Stories
50 for 50: Let’s start at the very beginning
To begin our 50-year celebration, there is no better place to start than at the beginning. While today we serve 14 million people, the Opportunity International story starts with one.
Read MoreThe Pandemics We Don't See
This article was originally published on the Opportunity International blog on December 21, 2020. When The World Food Programme won the Nobel Prize last year, WFP president David Beasley took the increased press and attention to issue a warning: “We are going to have famines of biblical proportions in 2021.” His message is simple but devastating: For those living in extreme poverty, things are going to get worse. The year ahead will be more difficult than the one we have just weathered, and,…
Read MoreWhat We Read in 2020
In 2020, as we spent countless hours at home learning new terms like "sheltering in place" and "social distancing", we found ourselves turning to great books again and again. Reading provided a distraction, an opportunity to learn, and the chance to travel the world right from our couches. Every month, the Opportunity Book Club reads a book that opens our eyes to more of the world. We choose books written by underrepresented authors; books that share stories from the countries in which we work;…
Read MoreStart 2021 with a great book
We are so excited to begin another year of reading together. With physical travel paused, we were even more grateful to travel around the world through the pages of great books. Take a moment to revisit the 12 amazing books we read in 2020—and share your favorites with a friend!
Read MoreRead one of the 100 notable books of 2020!
This month, we are traveling west in Africa to Liberia to read one of The New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2020. Join us as we read The Dragons, The Giant, The Women by Wayétu Moore.
Read MoreThe great Ugandan novel you didn’t know you were waiting for
This month, the Opportunity Book Club is reading a book that book critic Aaron Bady of The New Inquiry described as “a masterpiece, an absolute gem, the great Ugandan novel you didn’t know you were waiting for.”
Read MoreGovernor Spotlight: Johanna Mahal
Spotlight on Board of Governors member Johanna Mahal, who started the first Donor Trust Group.
Read MoreRamping up E-Learning During the Pandemic
When the global COVID-19 pandemic closed down travel in many countries in March 2020, the EduFinance Technical Assistance team saw an opportunity to support financial institutions that were attempting to rapidly transition to a temporary remote workforce. Recognizing that in-person professional development training for staff would not be possible for an extended period, the team decided to put pilot e-learning modules that were in development online and make them widely available as quickly as possible.
Read MoreThe harrowing story of a boy soldier
This month, the Opportunity Book Club is turning to one of the most powerful books out there: A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. In this unforgettable memoir, Beah recounts his harrowing experience fleeing rebel violence as a 12-year-old boy.
Read MoreMutually Exacerbating Catastrophes: Responding to the 2020 Gates Goalkeepers Report
Each fall, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation releases their annual Goalkeepers Report. Typically, the report celebrates our collective progress made toward the Sustainable Development Goals—progress that we at Opportunity frequently celebrate, too. Year over year, we have watched the incidence of extreme poverty around the world steadily decrease—from over 37% of the world’s population in 1990 to just under 7% last year. This progress gave us great reason for optimism, and encouraged our…
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