Blog Archives

What We’re Reading: Rio +20 and the Role of Women in Economic Development

Last week, June 20-22, over 45,000 people–including world leaders, NGOs, and other policymakers–came together in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as “Rio +20.” (So named because it has been 20 years since the seminal 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), known as “The Earth Read more…

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What We’re Reading: “Tapping into the Potential of the Unbanked in the DRC”

This post, “Tapping into the Potential of the Unbanked in the DRC,” was originally published Wednesday morning on ACCION International‘s Center for Financial Inclusion Blog, written by Kadita Tshibaka, a member of ‘s . Kadita was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and spent 33 years working around the world in Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Leadership, Our Work, Savings, What We're Reading, Where We Work
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What We’re Reading: Top 10 Posts on International Women’s Day

As we close out the week, I’m reflecting on some of the articles published in honor of yesterday’s International Women’s Day. Here are just a few of the provocative, interesting, inspiring and even maddening(!) ones I encourage you to read or re-read, in no particular order… “What if Mark Zuckerberg Were Born a Girl in Read more…

Posted in Events, Rural Outreach, What We're Reading, Where We Work, Women's Opportunity Network
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Breakout Session: Agricultural Finance: Cultivating Hope

With 65% of the Sub-Saharan African labor force employed in agriculture, which provides 32% of GDP growth, according to the World Bank, the importance of the sector to the economy is clear. Agriculture is recognized as the key to revitalizing Sub-Saharan Africa’s rural regions and significantly reducing the level of poverty. In this breakout session, Read more…

Posted in Events, Loans, Microfinance Conference, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Savings, Technology
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MicroEnsure Wins Financial Times/International Finance Corporation Sustainable Finance Award

The following news announcement appeared on MicroEnsure’s website on Friday, June 17. MicroEnsure has won the FT/IFC Sustainable Finance Award in the category Achievement in Financing at the Base of the Pyramid. The awards, organized by the Financial Times and the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, were announced on Thursday, Read more…

Posted in Events, Microinsurance, Our Work, Resources, Strategic Partners
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LiveBlog: Chicago Microfinance Conference-”Does Microfinance Really Work? – Measuring Social Performance of MFIs”

At this first breakout session of today’s conference, moderator Kathleen Odell, assistant professor of economics at the Dominican University Brennan School of Business, leads a panel of academics and microfinance professionals to explore and debate the benefits of microfinance to effectively help people escape poverty. The panel discusses the actual impact of microfinance–and whether such Read more…

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What We’re Reading: “To Fight Poverty, Invest in Girls” (Time Magazine)

Every Wednesday, we highlight an article, book or a blog in our “What We’re Reading” series, featuring pieces that are noteworthy, inspiring, educational or relevant to the work we do at Opportunity International. We welcome your comments in the comment field below–-tell us what you’re reading, or respond to the piece we’ve highlighted. The following post Read more…

Posted in Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, What We're Reading, Women's Opportunity Network
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What We’re Reading: “Haiti: Could Mobile Banking Be a Legacy of the Earthquake?”

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

Posted in Events, Resources, Strategic Partners, Technology, What We're Reading
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What We’re Reading: “Women Find Freedom through Land Ownership”

Every Wednesday, we highlight an article, book or a blog in our “What We’re Reading” series. We feature 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 we’ve highlighted. The following Read more…

Posted in Our Work, Rural Outreach, What We're Reading, Where We Work, Women's Opportunity Network
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What We’re Reading: Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo

Every Wednesday, we highlight an article, book or a blog in our “What We’re Reading” series. We feature 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 we’ve highlighted. The following Read more…

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