Opportunity International helps women worldwide build and maintain businesses to create a better future for themselves and their families. -WomenEntrepreneur.com, 12/20/10

Ruth-Anne writes of the extraordinary courage and determination it takes for a woman entrepreneur to succeed in the developing world. They face challenges that include sexual violence, inadequate nutrition and health care, and are often prohibited from owning property. All this contributes to the fact that 70% of the people living on less than $2 a day around the world are women.

So what can be done to empower women? Organizations and development programs like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Millennium Development Goals are increasing their focus on programs that improve the lives of women. But individually, we can empower women by investing in them, enabling them to access microfinance solutions like loans, savings, microinsurance and training.

School proprietress Mariam Noah (back row, middle) poses with some of the students at her Ladybird Infant and Primary School in Kampala, Uganda.

Beyond these facts and stats, Ruth-Anne shares her firsthand experiences with the impact of microfinance, introducing us to the women entrepreneurs she has met in her travels throughout the developing world, especially in Uganda. There she met school proprietresses Mariam Noah, Dorothy Tendero and Rosemary Namande (known in her community as Mama Rosemary). The work of these tireless, compassionate women educators is crucial to improving the futures of local women and girls.

As Women’s Opportunity Network (WON) member and Ugandan traveler Julie Hindmarsh observes, “Educating their children is the first dream women speak about. Women entrepreneurs who are able to educate their daughters are the hope of Africa. Their values of working together in the community for win-win situations could transform the entire continent.”

For more stories from WON’s travels in Uganda and more on the impact of Opportunity’s microfinance solutions on women in the developing world, read the full article here.

Alice Gasatura, director credit support at Opportunity Rwanda, at the Fall Microfinance Conference in October. She discusses growing up in poverty in Rwanda and the success stories of Opportunity's Rwandan clients.

Here’s some really cool news–we just caught wind that Rwanda is donating $1 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

According to a press release, Rwanda is the fourth African country to contribute to this year’s replenishment, which has received $11.7 billion in commitments from both the private and public sector for the next three years.

“Even a modest additional investment can save millions of lives, improve overall health of the population, strengthen health systems and provide economic gains through increased productivity of the workforce,” said Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda.

Rwanda has been very active in engaging with the Global Fund and is set to reach its UN Millennium Development Goals targets by 2015. Read more about their Global Fund donation on the Africa News website.

We’re inspired by the success story that Rwanda has become in recent years. Its citizens are becoming more financially independent, its women more empowered and this is reflected in the ways in which Rwandans are contributing to the well-being of the entire continent. Thank you, ONE, for this uplifting story.

Irene D. Pritzker and Amir Dossal, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships, pose at the podium at the World Leadership Forum Dinner on Sept. 22, 2010. (Photo credit: Doug Holt Photography)

“We have created a new way to educate millions of poor children – who like all children, have big dreams.” -Irene D. Pritzker, accepting the Global Philanthropy Award at the Foreign Policy Association World Leadership Forum Dinner on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010 

On Wednesday night, Irene D. Pritzker, co-founder and president of IDP Foundation, Inc., was honored at the World Leadership Forum Dinner for her work with the IDP Rising Schools Program in Ghana. The IDP Rising Schools Program was created by the IDP Foundation, Inc. and implemented by one of http://www.opportunity.org/Opportunity International[/intlink]‘s partner NGOs, Sinapi Aba Trust, the largest microfinance NGO in Ghana. “We have been very fortunate to have partnered with Opportunity International, one of the largest, most respected and innovative microfinance networks in the world,” Irene told the audience. 

The award dinner, held in honor of H.E. Sebastian Piñera, president of Chile, took place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York. The World Leadership Forum is a renowned gathering of philanthropic leaders, government and state officials, investors, and leaders in international affairs to discuss global trends and issues in business and policy. 

Among the attendees at the dinner were Opportunity’s CEO Bill Morgenstern; VP of Resource Development, Lillian Covington; and our senior VP of Outreach & New Initiatives, Jennifer Mitrenga. Reflecting on the night, Lillian reported: 

The award ceremony was beautiful and we (Bill, Jennifer and I) were honored to join and celebrate with Irene as she received the Foreign Policy Association’s Global Philanthropy Award. We are excited and thank God that these impoverished children’s lives will be impacted and transformed forever through the IDP Rising Schools Program. The mission of the program is to transform the lives of underserved children by providing them with affordable and sustainable quality education in both urban and rural Ghana, and to use a combination of http://www.opportunity.org/what-is-microfinance/microfinance[/intlink] loans and capacity-building services that are specifically tailored to the needs of the private schools for the poor. As Irene mentioned in her acceptance speech, this program is unique as it directly addresses four of the eight http://www.opportunity.org/blog/un-gathers-this-week-to-eradicate-poverty-through-the-mdgs/Millennium Development Goals[/intlink] – education, poverty, gender equality, and global partnerships. 

Irene and Opportunity CEO Bill Morgenstern pose for a picture at the World Leadership Forum Dinner, Sept. 22, 2010. (Photo courtesy of IDP Foundation, Inc.)

Bill also shared his reflections from the evening: “What a wonderful night this has been. My heartfelt congratulations to Irene Pritzker on receiving this prestigious award. It is a well-deserved honor for such a committed philanthropist. We at Opportunity are proud to partner with IDP Foundation on campaigns to promote education and educational finance for entrepreneurs who develop schools in underserved communities. I was so pleased to be able to attend this wonderful event tonight.” 

In her acceptance speech, Irene explained why the IDP Rising Schools Program is so important and how it is making a difference in the lives of underserved children in Ghana: 

In November 2009, the IDP Rising Schools Program commenced with the idea of serving existing, but extremely poor, private schools at the very bottom of the economic pyramid. Currently, there are 73 schools in the program and by the end of this year there will be 120 schools, which will reach 31,000 children. 

