Stories
Protecting a Child's Future
Parents, no matter where in the world they are from, have the same desires for their children. They want them to succeed. They want them to live a life better than their own. They want them to learn and be educated and have the skills and confidence to achieve a meaningful life. This love, this deeply entrenched desire to see their children flourish, is one of the critical intangibles that powers the success of so many of Opportunity International’s clients. It’s why they work so hard day after…
Read MoreWorking for our Families
Evans Ssenabulya and his wife, Roy, have three daughters under the age of 10. As he watched his beautiful girls grow up, Evans noticed how many children in the community, mostly girls, were removed from school when their families could not cover the associated expenses. He longed for a brighter future for his own daughters and knew that education was a critical step toward them achieving their dreams. Motivated by his deep love for his family, Evans set out to create opportunities for his daughters…
Read MoreGates Annual Letter Cites Ways to Break the Cycle of Poverty
I was particularly pleased yesterday morning to see the 2015 Gates Annual Letter, published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, highlighting breakthroughs in farming and mobile banking as two things poised to change the world over the next several years. Two of Opportunity International’s major initiatives in recent years have focused on agriculture, including helping African farmers increase their crop yields to feed more people, and technology, including launching and expanding our mobile…
Read MoreHow Traveling To Rwanda Changed My Perspective
Mary Goldberg is a Junior at Loyola Academy in Chicago. She works with her cousins to increase awareness about Opportunity's work on her high school campus, and she traveled to Rwanda with her family in the summer of 2014. To learn more about bringing Opportunity to your school, visit opportunity.org/campus. When I tell people that I went to Rwanda with my cousins, my grandmother and my uncle, a common response is, "Where is that?" Surprisingly, not many of my peers have heard about this…
Read MoreWe're Empowering Africa's Farmers to Face Climate Change
You may already know that Opportunity International’s agricultural finance initiative helps smallholder farmers in Africa enhance their agricultural yields, household incomes and living standards. What you may not know, however, is that the program also protects both our agricultural clients and financial institutions against some of the key risks associated with global climate change, including catastrophic farm losses. Opportunity International is addressing climate change in a variety of ways,…
Read MoreLooking Beyond Traditional Giving
In 2009, David Allman wasn't one to let even a worldwide economic downturn get in the way of his support for Opportunity International. David, a prominent real estate developer in Atlanta, is Chair of Opportunity International, Nicaragua. He and his wife Donna are also highly involved in the Ambassadors Council. Like many others, he felt the effects when the financial markets fell, and cash became a precious commodity. "My passion for what Opportunity is doing in Nicaragua hadn't changed a bit,"…
Read More1 Client at a Time
Merry Christmas to you and your family! I'm honored to wrap up our special 12 Days of Christmas series by highlighting a key reason Opportunity International has been so successful over the years in helping people around the world break the cycle of poverty, transform their lives and strengthen their families and communities. Every client relationship begins with an understanding that each individual has unique needs, dreams and potential. That means each client receives highly personalized services…
Read More2 Media Stories You Don't Want to Miss
This year, Opportunity International Global CEO Vicki Escarra spoke about our innovative, transformational work in a number of prominent news outlets, including Bloomberg and CCTV. As we remember 2014, here are two interviews that you don't want to miss: Vicki Escarra, Global CEO for Opportunity International, discussed Opportunity's goal to create 20 million jobs around the world with Bloomberg's Trish Regan on "Street Smart." Vicki Escarra also spoke on CCTV regarding bridging the gap…
Read More3 Clients You Should Know
Meet Said Busesire, a plantain farmer in Uganda. Each day Said Busesire follows the same routine. Just after midnight he starts the 15 km journey to Mbarara, the nearest big town, pushing plaintains through the darkness on his bike. In Mbarara, he sells his harvest to hotels where he has earned a reputation for timeliness and honest pricing. Later in the day he makes another round-trip journey to sell a second load of bananas at the market. When he finally returns home, Said works his land, preparing…
Read More4 Continents of Impact
Sometimes, sitting in Opportunity International’s US office in Oak Brook, Illinois, it’s easy for me to overlook the depth and diversity of our reach. So often my mind is stuck on the immediate things: the morning commute/did I lock my door today/outstanding emails needing a reply/proposals to write/yes, I definitely left my apartment unlocked this morning…you get picture – some days it seems there is no end to the small things clamoring for my attention. When life is busy, it’s easy to…
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