Blog Archives

Opportunity Promotes Entrepreneurship for the Next Generation in Nicaragua

Opportunity International is launching a Technical High School to teach youth entrepreneurship skills in the agriculture and tourism industries as part of its community development initiative in Nicaragua. Opportunity recently broke ground on its Entrepreneurial Technical High School in Diriomo, Nicaragua. The school will provide rural students with the education and training they need to Read more…

Posted in Our Work, Rural Outreach, Where We Work
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What We’re Watching: Banking on Education Video by Students of the World at CGI 2011

We’re watching this video produced in partnership with Students of the World, which had its world premiere on the main stage at this year’s CGI. In it, Opportunity staff and clients discuss the goals and the impact of our Banking on Education program, which provides , and to 280 schools serving 120,000 students in Malawi, Uganda and Read more…

Posted in Events, Loans, Local Staffing, Microfinance Conference, Our Work, Resources, Savings, Training, Where We Work
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Class Is in Session at Neighborhood School Near Kumasi, Ghana

As U.S. students settle into the new school year, we check in with a Ghanaian school in the IDP Rising Schools Program, an initiative created and implemented by the IDP Foundation, Inc., in partnership with Opportunity International and Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT),  which funds the development of quality local private schools in Ghana through school proprietor loans and other financial and Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Work, Strategic Partners, Where We Work
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Back to School with a Visit to See Education Finance in Action in Uganda

As we head back to school in the U.S., we’re thinking a lot about our educational loan clients and school proprietors around the world, and the impoverished children who are receiving an education because of them. Here, staff member Mark shares what he learned about education finance on his recent visit to a primary school in Kampala, Read more…

Posted in Insight Trips, Loans, Our Work, Resources, Where We Work
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Opportunity Staff Interview on BBC Radio 2

Listen today! BBC Radio 2‘s Jeremy Vine interviews Nick Lea, development economist and an Opportunity trustee, and Lydia Baffour Awuah, head of Africa programs at Opportunity UK. Recording of interview is only available until 2:02 p.m. GMT+1 on Tuesday, Aug. 30th (9:02 a.m. EST in the United States). Listen to the 10-minute interview by clicking here. ** (The interview Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Leadership, Our Work, Resources, Savings, Trust Groups, Where We Work
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Unlocking Potential Through the Power of Education

Opportunity’s financial products, educational programs and business training help impoverished families, especially women, develop their capacity to the fullest. Where poverty is the way of life, people’s potential is often overshadowed by the struggle to survive. But when equipped with the right tools, even the most vulnerable are able to change their own world and create a better future for their Read more…

Posted in Local Staffing, Our Work, Resources, Strategic Partners, Training, Where We Work
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Photo Blog: We’re Banking on Africa

This summer, Opportunity has launched the Banking on Africa Campaign. The campaign aims to bring millions of Sub-Saharan Africans closer to the day when they can safely deposit their savings, access loans to grow businesses, and purchase affordable insurance to protect their families—right in their own communities. Check out a photo tour below of some Read more…

Posted in Bank Building, Events, Our Leadership, Resources, Where We Work
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Spotlight on Educational Microfinance & IDP Rising Schools: Students of the World (SOW) Meets Students & Educators in Ghana

The Students of the World (SOW) Boston team is in Ghana all this month visiting Opportunity Ghana‘s microfinance operations and documenting their experiences in a diverse array of photos, posts and more on their blog. You can see all their updates and content on their site, and stay tuned to the Opportunity Blog and our Facebook Read more…

Posted in Events, Insight Trips, Loans, Our Work, Resources, Strategic Partners
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What We’re Watching: Kadita “A.T.” Tshibaka’s Voice of America Interview on Congo Grand Opening

Following the grand opening of our first regulated microfinance institution in the DR Congo, Congolese native and Opportunity supporter Kadita “A.T.” Tshibaka appeared on Voice of America‘s In Focus TV program, which airs throughout Africa, to discuss the growth of microfinance in the DRC and the impact of Opportunity DRC on the lives of the Read more…

Posted in Bank Building, Events, Loans, Our Leadership, Our Work, Where We Work
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Half the World’s LDCs Can Emerge from Poverty, Says a New UN Report

On Tuesday, March 29, the United Nations issued a report, summarized at un.org under the title “Half of world’s poorest countries can escape poverty by 2020.” According to the report, which was produced by the Group of Eminent Persons appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, half the world’s 48 least developed countries (LDCs) can “graduate” out of Read more…

Posted in Bank Building, Our Mission and Vision
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,