Stories
The Potential of Cell Phone Banking
Wondering if cell phone banking can reach the unreachable? CGAP Technology Blog has published the results of a discussion with Daryl Collins (co-author of Portfolios of the Poor) and Olga Morawczynski (of Grameen Foundation) from June’s Mobile Money Summit, an examination that highlights some of the keys to effective cell phone banking. Blog author Mark Pickens comments, “I worry some mobile money providers won’t see the volume of transactions they want to justify the investment, unless…
Read MoreLoans for Latrines: Innovations for Good Hygiene in Malawi
If Opportunity International‘s mission is to empower people to improve their quality of life and their futures, then good hygiene is critical. Not only does this lead to less illness and improved overall health, but it also helps people live with greater dignity. With that in mind, Opportunity Malawi has entered into a partnership with the Hygiene Village Project (HVP), a local water and sanitation NGO based in the Blantyre District of southern Malawi. The partnership, already up and running at…
Read MoreInspiring the next generation of global citizens
Microfinance is a compelling, sustainable, working solution to global poverty. When a woman receives financial services, she sets into motion monumental changes. Family income rises. Children are well fed. Neighbors become employees. Homes are improved. Tuition is within reach. Women, who comprise 85% of our clients, gain status. For Opportunity clients around the world, these transformations take place with loans as little as $80 and savings deposit balance requirements as little as $.05. However,…
Read MoreTop 5 Posts About Tanzania
Journey to Tanzania by revisiting some of Opportunity‘s best blog posts from this spring… 1. Arusha Bank Branch Opening in Tanzania, by YAO multimedia reporter AJ Renold (5/19/10) 2. Happy Father’s Day from Opportunity (6/20/10) 3. The Important Role of Women in Tanzania, on International Women’s Day (3/8/10) 4. Why We’re Excited About the Tanzania Launch on OptINnow (5/18/10) 5. Meeting My First Opportunity Tanzania Microfinance Clients, by AJ Renold (5/17/10) Not content to just read…
Read MoreWalking with the Entrepreneurs in Jinja Market
Guest blogger and Women’s Opportunity Network (WON) member Julie Hindmarsh sends us this report from WON’s “Mothers, Daughters and Sisters” Insight Trip to Uganda. This post details the travelers’ visit to a Trust Group in Jinja on Thursday. As the first visitors to the Tusakimn (Unity) Trust Group in Jinja, Uganda, the Opportunity loan recipients were eager to meet us. They crowded under the tarp shielding us from the midday tropical sun in order to speak with the bazungu (white people). May,…
Read MoreA sincere thank you to the WON travelers and to the women of Uganda…
Thank you to the mothers, daughters and sisters of the Women’s Opportunity Network (WON) Insight Trip to Uganda. Your enthusiasm, energy and commitment was inspiring and made the trip a significant event full of education and enrichment to all involved. What a blessing to be able to meet the wonderful women of Uganda and to see how they live and with what spirit and energy they are working to improve their lives. Meredith Hefner (the 24-year-old daughter of fellow traveler Linda Hefner) articulated…
Read MoreThe World Food Prize Honors Grassroots Efforts in Hunger and Poverty Alleviation
Congratulations to the 2010 World Food Prize Laureates for their outstanding contribution to the elimination of world hunger. The World Food Prize honored David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, and Jo Luck, CEO of Heifer International, for their critical efforts in mobilizing and empowering everyday citizens to end hunger in communities around the world. Beckmann is recognized for his significant impact in shaping international development programs to reflect the needs of people living…
Read MoreThe Impact of Education: Visiting Uganda’s Kazo Summit School
Guest blogger and Women’s Opportunity Network (WON) member Julie Hindmarsh sends us this report while on WON’s “Mothers, Daughters and Sisters” Insight Trip to Uganda. On Tuesday, we devoted additional time to seeing Ugandan private schools funded by loans from Opportunity‘s Banking on Education initiative. We wanted not only to observe but also to participate. The welcome we received at Kazo Summit School exceeded our expectations… It sounded like a gigantic swarm of bees coming closer…
Read MoreHow Education Helps Break the Cycle of Poverty For Good
Guest blogger and Women’s Opportunity Network (WON) member Julie Hindmarsh sends us this report while on WON’s “Mothers, Daughters and Sisters” Insight Trip to Uganda. School proprietor Maria Nassaka is pictured here with Opportunity’s VP of Women’s Philanthropy and WON Insight Trip traveler Ruth-Anne Renaud. Says Ruth-Anne: “I met Maria in January 2009 on my first trip to Uganda. It was so heartening to see her again and to learn that her school is doing well.” What a thrill…
Read MoreDreams for the Future: The Women of Uganda’s Peace Trust Group
Guest blogger and Women’s Opportunity Network (WON) member Julie Hindmarsh sends us this report from WON’s “Mothers, Daughters and Sisters” Insight Trip to Uganda. Opening a conversation in Uganda is easy when you ask the question: “What are the challenges you experience in your life?” The women of Opportunity Uganda’s Peace Trust Group talked over each other in their eagerness to share their responses. One woman said, “I need to rise at 4 a.m. to go to the market to get supplies…
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