IMPACT
J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 0 6 R AT
Opportunity monitors impact
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A publication of Opportunity International
Serving Poor Families
An assessment system that’s revolutionizing the microfinance industry
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with Microfinance
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4 Pioneering in Ghana Juliet Adomako-Kwakye’s story. 4
4 Disney invests in Opportunity
A generous investment.
5 On the cutting edge The Women’s Opportunity Fund continues to innovate.
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6 Sharing good news Opportunity loan officer, right, surveys a client in the Philippines to help determine Opportunity’s impact.
Blessed are they who have regard for the poor. – PSALM 41:1
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tories of lives changed are powerful. But when stories are supported by clear data, they carry a multiplied impact. To date, the global microfinance industry has been blessed with an abundance of inspiring anecdotes. But there are few measurable numbers between dollars loaned, clients served and percent of arrears. Sustainability and client outreach are the traditional benchmarks by which global development efforts are judged. But is poverty meaningfully reduced? Are clients truly impacted? While statistical measurements of this reduction have been difficult to obtain, microfinance institutions need this specific data to inform their choices on products, target markets and program effectiveness. In keeping with its entrepreneurial spirit, Opportunity International responded to the need and, in 2004, introduced its groundbreaking Client Impact Information Management System,
or CIIMS (pronounced “sims”). Yet CIIMS’ arrival was not without much research and effort.
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Board of Governors member invites friends to join the Opportunity mission.
MICROFINANCE Microfinance providers are increasingly asked to prove they reach the poorest,
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
defined as those who live on less than
Opportunity had been researching the impact of its microfinance programs since the mid-1990s, because it recognized the immense need to document success and identify areas for improvement. Opportunity touches more than 810,000 lives worldwide — with 42 partners running microfinance programs in 27 different nations. Governing these 42 partners is the Opportunity International Network, which provides the infrastructure and support necessary to make its microfinance programs run successfully. Each Opportunity partner program is led and staffed largely by indigenous professionals committed to meeting the needs of the local culture. And while each has collected anecdotal evidence from its clients since the beginning,
$1 per day or the bottom half of those living below their nation’s poverty line. The United States Agency for International Development, one of Opportunity’s largest donors, stipulates that at least half of their microenterprise grant funds are directed to programs that reach the poorest. Opportunity was ready for this challenge: CIIMS reporting was enhanced in 2005 to include the indicator “$/day income per household member” to respond to the data needs of its donors.
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