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What We’re Reading: “Investing in Women & Girls” (MediaPlanet supplement, USA Today)
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 Read more…
Tagged 10000 women initiative, 10k Women, 2010 fall microfinance conference, afghanistan, Africa, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CARE, Cell phone banking, Cell Phones, Chance Tsamwa, Children, Clients, Community, Conference, Education, Ending Poverty, fall microfinance conference, Financial services, Gates Foundation, Girls, Goldman Sachs, Half the Sky, Kenya, Kiva, Loans, M-banking, M-PESA, Malawi, Melinda Gates, MFI, Microfinance, Microfinance Conference, Millennium Development Goals, Mobile Banking, Mobile Phones, Mothers, Nike, Nike Foundation, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Opportunity Malawi, opportunity microfinance conference, Oprah Winfrey, Poverty, Ruth-Anne Renaud, Savings, Students, Technology, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UN Millennium Campaign, Un millennium development goals, USA Today, Washington D.C., Women, Women's Opportunity Network, Women's Philanthropy, WON
3 Breakout Sessions Not to Miss at Fall Microfinance Conference
At Opportunity’s Fall Microfinance Conference, Oct. 8-9, in Washington, D.C., the days will be packed with breakout sessions and presentations from microfinance experts, international visitors and globally-minded individuals passionate about eradicating poverty. For me, this will be my first Opportunity microfinance conference[/intlink], and I’m really looking forward to hearing from guest speakers[/intlink] like Pulitzer Prize-winner Sheryl Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Banking on Education, biometric technology, biometrics, Board of Governors, Board of Governors Conference, Cell phone banking, Clients, Community, Conference, Daryl Skoog, Dominican Republic, Education, educational finance, educational microfinance, Ending Poverty, fall microfinance conference, Financial services, Ghana, Global Philanthropy, IDP Foundation, IDP Foundation Rising Schools Program, John Magnay, Loans, Malawi, Maria Otero, MFI, Microfinance, Microfinance Conference, Mobile Banking, Mobile Phones, Nobel Peace Prize, Opportunity International, opportunity microfinance conference, Philanthropy, Poverty, pulitzer prize, Roger Thurow, Savings, Schools, Sheryl WuDunn, Students, Technology, Tony Hall, Uganda, Washington D.C.
Top 3 People Not to Miss at the Fall Microfinance Conference in Washington, D.C.
Twice a year, Opportunity hosts a big microfinance conference, bringing in experts in microfinance, poverty eradication and global development to share their knowledge and experience with Opportunity staff, supporters and people interested in learning more about microfinance. This fall, our conference in Washington, D.C. promises to be as inspiring and engaging as ever. Get to know three Read more…
Tagged Agriculture, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Board of Governors, Board of Governors Conference, Clients, Community, Conference, Education, Ending Poverty, fall microfinance conference, Financial services, Food security, Gates Foundation, Global Poverty, Half the Sky, Hillary Clinton, Loans, Maria Otero, MFI, new york times, Nicholas D. Kristof, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, opportunity microfinance conference, Poverty, pulitzer prize, Secretary Clinton, Secretary of State, Sheryl WuDunn, Speakers, spring microfinance conference, tamara cook, Trust Group Exercise, Trust Groups, Washington D.C., Women, Women's Philanthropy
Innovations in Technology–Reaching More Clients
Daryl Skoog, Opportunity’s SVP of technology, develops innovations that improve the lives of our clients. Recently, I had the chance to join a conference call with the Colorado-based Skoog to learn about the exciting strategies and products he’s working on. Some highlights from the call: Cell phone banking[/intlink] is one of the most exciting tools to bring Read more…
Tagged Africa, ATMs, biometric technology, biometrics, Board of Governors Conference, Cell phone banking, Cell Phones, Clients, Community, Conference, Daryl Skoog, Ending Poverty, fall microfinance conference, Financial services, Kenya, M-banking, M-PESA, Malawi, MFI, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, mobile banking vehicle, mobile branches, Mobile Phones, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Opportunity Kenya, Opportunity Malawi, opportunity microfinance conference, Poverty, Savings, Smart cards, Technology, Washington D.C., World Bank
Back-to-School for Children Living in Poverty
School administrator Jacinta Njoki, of the Wisdom Junior Educational Center in Kenya, works with her students in the schoolyard. She started her school in 2001 with a $375 loan from Opportunity, and now has 150 kids and six teachers. Welcome back to school. It’s an exciting time for kids of all ages: new teachers, new Read more…
Tagged Africa, Banking on Education, Board of Governors Conference, Children, Clients, Community, Conference, Dominican Republic, Education, Education finance, Ending Poverty, fall microfinance conference, Financial services, Ghana, IDP Foundation, IDP Foundation Rising Schools Program, India, Malawi, MFI, Microfinance, Microfinance Conference, opportunity dominican republic, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity India, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Opportunity Malawi, Opportunity Uganda, Poverty, Scholarships, School fee loans, School Proprietor Loans, Schools, Students, Uganda, Washington D.C., Youth
We’re Expanding Financial Access to Rural Malawi. Here’s How You Can Help.
Travel in your mind to the shores of Lake Malawi. In this remote region, extreme poverty is widespread. But because of the donations, hard work and advocacy of Opportunity supporters and staff, the Malawians here have been empowered financially. To reach the unreachable, Opportunity International[/intlink] Malawi has replicated its successful “hub-and-spoke” approach by opening a Read more…
Tagged Africa, Branch staff, Conference, credit life insurance, Crop insurance, Ending Poverty, fall microfinance conference, Financial services, fundraisers, Fundraising, Insight Trip, Insight Trips, Insurance, Latin America, Loans, Malawi, MFI, Microfinance, Microinsurance, Mobile Banking, mobile banking vehicle, mobile branches, Online fundraising, Opportunity International, Opportunity Malawi, opportunity microfinance conference, OptINnow, Poverty, Satellite bank branch, Savings, Savings account, small business loans, Training, Transportation, Washington D.C.
Global Agriculture and Food Security Program
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…
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.
Opportunity LiveBlog: A Second Calling
When it comes to passion and purpose, Dale Hanson Bourke quite literally wrote the book. She has been called on to speak at multiple Opportunity events, so we knew we were in for a treat. Dale began, “we’ve talked about stories a lot. What I have learned as I look at my own life is Read more…
