Stories
Six New Year’s Goals for Us All
At Opportunity, we are putting the finishing touches on our personal resolutions and our big organizational goals for 2013. Here are six goals — both small and big — that will inspire us all. Feed more hungry people. Rwandan rice farmer Elina Uwingeneye is an agricultural finance client who uses loans to grow more crops with better fertilizers, increasing yields. Be nice to your mom. Loan client Maria Elena Tovar Gonzalez, from Guadalajara, Mexico, poses with her son. 93% of Opportunity’s loans…
Read MoreYour Last Chance in 2012 to Empower Women
We’re just hours before the close of 2012. Before midnight, make an investment in the life of one of Opportunity International‘s women clients, giving her hope for a better future. Empower women like Rosemary Namande of Uganda to earn an income, have a safe place to save, and provide a better life for herself and others in her community. Rosemary runs the Nadulu Infant Primary School in Kampala. Forty years ago, she opened a tiny school for infants in makeshift quarters. Today, thanks to tireless…
Read MoreCracking the Code on Food Security: YAO Leader Samantha Snabes Uses Technology to End Hunger
“The Opportunity International Conference changed my life,” says Young Ambassador Samantha Snabes. The fall 2011 conference, says the NASA “social entrepreneur in residence,” was the moment when she became inspired to take action to do her part to end global poverty. Shortly thereafter, she became part of Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO) and is currently working to launch a YAO chapter in Austin, Texas, where she lives. Now, as we chat, Sam can hardly contain her excitement about enabling…
Read MoreGreater Food Security Moves Small-Scale Farmers from Subsistence to Success
Millions of sub-Saharan Africans lack access to sufficient high-quality food. Even where natural resources are ample, people suffer from chronic malnourishment due to lack of access to financing, quality seed, fertilizer and distribution channels. That’s why Opportunity International is working to increase regional food security by equipping small-scale farmers with the resources they need to move from subsistence to commercial farming so that they can feed their families and their communities.…
Read MoreWhat We’re Reading: Forbes, “Qualities of Successful Entrepreneurs”
What do Richard Branson and Steve Jobs have in common with Opportunity International’s clients? Turns out, a whole lot. In a recent “Forbes” article by Patrick Hull, successful entrepreneurs are those willing to take risks and push boundaries. The article quotes Harvard Business School professor Howard Stevenson, who says, “Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled.” Perhaps this exemplifies the adventurous spirit that defines some wealthier…
Read MoreChristmas Greetings from Ghana and Opportunity’s Global Family
Merry Christmas from Opportunity International‘s global family to yours. On this sacred day, we wish you a Christmas filled with joy, peace and love! Effie Cooke, Opportunity’s head of human resources in Africa, brings a special message from Ghana in a joyful video below. We hope it brings you inspiration today and in the days to come. Merry Christmas and Afishapa from Ghana! Christmas Greetings from Ghana: Christmas Greetings from Ghana from Opportunity International on Vimeo.
Read MoreAn Opportunity for Scrooge & the Untapped Power of George Bailey
Bathed in the spotlight, Ebenezer Scrooge towered above the audience, sitting atop a 10-foot-tall desk in the opening scene of “A Christmas Carol.” My eye was drawn to the sign posted in front of his shop: “Scrooge and Marley Money Lenders.” It dawned on me that Scrooge was, in reality, a tight-fisted microfinance lender who cared only for personal financial gain rather than the success of his clients. As an Opportunity International staff member, I internalized this as I’ve always known…
Read MoreThe Power of One Client, Felicitus, to Impact the Lives of Many
Felicitus Mmboge is one of the millions of Opportunity women clients who has used a small loan to seize a big opportunity, and achieve great change in her life, her family and her community. Twenty years ago, at the age of 22, Felicitus left her struggling village in Western Kenya and took a job as a maid in Nairobi so she could send money back to her family. Each week, she put a little money aside until she had enough to buy a few beauty products to sell in the street. When her employer passed away,…
Read MoreOpportunity Ghana Client Edward Opuku Shares the Path to Success
Edward Opuku put his years of training and education to work to build successful businesses repairing and renting stereo systems, despite the warnings of his friends and neighbors. Believing in himself, and building upon Opportunity International’s resources and training, Edward now has three shops, a warehouse and a team of 10 employees. Edward comes from Akyem Oda Ayirebi in the eastern part of Ghana. He moved to Ghana’s capital, Accra, as a child, and currently lives with his wife and two…
Read MoreOne Woman Transforms her Community in Colombia
Opportunity Colombia client Beduith María Henao Beltrán is a testament to the power of one woman to make a difference in the lives of many. In winter, Beduith’s street in the city of Barranquilla was clogged with mud and impassable, making life dangerous, unpleasant and inconvenient. This can also make it difficult for residents to get to their jobs and operate their businesses. As president of La Valle de Esperanza Trust Group, Beduith rallied the members to raise matching funds for the local…
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