Stories
Poverty Eradication Day is Sunday, Oct. 17
Honor the International Day to Eradicate Poverty (More information can be found at un.org) On October 17, 1987, more than 100,000 people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris to show their outrage over global poverty, and declare it as a violation of human rights. Every year since then, supporters gather on Oct. 17 to show their commitment to the fight against extreme poverty. In 1992, the U.N. officially made Oct. 17 theInternational Day for the Eradication of Poverty and invited states, agencies,…
Read MoreConference Breakout: Investing in Half the Sky
The following post by YAO member and Opportunity supporter Sonja Egeland Kelly is one of the many blog posts we published from the2010 Fall Microfinance Conference. Click here to read all our conference blog posts… Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s compelling book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, reminds its readers that “women hold up half the sky.” The book discusses the movement to emancipate women from opporession and fight global…
Read MoreWhat We’re Reading: Putting Savings in the Bank in the Era of Climate Change
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 post by Opportunity’s program manager, Annsley Scruton-Wilson, uses a 2009 article in The Economist as the catalyst for an examination of the potential…
Read MoreConference Breakout: Engaging the Next Generation of Microfinance Champions
The following post by YAO member and Opportunity supporter Sonja Egeland Kelly is one of the many blog posts we published from the 2010 Fall Microfinance Conference. Click here to read all our conference blog posts… Recognizing the importance of inspiring the next generation of microfinance champions, thehttp://www.opportunity.org/young-ambassadors-for-opportunity/Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO)[/intlink] breakout session at the Microfinance Conference emphasized inspiring, educating,…
Read MoreIn Closing: Ambassador Tony Hall and More Conclude the Microfinance Conference
We began the final plenary session of the http://www.opportunity.org/opportunity-international-conference/2010 Fall Microfinance Conference[/intlink] with Ambassador Tony Hall, one of the world’s leading and most inspiring advocates for hunger relief, poverty eradication and human rights, and the author of Changing the Face of Hunger. Today, he is interviewed on stage by our SVP of human resources, Connie Stryjak. Tony Hall Hall described to the audience his nearly 30-year-long fight to eradicate…
Read MoreLiveBlog: Innovating Technology: Bringing the Bank to the Doorstep of the Poor
“The cell phone has won. Everybody wants a cell phone, and they are at a price point that our customers can afford.” Daryl Skoog, Senior Vice President, Technology, explained how the cell phone is revolutionizing microfinance banking. “These networks enable us to move information locally where we were unable to do that before. We implemented cell phone banking in January, and by March, 40% of our customers were using it.” The http://www.opportunity.org/blog/cell-phone-banking-examination/cell…
Read MoreLiveBlog: Plenary Session III: Will Ball, Knight Kiplinger and more
This Friday evening plenary session features Opportunity CEO, Bill Morgenstern; chair of the Opportunity Board of Governors, Mary Lynn Staley; director of credit support at Opportunity Rwanda, Alice Gasatura; vice president of the Caterpillar Foundation, Will Ball; economic journalist and editor-in-chief of The Kiplinger Letter, Knight Kiplinger; and Dale Hanson Bourke, president of the CIDRZ Foundation, which supports AIDS research and treatment programs in Africa. Bill Morgenstern opened the session…
Read MoreLiveBlog: Rural Finance in Africa: It’s Our Opportunity
Sixty-five percent of the sub-Saharan African labor force is employed in agriculture, yet the region’s agricultural sector receives just 4% of official development assistance. In this breakout session, http://www.opportunity.org/blog/john-magnay-on-food-security-in-africa-and-agricultural-finance/John Magnay[/intlink] discusses how Opportunity effectively reaches agricultural clients with microfinance services, and he details strategies he’s developed to support the rural sector using a range…
Read MoreLiveBlog: Advocating on Behalf of Those Who Cannot Advocate for Themselves
Those living in chronic poverty often do not have a voice. Who is here to advocate on behalf of the poor? We are. In the breakout session, “Stand Up for People in Poverty,” an advocacy workshop at Opportunity’s Fall Microfinance Conference,http://www.opportunity.org/blog/meet-jennifer-kottler-leader-of-a-breakout-session-at-fall-microfinance-conference/Rev. Jennifer Kottler[/intlink], Director of Policy and Advocacy at Sojourners, reminded us of our role as advocates advancing the rights of…
Read MoreLiveBlog: Stability in Times of Crisis with Microinsurance
At this breakout session, called “Stability in Times of Crisis: MicroEnsure,” we learned how Opportunity’s MicroEnsure, the world’s firsthttp://www.opportunity.org/our-work/microinsurance/microinsurance[/intlink] intermediary, provides protection against the many risks faced by those living in poverty. Our insurance products cover more than one million policyholders with crop, loan, health, life and property insurance—offering clients a safety net when an unexpected hardship or disaster…
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