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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Fund a small loan 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
to fund a first loan for a woman in a Trust Group
With a small Opportunity loan Norma Vergara started a business collecting used bags, which she cleans and then sells for re-use in Henequen, Colombia.
800.793.9455 |
opportunity.org / give
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bring a mobile bank to rural villages 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
$250
to keep a mobile bank on the road for a week
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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ENSURE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE
A student shares her writing in class at Providence School in Accra, Ghana.
SEND A GIRL TO SCHOOL If a girl is given a chance for an education, she can break the cycle of illiteracy and change the standard of living for herself and her family. But, when families have financial difficulties, girls are often the first ones kept out of school. To help more girls realize their potential, Opportunity offers school fee loans so that parents can afford tuition and other expenses like books, uniforms and transportation.
GIVE
For impoverished families in the developing world, the cost of health care is often out of reach. Opportunity partners with insurance providers to give these families access to affordable health insurance that covers pre-existing conditions and hospital treatment.
GIVE
$10
GIVE
$40
to enable a family in India to purchase health insurance for a year to cover the annual premium for a Tanzanian family
$80
to fund a school fee loan to provide a semester of education for a young girl When her baby needed care for malnutrition, Deepa Kahar (left) of Maharashtra, India, was grateful that her Opportunity health insurance covered the treatment and medicine.
800.793.9455 |
opportunity.org / give
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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
$50
GIVE
$300
to help a farmer obtain better quality seed and fertilizer, enabling them to grow more food to provide a farmer with a loan and a full range of agricultural-specific financial tools and training
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800.793.9455 |
opportunity.org / give
ENABLE A WOMAN TO OPEN A SAVINGS ACCOUNT 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
$180
to bring a dozen women access to a savings account—and identification— for the first time in their lives
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.
Mandy Cheung raised $350 to help Opportunity’s Tanzanian clients when she asked friends to support her 5K Mud Run for a Bright Future in Los Angeles. See our website for inspiration from other contributors.
YOUR CHALLENGE:
Raise $350 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.
Go to opportunity.org/fundraisers and click “Get started”
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Š 2011 Opportunity International 447.11.1011
At right 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.
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.
2122 York Road, Ste. 150, Oak Brook, Illinois 60523 800.793.9455 | opportunity.org/give
BEGINS NOW
WITH YOUR HELP, HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
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