Subscribe to the Blog
Subscribe via RSS
Subscribe via EmailBlog Archives
Conference LiveBlog: Daryl Collins, Co-Author of Portfolios of the Poor: How the World’s Poor Live on $2 a Day
This morning at the Opportunity International Conference, Daryl Collins, co-author of Portfolios of the Poor: How the World’s Poor Live on $2 a Day, spoke from the main stage about the financial portfolios of people in poverty and the impact that has to mitigate the effects of their uncertain financial futures. Highlights from Daryl’s Read more…
Tagged Africa, Asia, Daryl Collins, Ending Poverty, Financial services, India, Latin America, Loans, Microfinance, OIC2011, Portfolios of the Poor, Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day, Savings, South Africa
Opportunity Co-Hosts Financial Literacy Conference in Kenya
This week in Nairobi, Opportunity International and The Financial Education Fund (FEF)–which is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID)–are co-sponsoring a Financial Literacy Conference to explore how access to financial services can be facilitated and enhanced through financial education initiatives. The Financial Literacy Conference opened with remarks from Professor Njuguna S. Ndunu’u, governor Read more…
Tagged Africa, Conference, Education, Financial Education Fund, Financial literacy programs, Financial services, Ghana, Kenya, MFI, Microfinance, Mozambique, Opportunity International, Poverty, Rwanda, South Africa, Training, Uganda
The Christian Science Monitor on Biometrics & Mobile Money at Opportunity Malawi
The Christian Science Monitor today posted an article entitled, “Villages Leapfrog the Grid with Biometrics and Mobile Money,” which lauds these technologies as a way for people at the bottom of the economic pyramid to access financial services and protect themselves in the case of drought and disasters. Today’s story is part of a series Read more…
Tagged Africa, Aleksandr-Alain Kalanda, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, biometric technology, biometrics, Cell phone banking, Cell Phones, Crop insurance, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Fingerprint, funeral insurance, Gates Foundation, Kenya, life insurance, M-banking, M-PESA, Malawi, MFI, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, mobile phone banking, Mobile Phones, OIBM, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Bank of Malawi, Opportunity Malawi, Poverty, South Africa, Technology, The Christian Science Monitor, what we're reading
Five Million People in Five Years: Bank-Building in Africa
Last Wednesday, Opportunity staff and supporters gathered for the quarterly conference call hosted by the Board of Governors. The topic was “Bank-Building in Africa” and Opportunity’s Banking on Africa campaign, a discussion led by two of our experts in the International Business Development department: Dennis Ripley, SVP of programs, and Simona Haiduc, VP of program management. Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO) Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, ATMs, Bank Building, Banking on Africa, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Clients, Country champion team, Democratic Republic of Congo, Donations, DR Congo, Ending Poverty, Financial services, fundraisers, Fundraising, Gates Foundation, Ghana, Guest Post, Insight Trip, Kenya, Kiosk, Loans, Malawi, MasterCard Foundation, MFI, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, mobile banking vehicle, mobile phone banking, Mozambique, Online fundraising, Opportunity International, OptINnow, point-of-sale devices, POS devices, Poverty, Rwanda, Satellite bank branch, Savings, Smallholder farmer, South Africa, Tanzania, Technology, The MasterCard Foundation, Uganda, YAO, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
On Black Friday, Avoid the Malls and Fight Global Poverty
Today, avoid the long lines at the mall, and give the gift that keeps on giving with a holiday gift card from OptINnow. Gift cards start at $10 and come in holiday packaging. The recipient goes to optinnow.org, chooses an entrepreneur and then uses the gift card to fund a microloan. When the loan is Read more…
Tagged Board of Governors, Christmas, Christmas cards, church, Clients, Community, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Get involved, Honduras, MFI, Microfinance, Nonprofit, Opportunity International, OptINnow, OptINnow gift cards, Poverty, South Africa, Supporters, Uganda, Volunteers
What We’re Reading: “The Silent Crisis” and Violence in Mozambique
In light of last week’s riots in Mozambique in which 13 people were killed, this post entitled “The Silent Crisis,” published on Opportunity Australia’s blog more than two weeks ago, has even more resonance. This prescient blog post highlighted the concerns over food security and increases in food prices for economically marginalized people living in extreme poverty all Read more…
Tagged Africa, Blog, Blogs, Clients, Community, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Financial Times, food, Food security, Food Sustainability, Global Poverty, IMF, India, international monetary fund, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Mozambique, opportunity australia, Opportunity Blog, Opportunity International, opportunity mozambique, Philippines, Poverty, South Africa
Happy 92nd Birthday, Nelson Mandela!
Where there is poverty and sickness, where human beings are being oppressed, there is more work to be done. Our work is for freedom for all. – Nelson Mandela, speaking in London’s Hyde Park, June 2008 Happy birthday to the father of post-Apartheid South Africa. On Sunday, July 18th, Nelson Mandela turned 92. The South Read more…
The Challenge of Credit Scoring
A lack of a formal credit score makes risk mitigation particularly difficult and thus has the potential to reduce the effectiveness of microfinance. A lack of some type of credit information can cause microfinance institutions to make decisions that are not in the best interest of the client. In the worst case scenario, either someone Read more…
Tagged Clients, Credit Scoring, Ghana, Loan Officer, Loan repayment, Microfinance, mitigate risk, South Africa, Trust Groups
