News Blog
Building a Future with Refugees in Uganda
June is World Refugee Awareness Month and June 20th is World Refugee Day. It is a time to honour and reflect on the strength, courage and resilience of the millions of people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes and have had to rebuild their lives from scratch. Since July 2016, the Ugandan refugee crisis has reached unprecedented levels. Uganda is currently Africa’s largest hosting state, and the world’s third largest, with over 1.4 million refugees across 30 settlements. New…
Read MoreCelebrating Dorthea, our Youth Apprentice
Dorthea is like any other Ghanaian teenager, keen to make her way in the world and build a secure life, but she has faced many challenges. Her father died when she was young and mother had to leave the family to find work. Dorthea and her three siblings went to live with their grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins. Her family was very poor and struggled to make ends meet. She often thought about her future and dreamed of being able to get a job to help her impoverished family. Through Opportunity…
Read MoreGiving the Next Generation an Opportunity
We want to introduce you to an exceptional client. Meet Azura Fuseina. She is a 40-year old rice processer from Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana. She has worked with Opportunity International since 2017. Through the support of a women’s business group and bank loans, Azura has grown her small business. This opportunity has made all the difference. She is earning enough money to support her family. She is more independent. She is providing her five children with an education – something…
Read MoreUnlocking Potential: A Message from our Board Chair
I have had the privilege to meet a number of the clients we serve, most recently on a trip to Uganda earlier this year. As always I was struck by their work-ethic, ambition and resourcefulness. It is the same drive and determination I saw in those I worked with in the City of London.Yet our clients have faced the barriers of extreme poverty, living in tough environments with few resources and support to help them thrive. Through the provision of loans, savings, training and support we are enabling…
Read MoreA Message from our Patron HRH The Princess Royal
HRH The Princess Royal, our Patron, has sent the following message thanking our supporters for the wonderful impact that they have been part of. I have been Patron of Opportunity International for over 20 years and have watched the organisation go from strength to strength. Today, 1.5 million men and women across Africa, and over 10 million worldwide, are working toward a better future. Without your support this would not have been possible. Opportunity International is constantly adapting to…
Read MoreA Candle Loses Nothing in Lighting Another
Accra, Ghana Linda Nyarko was just thirteen years old when her father died, leaving her mother and six children behind. With so many brothers and sisters to feed, Linda decided to work in the local market as a porter to earn money for her family. She wanted to drop out of school but her mother insisted that she complete her education. With her mother’s encouragement as well as the support of her teachers who often provided her with food and money, Linda was able to attend vocational school where…
Read MoreA day in the life of a Ghanaian loan officer
Loan officers are crucial in helping people to access the finance and training they need to build secure livelihoods. They facilitate trust groups, deliver training, assist clients in accessing loans, set up savings accounts and regularly provide support and advice. Some women can feel uncomfortable if the loan officer is a man, and will shy away from getting a loan. Female loan officers, like Apoyeri, are therefore hugely important in ensuring that women feel more confident joining financial…
Read MoreOne Woman. One Opportunity.
Happy International Women's Day! Did you know that 95% of Opportunity International's loan clients are women? Why? A woman is an investment. A woman is a change-agent. She can feed her family. Raise her children. Build her business. Manage her farm. Employ her neighbours. She can inspire sustainable transformation and create a new story for herself, her children and her entire community. A women is resilient and determined in the face of hardship. A woman is powerful and full of often-untapped…
Read MoreMicrofinance Offers Better Balance for Women
Under the overall theme “Balance for Better”, the 2019 International Women’s Day campaign affirms that “Balance is not a women's issue, it's a business issue”. No truer words were spoken about the complex network of connections that links microfinance, women’s empowerment and the wellbeing of entire communities. Microfinance is known to be effective in lifting people out of poverty, but aggressive practices by some commercial lenders has led to distortions in the past. Since the early…
Read MoreHow do you take your coffee?
How do you take your coffee? Whether it's black or milk with two sugars, why not make yourself a piping hot cup to sip as you read about our client, Teddy Namagembe? She has a closer connection to your cuppa than you might think. Time to put the kettle on! Meet Teddy. She is a 52-year old coffee farmer Uganda and always has been. As a child she used to help her parents on their coffee farm and she knows all there is to know about coffee growing. The work is hard. She works around 12 hours…
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