What CAN YOU DO TO END POVERTY? Give the gift of opportunity
When Jemmalyn Alcantara’s father died, she prayed for a way to help feed her family. Her prayers were answered when she received an Opportunity loan and opened her basketweaving business.
SIDE BY SIDE, we can create hope for the future. Will you partner with us? Opportunity International is working toward the day when all families can safely deposit their savings, access loans to grow their business and purchase affordable insurance to protect their future. Our powerful financial tools help even those in the most rural and remote areas of the world move beyond poverty.
Use this booklet to choose how you will make an impact. Together, we will help create opportunity for people to break free from the limitations of poverty.
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
Opportunity International is committed to using your contribution in the most effective way possible. Your gift will support Opportunity’s overall mission and will be used to provide financial services where they are needed most. When combined with gifts from others, your contribution is multiplied throughout the developing world, providing the greatest opportunity for people living in poverty to transform their lives.
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Malawian agricultural clients Rosalina and Alikanjero Banda are proud of their flourishing fields and grateful for the financial, business and personal support they’ve received from Opportunity.
Help farmers grow more food Opportunity is expanding access to agricultural financing to help farmers with small plots grow more crops so they can feed their families and sell the surplus for income. Our sustainable framework includes crop-specific loans and insurance; savings accounts; technical assistance; and plot mapping—so farmers can accurately gauge seed needs and predict yield. With the support of agricultural finance officers, these tools help farmers expand their businesses and manage seasonal incomes.
GIVE
$438
to provide a farmer with a loan and a full range of agricultural-specific financial tools
800.793.9455 |
opportunity.org/partner
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Empower women to build community Trust Groups bring together Opportunity loan clients who guarantee each other’s loans and receive business, leadership and life skills training. With very small loans, a woman can start or grow a business, increase income and provide food for her children. Her success builds her self-esteem and status in the community.
GIVE
$142
GIVE
$5,000
to fund a first loan for a woman in a Trust Group
to fund a Trust Group, including loans and weekly training for up to 25 members
Trust Group members Rubi Anillo (left) and Sandra Marquez record their weekly loan payments in San Jacinto, Colombia.
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Opportunity client Nuulu Nankya teaches preschoolers at Ladybird School in Kampala, Uganda.
Help educate more children Opportunity offers school fee loans to help parents afford tuition, so more children—especially girls—can go to school. We also provide long-term loans for school proprietors to add classrooms, improve infrastructure and hire qualified teachers.
GIVE
$240
GIVE
$8,500
to fund school fee loans for three young children
to provide a loan to a school proprietor, giving more than 250 children the chance for an education
Support a small business that creates JObs As clients develop and become financially independent, they become eligible for larger, individual loans, making it possible to further expand and hire neighbors—driving change in their own lives and bettering the lives of other families.
GIVE
$750
to finance a loan for a successful businesswoman
800.793.9455 |
opportunity.org/partner
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Loan officers Zacarias Manecas (left) and Joana Coana are on their way to meet with agricultural clients in a remote village in Mozambique.
Equip a loan officer for leadership At the heart of our mission, Opportunity loan officers work directly with dozens of clients every day, serving as mentors, advocates and trainers. These dedicated employees help build their local economies as they become community leaders.
GIVE
$1,800
GIVE
$3,000
to provide a motorbike for a rural loan officer to reach clients more efficiently
to train a loan officer in business and leadership skills
Bring a mobile bank to rural villages
In southern Uganda, this mobile bank makes weekly stops in remote farming villages, bringing clients easy access to financial tools while saving them valuable time and transportation costs.
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Opportunity operates mobile banks in rural Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda and Ghana—reaching into remote locations where there are no other options available. Now, for the first time, many thousands of families have a safe, convenient place to make deposits, withdraw cash, get a loan and purchase insurance.
GIVE
$1,000
to keep a mobile bank on the road for one month
ENABLE WOMeN TO OPEN SAVINGS ACCOUNTs Having a secure place to save helps families reduce the risk of loss or theft, manage inconsistent income and pay for unexpected expenses like medicine for a sick child. And, because only a fingerprint embedded in an ID card is required to access these accounts, even those who are illiterate or lack formal ID can open an account and securely deposit and withdraw funds. This gives many women personal control over their finances and a recognition they’ve never had.
GIVE
$1,500
to bring 100 women access to a savings account—and identification— for the first time in their lives
Give remote clients access to banking by phone Opportunity is bringing the bank directly to clients through innovative cell phone banking. Using just their phones, even geographically remote clients are able to make secure electronic payments, purchases and transfers without leaving their community.
GIVE
$200
to provide 20 clients with access to cell phone banking
At Opportunity’s new branch in the Democratic Republic of Congo, client Annie Nyangomba has her photo taken as part of the process of opening a biometric-based account.
800.793.9455 |
opportunity.org/partner
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YOUR CHALLENGE:
Raise $500 to fight poverty Start a fundraiser online You take on challenges every day. Why not tackle one that will bring you fulfillment and help families work their way out of poverty? The funds you raise will give people in need the opportunity to create change in their lives. It may even change you. Never thought of yourself as a fundraiser? It’s easy! First choose a personalized theme. You could run a race, host an event or even celebrate your birthday. Then, use our online tool to create a webpage where your family and friends can support you by making a gift to benefit Opportunity clients.
Inspired by a trip to Tanzania where she took this photo, Shannon Leutheuser ran the Chicago Half Marathon and raised $1,400 to help build banks in that country. SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR INSPIRATION FROM OTHER CONTRIBUTORS
Go to opportunity.org/fundraisers and click “Get started”
2122 York Road, Ste. 150, Oak Brook, Illinois 60523 800.793.9455 | opportunity.org/partner
Opportunity International provides access to savings, small business loans, insurance and training to over three million people working their way out of poverty in the developing world. Clients in more than 20 countries use these financial services to start or expand a business, provide for their families, create jobs for their neighbors and build a safety net for the future. Opportunity International is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and serves all people regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or gender. © 2011 Opportunity International 447.12.1011
Here and on front cover: Client Elizabeth Afrakome gets advice from her agricultural finance officer, Abena Agyakowa Nketha Sarpong, in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Elizabeth says Opportunity and Abena came to her through the grace of God—allowing her to feed her family, pay the bills and send her children to school.