Opportunity International

Because of you, we have much to be thankful for. Our new finance company in Colombia became a deposit-taking financial institution on June 22, 2012. You helped Opportunity make a lasting difference for hard-working entrepreneurs like Lucy Estrada Vasquez, an artisan from San Jacinto, Colombia.

According to Lucy, “My life is normal. They may not sound like much but before Opportunity, I found it impossible to find regular work and now I have learned something that changed my life. Buenaventura, my loan officer, helped me discover that everything I need to feed my family lies within me, right here in my own hands. I no longer rely on others to support my five children. I no longer think about what I need; now I think about what I can do for my neighbors. I have learned the craft of weaving hammocks and unique handbags and I have learned to turn that craft into a business that has grown, allowing me to pay for school, food and medicine. It has allowed me to save for the future. I think I am closer to God now because I spend more time counting my blessings.”   

India has the largest concentration of the poor globally, with over 840 million people living on less than $2 per day. Opportunity is achieving widespread impact in India through 14 institutions, including Growing Opportunity Finance, serving 1.4 million clients through 739 branches across 190 districts in 19 states.

• Along with the challenge of extreme poverty, families in India are facing a health crisis. In response, Opportunity has partnered with several world-class partners to address India’s large-scale water, sanitation and hygiene crisis including Healing Fields Foundation, Water.org and MicroSave. This alliance is dedicated to improving access to safe drinking water, toilets and clean energy solutions.  
• Dia Vikas launched Opportunity’s new Social Performance Management (SPM) program to measure client impact by tracking sustainable social change in the lives of clients. Dia Vikas is the only Indian microfinance practitioner with a proactive strategy to track social performance over time.
• Currently in pilot stage, the SPM program tracks indicators around transformation for the families we serve including economic transformation over time, jobs created, increased access to water, sanitation and education, decreased vulnerability and increased empowerment. 

Links:

• Website

Opportunity International's Mozambique’s operations began in 2005 when two existing microfinance institutions joined together in partnership with Opportunity International. With a focus on rural expansion, Opportunity Mozambique serves clients via 7 hub, 6 satellite and one container branch plus one ATM and 6 mobile bank vans with 26 stops.  

In 2012, Opportunity Mozambique achieved considerable footprint expansion, with highlights including the following 

• Installation of Opportunity Mozambique's first ATM in Maputo
• Opening of the Gurue branch in July
• Providing transformative financial literacy training
• Increasing agriculture loan clients by over 65%
• 12,553 loan clients served in 2012 with an average loan size of $164 USD. 

In 2013, Opportunity Mozambique plans to launch a container branch in Nhamatanda, increase its mobile bank fleet from six to seven, and install three new ATMs. Additionally, plans are underway to introduce cell phone banking (mobile money) by 2014. 

Thank you for being a part of our continued expansion and success in Mozambique so that Opportunity International can reach more clients and provide more financial services to those in need. Your support allows our clients to create a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.