Blog Archives

Microfinance’s Risky Lending Is a Safe Bet

The following post by Kadita “A.T.” Tshibaka, on our Board of Directors, was originally published on The Huffington Post. As I look at the microfinance industry globally, I’m encouraged by the trends and the progress we’ve achieved so far. Whether you search in Wikipedia, CGAP or MIX Market, whatever the source of the data and Read more…

Posted in Agricultural Finance, Bank Building, Education, In the News, Loans, Local Staffing, Microinsurance, Our Leadership, Our Method, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, Our Work, Resources, Savings, Technology, Training, What We're Reading
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Getting to Know the Community

is more than just and and business—it’s a way forward for many families with few resources and little hope. strives to understand the local communities and to get to know the families who are improving their lives through our tools. This is my second post in a multi-part blog series about a new branch in Read more…

Posted in Bank Building, Local Staffing, Training
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Equipping a Community for Future Success in Kyenjojo, Uganda

 is more than just  and  and business—it’s a way forward for many families with few resources and little hope. Wherever Opportunity works, we strive to understand the local communities and to get to know the families who use our resources. This is the first in a multi-part blog series about a new branch in Kyenjojo, Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Trust Groups
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Opportunity’s Olympic Champions

I love the Olympics. I come from an athletic family and growing up, our family ban on TV was always lifted for two events: the Olympics and the Tour de France. I love watching people push their bodies to the limit as they perform feats that I know are close to impossible, but that with Read more…

Posted in Events, In the News, Loan officer, Local Staffing, Our Work, Trust Groups
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Program Update: Opportunity Mozambique is Cultivating Hope among Smallholder Farmers

 is helping smallholder farmers achieve optimum output to put more food on the family table and increase food security in their communities. We’re committed to helping farmers in sub-Saharan Africa transition from subsistence to economically- and commercially-active farming. Through an innovative and sustainable approach to agricultural finance, Opportunity provides products and services designed to achieve Read more…

Posted in Agricultural Finance, Local Staffing, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Training, Where We Work
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Day 2: Tales of Transformation in a Bogotá Trust Group

The following travel post was written by Margaret Gardner, a member of the Opportunity International Board of Governors living in Washington, D.C.  Margaret is currently traveling on the Opportunity Family Week Insight Trip to Colombia with her husband David and their children. Her daughter Katherine wrote a blog post from Day 1 of the trip, Read more…

Posted in Insight Trips, Our Work
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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…

Posted in Board of Governors, Events, Faith in Action, Women's Opportunity Network
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Daniel Ryumugabe on Rwandan Microfinance and Transformation

Meet Daniel Ryumugabe, the transformational impact manager from Urwego Opportunity Bank (UOB) of Rwanda. Daniel arrived in the U.S. last Saturday for a three-week visit, and several Opportunity staff and supporters had the chance to meet him yesterday at a lunch-and-learn in our Oak Brook offices. About life in Rwanda today, he told us, “Today, Read more…

Posted in Events, Local Staffing, Where We Work, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
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Feeling the Lord’s Presence on my Visit to Microfinance Clients in Colombia

The following blog post was written by Emily Soltvedt following her recent Insight Trip to Colombia. A dedicated Opportunity International supporter, Soltvedt is a leader of the Minneapolis chapter of Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO) and a member of the Board of Governors. I had the blessed opportunity to travel to Colombia on an Insight Trip Read more…

Posted in Board of Governors, Faith in Action, Insight Trips, Loans, Local Staffing, Our Work, Trust Groups, Where We Work, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
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The UPS Foundation Awards Grant to Expand Opportunity’s Microfinance Services in India

Today, we announced that The UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of UPS, has awarded Opportunity International a grant in the amount of $100,000. The grant fosters economic literacy, as well as improves access to affordable microfinance services in India. “Opportunity International is grateful to The UPS Foundation for its dedication to helping impoverished families receive access Read more…

Posted in Loans, Local Staffing, Microinsurance, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Savings, Strategic Partners, Training, Trust Groups, Where We Work
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