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© 2024 Opportunity InternationalOpportunity International United Kingdom is registered as a charity in England and Wales (1107713) and in Scotland (SCO39692).

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown supports Opportunity International

by Opportunity International

Ugandan-born journalist and author Yasmin Alibhai-Brown understands the power of an opportunity. Her own story of leaving a country she loved amid hardship to seize an opportunity for a different future mirrors that of so many of our clients. In February 2022 Yasmin  presented our BBC Radio 4 appeal, highlighting the brilliant entrepreneurial women and men we work with. Yasmin has an incredible story of growing up in Uganda with Ugandan-Asian parents who had to flee the country 50 years ago. Yasmin…

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Ghana's farmers fight climate change with crop insurance

by Opportunity International

Farmers in Ghana are increasingly hit by drought, flooding and pests. Using satellite data, and in person visits to farmers fields to calculate crop loss, Opportunity International can help farmers manage and protect themselves against the increasing effects climate change. Our Roots of Change project in Ghana was recently featured in Reuters, which reported on one specific and very important element of the project which looked at how our agricultural products and services can help best support rural…

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Serving over 17,000 disabled people in Uganda and counting…

by Melissa Bell, Programme Manager for the disabilities project in Uganda

Discrimination, exploitation and exclusion are daily challenges for people living with disabilities. COVID-19 has disproportionally affected disabled people. Healthcare has been interrupted, restrictions cause further isolations and public health messages labelling disabled people as 'high risk' quickly spread fear. Over 80% of people with disabilities live in some of the poorest countries in the world. The vast majority have the capacity to make meaningful economic contributions. There is a vast…

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New bank branch in Nakivale Refugee Settlement - officially open

by Noah Ssempijja, Refugee Programme Coordinator

“We're more than elated to announce that our partner bank, Opportunity Bank Uganda, has officially opened it's Nakivale Branch to the public. This new branch means Opportunity can scale up its financial inclusion services to underserved refugee communities. We can provide financial literacy training and tailored financial services leveraging digital services.”   Noah Ssempijja is Opportunity International’s Refugee Programme Coordinator in Uganda. He manages our Refugees: Innovation, Self-reliance…

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Transforming the lives of rural women and their local communities

by Lydia Baffour Awuah, Senior Programme Manager

 “I’m leaving the beautiful Upper West Region of Ghana, inspired by the amazing stories of the women farmers and the brilliant staff I met; who have been working tirelessly to transform the lives of rural women and their local communities.” Lydia Baffour Awuah, one of our Senior Programme Managers, is recently home from Ghana where she's been hosting the learning and close event for Opportunity's 'Roots of Change' project - a three year project funded in partnership with the UK government's…

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Mind the Gap: Bridging the Gender Divide at Opportunity International Savings and Loans, Ghana

by Opportunity International

Women in low and middle-income countries are 10% less likely than men to own a phone and 23% less likely to use mobile internet. We regularly host roundtable events about Digital Financial Services (DFS) - bringing together leaders in technology, development and business to discuss difficult questions.  As financial services increasingly digitise, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, the question on the table at our latest event was – how can Opportunity International help tackle this gender…

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Refugee to Entrepreneur: All they need is Opportunity.

by Opportunity International

Who or what do you see when you first hear the word refugee? Do you see a mother?  A businessman?  A daughter?  A teacher? An athlete? Or do you see empty rubber boats, overrun border posts, packed reception centres, tent cities, rows of people needing assistance? Maybe you see many things.  It is unlikely, however, you see Albert Einstein, Freddy Mercury or Madeleine Albright to mention just a few famous refugees. Refugees suffer enormously from stereotyping and false narratives. They are ordinary…

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A woman is a change-agent. Financial inclusion increasing gender equality for refugees in Uganda.

by Emily Wilson, Communications Officer

I recently spoke to Agnes, a colleague working for our partner in Uganda about how financial inclusion is increasing gender equality in the Nakivale refugee settlement. This is our conversation...  Agnes, please tell us a bit about how you ended up working with Opportunity International. “I am a Senior Relationship Officer in charge of Refugee Financial Inclusion at Opportunity Bank Uganda Limited. I manage the bank’s business within the refugee settlement, local government and other NGO’s.…

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Celebrating International Youth Day: A Spotlight on Match Savings

by Deborah Foy, Executive Director Opportunity International UK

Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with more than 75% below the age of 30. It also has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Young people struggle to find decent work and opportunities – especially in rural areas. In early 2020, Opportunity International began working with a number of youth-focused partners providing services and support to rural youth in the Mityana District, near Kampala.[1] To date, we’ve trained more than 1,440 youth in entrepreneurship…

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You can't lock down innovation

by Opportunity International

Do you feel like life is moving forward? That maybe the UK can start thinking about things other than Coronavirus? It looks positive, right? You can go to a wedding with more than 30 people, stadiums are filling up, and lots of us are fortunate to have had our first vaccination against Covid-19. But the story is very different for the hundreds of thousands of the people we work with across Africa. Our clients in Uganda are in the middle of a strict six-week lockdown that was imposed so quickly people…

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