya, opportunity mozambique, Opportunity Rwanda, Opportunity Tanzania, Opportunity Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Technology, Uganda
