Blog Archives

It’s World Teachers’ Day!

“Take a stand for teachers!” is the slogan of World Teachers’ Day 2012 today, which UNESCO celebrates with its partners, the International Labour Organization, UNDP, UNICEF and Education International (EI). Opportunity is so proud to honor teachers like Rosemary Namande, who educates hundreds of kids at the Nadulu Infant Primary School in Kampala, Uganda, boarding Read more…

Posted in Education, Events, Loans, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Videos, Women
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Not Just Global, But Local: Opportunity-US Staff Day of Service

For 364 days of the year at , our focus is global–global communities and the global issue of chronic poverty–but we also know how important it is to give back to our local community. So on Friday, May 11, Opportunity-US closed our Oak Brook, Ill. office to give back to the community with our annual service day. We Read more…

Posted in Events, Local Staffing, Our Leadership, Our Motivation
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Opportunity Malawi Sends Two Clients to Child & Youth Finance International (CYFI) Summit in the Netherlands

Last week, April 3-4, was the first Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI) summit in Amsterdam, entitled “Reshaping the Future of Finance.” Two young Opportunity Malawi clients were sent to the summit to represent Malawi as special guests, participating in youth panel discussions. One is Grey Katsilizeni, 23, from the rural Lilongwe area of Nambuma. He’s involved in Read more…

Posted in Events, Local Staffing, Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Savings, Strategic Partners, Where We Work
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First Day of School in Nicaragua

The idea seemed almost too good to be true: a self-sustainable, private high school providing academic coursework in tandem with technical classes and apprenticeship within reach of people living in rural poverty. If it could be done, it would be completely in line with Opportunity Nicaragua’s Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) model. I was sold: hook, Read more…

Posted in Board of Governors, Loans, Our Work, Rural Outreach, Where We Work, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
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Class Is in Session at Neighborhood School Near Kumasi, Ghana

As U.S. students settle into the new school year, we check in with a Ghanaian school in the IDP Rising Schools Program, an initiative created and implemented by the IDP Foundation, Inc., in partnership with Opportunity International and Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT),  which funds the development of quality local private schools in Ghana through school proprietor loans and other financial and Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Work, Strategic Partners, Where We Work
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Kenyan Government Declares Two Days of Mourning for Victims of Monday’s Fire

On Tuesday, Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki declared Wednesday, Sept. 14 and Thursday, Sept. 15 to be days of national mourning following Monday’s oil pipeline fire that has claimed the lives of more than 100 people to date, and injured more than 100 others. The president and the national Cabinet have determined that during these two days, Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Mission and Vision, Where We Work
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Back to School with a Visit to See Education Finance in Action in Uganda

As we head back to school in the U.S., we’re thinking a lot about our educational loan clients and school proprietors around the world, and the impoverished children who are receiving an education because of them. Here, staff member Mark shares what he learned about education finance on his recent visit to a primary school in Kampala, Read more…

Posted in Insight Trips, Loans, Our Work, Resources, Where We Work
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Tanzania Reporter: Our Day at Arusha’s Faraja Center for Young Women

Reporting back from the recent YAO Insight Trip to Tanzania, Tanzania Correspondent Contest winner Kelly Flanagan shares photos from the community service day she and her fellow travelers spent at the Faraja Young Women Development Unit in Arusha. The Faraja Center is a residential facility that helps rehabilitate young female victims of human trafficking, offering them vocational Read more…

Posted in Insight Trips, Where We Work, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
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Spotlight on Educational Microfinance & IDP Rising Schools: Students of the World (SOW) Meets Students & Educators in Ghana

The Students of the World (SOW) Boston team is in Ghana all this month visiting Opportunity Ghana‘s microfinance operations and documenting their experiences in a diverse array of photos, posts and more on their blog. You can see all their updates and content on their site, and stay tuned to the Opportunity Blog and our Facebook Read more…

Posted in Events, Insight Trips, Loans, Our Work, Resources, Strategic Partners
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Day 4: “Dream Big” – Opportunity Colombia Empowers Young Entrepreneurs, Mothers, Trust Groups & More through Microfinance

The following travel post was written by Jeannette Stewart, a member of the Opportunity International Board of Governors living in Maryland. This week, Jeannette is traveling with her son on the Opportunity Family Week Insight Trip to Colombia. Other Colombia travelers have written posts this week too, catch up on all their adventures by reading Read more…

Posted in Insight Trips, Loans, Our Work, Trust Groups, Where We Work
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