For decades now, so many aid organizations have entered into bilateral agreements with governments and continue to funnel billions of dollars into systems that don’t ultimately work effectively. And after all that effort, and a lot of taxpayer dollars, just five years away from the 2015 Millennium Development Goals deadline, UNESCO estimates nearly 40% of Ghanaian children still do not have access to education. 

What is different about the IDP Rising Schools model is that we focus on the struggling private sector of school owners and their communities, who with virtually no resources, have taken it upon themselves to try to educate children in deprived areas where government schools are either inaccessible or inadequate. 

Our congratulations to Irene on this well-deserved honor. For more on the IDP Rising Schools and Opportunity’s work in educational finance, attend our breakout session, “Education Finance: Schools for Children Living in Poverty” at the http://www.opportunity.org/opportunity-international-conference/Fall Microfinance Conference[/intlink], Oct. 8-9. Be sure to check out the IDP Foundation, Inc. website to learn more about the IDP Rising Schools Program.

The boys and girls of the Ladybird Infant and Primary School in Kampala, Uganda pose for a picture. Preschool teacher Nuulu Nankya (back row, left) and school proprietress Mariam Noah (back row, middle) are Opportunity clients in the Progressive Trust Group.

 Every Wednesday on our blog, we highlight an article, book or a blog in our “What We’re Reading” series. We’ll feature pieces or works that are noteworthy, inspiring, educational or relevant to the work we do at Opportunity. We welcome your comments in the comment field below–tell us what you’re reading, or respond to the piece that we’ve highlighted. 

This week we’re reading the September 2010 report from MediaPlanet in USA Today entitled “Investing in Women & Girls: Dedicating Resources to a Single Woman Has a Ripple Effect on her Entire Community.” It’s an independent report featuring expert editorials–from everyone from Oprah Winfrey to http://www.opportunity.org/blog/melinda-french-gates-on-the-impact-of-agriculture-finance/Melinda Gates[/intlink] to Corinne Woods, the director of the http://www.opportunity.org/blog/un-gathers-this-week-to-eradicate-poverty-through-the-mdgs/U.N. Millennium Campaign[/intlink]–with testimonials as to why it is essential to be investing in http://www.opportunity.org/womens-opportunity-network/women and girls[/intlink] on a global scale. 

In addition to the editorials and interviews, the report outlines five key steps to change the world by empowering women and girls: 

1. Provide Quality Healthcare
2. Access to Financial Resources
3. Raise Awareness
4. Encourage Gender Equality
5. Educate Girls

Here are just a few quotes and highlights from the report. Click here to read “Investing in Women & Girls.” 

Corinne Woods, director of the U.N. Millennium Campaign:

• “The Millenium Development Goals have the power to bring about tangible change in the lives of women and girls.”
• “Make sure your elected representatives know that you support the administration’s new MDG strategy and efforts to prioritize the Millennium Development Goals. Advocate for the Goals in the media and educate your friends and neighbors.”
• Go to endpoverty2015.org and standagainstpoverty.org to learn how you can do more

Opportunity Kenya client Millicent Wahiga easily uses her cell phone to access banking services and repay her loans.

“The New Businesswoman”:

• Afghan entrepreneur Masooma Habibi participated in http://www.opportunity.org/blog/opportunity-attends-the-10000-women-leadership-academy/Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women Program[/intlink], where she learned practical skills like accounting, human resources management, and marketing.
• After graduating in 2009, she started her own electrical engineering firm, and has managed to grow her business despite competition from male-owned companies, cultural prejudice in a predominantly male field, and security risks.
• Masooma’s goal is to start an electrical laboratory, and she hopes to establish a nonprofit organization to create job opportunities for all Afghan women.
• “A businesswoman makes her own money to support herself and change her life—but it wasn’t just to have my own business. I knew that if I had a successful business, I could help the poor people around me.” – Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Graduate Masooma Habibi

Q & A: Melinda French Gates on the Gates Foundation’s commitment to women’s philanthropy:

• “We’re seeing tremendous momentum around the idea that investments in women save lives and help their families, communities and nations to thrive.”
• “Technology has already had a huge impact on women’s lives [in the developing world].”
• “In Kenya, more than nine million people are using cell phones to transfer money [and manage their finances]. This means that women who previously may not have had access to a banking system can now send money to their children’s schools or other family members, or set up and access a savings account. This is revolutionary.”

Oprah Winfrey, Founder of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, South Africa:

• “When you educate a girl… you start to affect her family, her community, her nation. When you educate a girl, that girl becomes a woman who understands the value of an education and educates her children.”
• “[At the academy,] we support the development of a new generation of women leaders who, by virtue of their education and service, will lead the charge to transform themselves, their communities, and the larger world around them. [...We will] help raise the next generation of transformative South African leaders.”

These are just a few of the people, organizations and topics highlighted in “Investing in Women & Girls.” Click here to read more. 

Interested in learning more about how Opportunity invests almost 85% of its donor dollars to providing http://www.opportunity.org/what-is-microfinance/microfinance[/intlink] services to women? Attend our http://www.opportunity.org/opportunity-international-conference/breakout-sessions/breakout session[/intlink]–Investing in Half the Sky: Why Women? Why Now?–at the fall microfinance conference, Oct. 8-9, in Washington, D.C. Hear stories of hope and empowerment from Alice Gasatura, director of credit support at Opportunity Rwanda; Julie Hindmarsh, member of our Board of Directors; and Ruth-Anne Renaud, our VP of women’s philanthropy. http://www.opportunity.org/opportunity-international-conference/Click here[/intlink] to see the full agenda for the conference, and to register[/intlink].