Blog Archives

What We’re Reading: Roger Thurow Encourages Rwandan Farmers to “Keep Up the Momentum”

By Emily Riemer on July 9, 2010

This week, Roger Thurow, Senior Fellow on Global Agriculture and Food Policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, posted a blog reporting on an unusual situation for farmers in Kirehe, Rwanda — an agricultural surplus. Thurow examines the situation, interviewing Agnes Kalibata, Rwanda’s minister of agriculture, and discusses the positive impact of USAID’s Feed Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Strategic Partners, Training, What We're Reading, Where We Work
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Conference, Enough, Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty, Feed the Future Guide, Financial services, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Microfinance Conference, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Poverty, Roger Thurow, Rwanda, Savings, Technology, Training, USAID

Food & Microfinance: Helping Farmers Reap Rewards

By Opportunity International on June 2, 2010

Opportunity International is prominently featured in an article entitled “Food & Microfinance: Helping Farmers Reap Rewards” in today’s Financial Times. The article highlights Opportunity’s leadership in providing both agricultural finance and microinsurance to smallholder farmers to help them increase production, support their families and feed their communities. It also references “Feed the Future,” USAID’s new Read more…

Posted in Loans, Microinsurance, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Technology
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Agrifinance, Climate Change, Education, Farmers, Financial Times, John Magnay, Leaders, Loans, Malawi, MFI, Microensure, Microfinance, Microinsurance, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Poverty, Roger Thurow, Savings, USAID, Women

Global Agriculture and Food Security Program

By Opportunity International on April 23, 2010

We are excited about the news that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United States, Canada and other countries have launched the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program to help the world’s poorest farmers grow more food and earn more to lift themselves out of hunger and poverty. As part of the worldwide effort Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Work, Strategic Partners
Tagged Africa, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Ending Hunger, Ending Poverty, Farmers, Financial services, Food security, Global Agriculture and Food Policy, Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, Microfinance Conference, Roger Thurow, The MasterCard Foundation, Training, Washington D.C.

Outrage & Inspire – All Efforts Great and Small by Roger Thurow

By Opportunity International on March 30, 2010

Roger Thurow, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal for three decades, spoke at Opportunity International’s recent microfinance conference in Phoenix. His subsequent post, “All Efforts Great and Small,” on the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ Global Food for Thought blog, discusses Opportunity’s agricultural finance program and its big impact on farmers in Africa. Read it Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Where We Work
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Farmers, Roger Thurow, The Wall Street Journal

Opportunity LiveBlog: Roger Thurow’s Global Food for Thought

By Sonja Egeland Kelly on March 19, 2010

Roger Thurow’s job is to “outrage and inspire.” His recent book, co-authored with Scott Kilman, Enough: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty, certainly does just that. He previously spoke at our Fall 2009 Conference, and Opportunity is delighted to host him again at our Spring 2010 Conference. The Opportunity audience sat enraptured as we listened Read more…

Posted in Events, What We're Reading
Tagged Action Against Hunger's Humanitarian Award, Africa, Agriculture Microfinance, Chicago, Christianity Today, Council on Global Affairs, Crop insurance, Ending Hunger, Ending Poverty, Enough, Europe, Global Agriculture and Food Policy, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Roger Thurow, Scott Kilman, Senior Fellow, spring 2010 microfinance conference, spring microfinance conference, Stories, The Wall Street Journal, United Nations

Welcome to the Opportunity Microfinance Conference

By Sonja Egeland Kelly on March 18, 2010

Welcome to Phoenix. The sun is shining, the hallways of the Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center are filling up, and hopes are high as we begin the Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, hosted by the Opportunity Board of Governors. These next few days promise to be ones brimming with stories. Indeed, the theme of the conference Read more…

Posted in Board of Governors, Events
Tagged Board of Governors, Conference, Daniel Taylor, Global Philanthropy, Microfinance, Microfinance Conference, Opportunity, Roger Thurow, Scottsdale, spring 2010 microfinance conference, spring microfinance conference

Equipping Countries to be Agriculturally Self-Sustainable

By Sonja Egeland Kelly on October 15, 2009

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…

Posted in Events, Loans, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Savings, Where We Work
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

Live: Roger Thurow Insists There is "Enough." #BOG09

By Sonja Egeland Kelly on October 2, 2009

Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman’s compelling book Enough: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty tells the story of the world’s food. It raises the question of supply and demand, which is easy to understand even if you were not an economics major. There is enough food to feed everyone in the world. Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Rural Outreach, What We're Reading
Tagged #BOG09, Africa, and Kenya, Board of Governors, Board of Governors Conference, Client Stories, Conference, Crop insurance, Enough, Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty, Ethiopia, Farmer, Francis Pelekamoyo, Ghana, Hunger, Loans, Malawi, Mozambique, Opportunity International, Passion, Roger Thurow, Rural lending, Rwanda, Scott Kilman, Sought Africa

Live From The Opportunity International Board of Governors Conference Fall 2009

By Sonja Egeland Kelly on October 2, 2009

It’s about encouragement. It’s about inspiration. It’s about coming together on behalf of those living in chronic poverty. The Opportunity International Board of Governors Conference brings Opportunity supporters from all over the country to one location for one common purpose: to serve the poor. They hear stories from the field, learn about new trends in Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, Our Work, Strategic Partners
Tagged Adrian Merryman, Board of Governors, Caterpillar Foundation, CEO, CIDRZ Foundation, Clients, Conference, Dale Hanson Bourke, Golda Osekre-Mensah, Henrietta Isaac, Kadita "A.T." Tshibaka, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Roger Thurow, Speakers, Ward Brehm, William Ball

Subscribe to the Blog

Archives

Categories