Project Report
| Dec 14, 2011
Program Updates
By David Santoso | Online Community Specialist
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In the last decade, Opportunity International embarked on an agricultural finance and rural savings program to spur economic activity and provide enduring resources for smallholder farmers and other rural clients in Rwanda.
Opportunity’s approach is to help farmers move from subsistence growing to cash crop production with agriculture-specific loans, savings accounts, crop insurance, effective fertilizers, drought-resistant seeds and technical assistance. Agricultural loan officers guide farmers through the distribution process, providing linkages to agricultural markets.
By achieving their potential, farmers will be able to feed their families and become major food suppliers to the growing global population.
Teddy Namagembe (pictured attached) works on her coffee farm from 7 a.m. to sunset each day to support her four children. She used to sell her coffee beans before they were ripe to make ends meet. As an agricultural finance and savings client with Opportunity Uganda, she can now wait for the beans to ripen fully and sell them at a greater profit.
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Aug 18, 2011
John Deere Grant Brings Services to Farmers
By Jacqueline Ryan | Project Personnel
![Mobile Banks reach clients in remote areas.]()
Mobile Banks reach clients in remote areas.
Opportunity International has recently received a $2.5 million grant from the John Deere Foundation. This donation supports the Bank on Africa campaign, which aims to bring financial services to farmers and other entrepreneurs in many African countries, including Rwanda.
“Opportunity International is creating a financial services model that is designed to increase the farmer’s chance for success while mitigating his or her personal risk, and is one that goes far beyond just providing agricultural credit,” said John Magnay, Opportunity International’s senior agricultural advisor.He adds that “In addition to providing access to savings accounts and loans, we are working with extension services and output markets, with objectives to improve crop productivity, increase incomes and directly impact the food supply within local communities for enhanced food security.” (Excerpt from http://www.opportunity.org/press-releases/opportunity-international-announces-a-john-deere-foundation-grant-for-its-%e2%80%9cbanking-on-africa%e2%80%9d-initiative/)
In Rwanda, the majority of the population lives in rural areas. Through measures such as these, Opportunity is working to provide these clients, even in the most remote areas, with financial services to enable them to work their way out of poverty.
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May 18, 2011
Meet Transformational Impact Manager
By Olivia Schultz | Project Personnel
![Daniel with Clients in Rwanda]()
Daniel with Clients in Rwanda
Meet Daniel Ryumugabe, the transformational impact manager from
Urwego Opportunity Bank (UOB) of Rwanda. About life in Rwanda today, he told us, “Today, we are not just Hutus and Tutsis, we are not our ethnic groups, we are all Rwandans and we share one language and one culture.” Daniel shared the story of his childhood as a Rwandan refugee living in
Uganda, and how he struggled to get an education, the only child in his family to go to university. He also told us about his work at
Opportunity Rwanda guiding staff members to incorporate transformative training into their daily contact with our
microfinance clients.
As he told us, “Poverty is not just a deficit, not just a lack of resources, it is a deprivation. It is a trap with many cords. If you offer one solution–
loans–but there are other problems related to health or financial education, the client cannot get out of the poverty trap.” Daniel reminds us of the complexity that is the problem of poverty, and he is also working hard to find solutions and create true transformation in Rwanda, physically, mentally and spiritually for the individuals who are working their way out of the cycle of poverty.
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