Sugey Armenteo
In Colombia, two to three million people have become displaced as the result of a decades-long armed conflict. Those like Sugey Armenteo, struggling with poverty but economically active, are just the sort of clients for which Opportunity products are tailored. Read More »
Jakobo Chikayiko
Jakobo Chikayiko, known to his friends and neighbors as Jakob, is a smallholder farmer in Malawi who lives deep in the rural northern region. Traveling over one hour from the capital city, Lilongwe, and then an additional 30 minutes over rough, dirt roads, Opportunity Malawi loan officer Chabubo Mzuma knows well the serpentine paths to reach his client. Chabubo visits Jakob and his family regularly to discuss the progress of his loans and his crops. Read More »
Lucas Chingore
For Lucas Chingore of Mozambique, the small, fertile plot of land he yearned to farm was just outside of town, but entirely out of reach. “It was too dangerous to be there during the civil war,” says Lucas, “and when the violence ended, I couldn’t afford the tools and seed to get started.” Read More »
Ladybird Infant Primary School: The Impact of Education
The Ladybird Infant Primary School is a hub of education, fellowship and commerce in Kampala, Uganda. Mariam Noah is the proprietress and her 18 employees teach the “three R’s,” as well as English, science and social studies. Mariam leads the 411 students, including 213 girls, in physical education exercises and singing in the school courtyard. Read More »
Grace Msowoya
In Blantyre, Malawi, dozens of women sell potatoes in the marketplace. But Grace Msowoya and her business partner Betty Louhana stand out. Frustrated by their small profit margins, they became the first women to take the bold move of becoming distributors themselves. Every two weeks, they withdraw money from their Opportunity savings to rent a truck. Read More »
Rosemary Namande
“Love for children is deep in my heart,” says Rosemary Namande of Uganda, affectionately known as Mama Rosemary. “God has blessed me with the ability to care for hundreds of them.” Forty years ago, she opened a school for infants in makeshift quarters. Read More »
The Opportunity Progressive Trust Group
The Opportunity Progressive Trust Group in Kampala, Uganda is a robust illustration of the ways in which Trust Groups can strengthen a community, helping families provide for themselves, send their children to school and build for their futures. Read More »
Sheela Shantakumari
Like many women in the world whose activity is limited by social conventions, Sheela barely left her house two years ago. Today, she is president of her Trust Group and a community leader with a profitable business. Sheela credits her new life to counsel from her loan officer, support from her group and training in business skills. Read More »
Zela Zacarias Uqueieo
Zela Zacarias Uqueieo, 32, is a customer service supervisor at Opportunity International’s Maputo Branch in Mozambique. Zela got married right out of high school, and delayed her dreams of attending university for awhile to take care of her husband and her two sons, aged five and eight. Read More »
