Stories
Entrepreneurcast: Meet Krista Carroll, Co-Founder and CEO of Latitude
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Krista Carroll, CEO of Latitude, to talk about entrepreneurship, giving back and how to balance running a business and a family. Krista and her husband Jeremy co-founded Latitude in 2009 after visiting Haiti and feeling inspired to serve humanity. Latitude is a creative agency and social enterprise based in Minnesota which builds businesses through strategy, design, marketing and production. In addition, Latitude gives away 50% of its profits to organizations…
Read MoreOpportunity’s Genzo Yamamoto Participates In Housing Workshop In Washington DC
Increasing access to better housing for people living in poverty is a priority. That’s why Opportunity is excited to announce that our very own Genzo Yamamoto and Justice Arthur will be speaking on this topic this coming Wednesday at the SEEP conference in DC.
Read MoreOpportunity International Responds to Flooding in Serbia
In response to heavy flooding across Serbia, Opportunity Bank Serbia (OBS) has donated one million dinars in humanitarian aid to flood victims through a local relief fund and collected financial contributions from its staff that will be used to buy supplies for a large number of rescue health centers opening across the country.
Read MoreMake a Difference This Mother's Day!
Say thank you to the women who have inspired and influenced you – including the moms who are on your Mother’s Day gift list – and help Opportunity International empower more female entrepreneurs around the world.
Read MoreGlobal Citizen Nights Concert with Aloe Blacc
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend an amazing concert held by Global Citizen in association with Opportunity International. Global Citizen holds free concerts throughout the U.S. whereby artists donate their time in exchange for attendees taking meaningful actions to reduce global poverty. That night at Chicago’s Vic Theater, Aloe Blacc, The Main Squeeze, and Johnnyswim performed a high-energy, stimulating, and ultimately inspiring show. Besides simply being a great concert, I left the…
Read MoreChanging the world, one mile at a time
On April 26, a team of six dedicated Opportunity International supporters ran the Leona Divide 50/50 Trail Race to raise funds and awareness for our clients in the Philippines. Their motivation was to provide help and hope to these clients, many of whom lost their homes, businesses, and tragically, even family members in Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013. This group of runners - the Run4Poverty team - was made up of Opportunity International Governor Deyl Kearin, and supporters Vanessa Felts, Kasey…
Read MoreTo teach is to touch a life forever
My mom, Millie Hindmarsh, was a farmer's daughter whose father prized education so highly that he paid for her to board in town to go to school at the height of the Great Depression. Thanks to his investment, Millie became a teacher in one room school houses in Nebraska for 29 years. Her starting salary was $27 a month! For the robust sum she was responsible for stoking the fire, cleaning the school, pitching for the soft ball team, being school nurse as well as teaching 7 grades and making preparations…
Read MoreCelebrate the Important Women and Mothers in your Life
In honor of the women around the world who have given hope to so many of us, you can celebrate the important women and mothers in your life by creating patches on our 5th Annual Global Opportunity Quilt. From now until May 11, say thank you to the women who have inspired and influenced you – including the moms who are on your Mother’s Day gift list.
Read MoreThe First Step In Continual Improvement: Social Performance Report Released
A major objective of Opportunity International’s Social Performance Management (SPM) program is to better report on how we are achieving our mission to reach those living in poverty and to help them transform their lives. Last month, we took a big step towards that objective by publishing the first Opportunity International Social Performance Report, which presents data on how we are performing against our mission and documents progress towards implementation of the SPM strategy itself. The publication…
Read MoreEarly Successes from Opportunity International’s Branchless Banking Initiative in Rural Tanzania
Tanzania’s agricultural sector has the capacity to dramatically reshape Africa’s economic outlook. However, most of the country’s farmers have little to no access to financial services, training, agricultural inputs (including fertilizer and high quality seeds) and local markets where they can sell their crops. Without these important resources, Tanzanian farmers cannot earn enough income from their crops to afford all of their household needs. As a result, many rural families are forced to…
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