News & Stories Blog
World news on the fight to alleviate poverty – follow innovations in microfinance, technology and community development that are changing lives in developing countries.
Rural women want to work
It’s over 40 degrees on a summer’s day in Kolhua, a rural area outside Kushinagar in Northern India. Sudha* is working the dry earth with a hoe as part of a group of other Musahar women, fortifying the village’s walking tracks between fields. Sudha is being paid for her daily labour through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme. The scheme aims to guarantee the right to work to all Indians, however in practice there are many barriers to accessing the scheme,…
Read MoreMelbourne Giving Circle supports Women’s Safety in India
Content warning: This story discusses gender-based violence and trafficking, which some readers may find challenging. In India, gender-based violence and trafficking are a major societal problem, with one woman every four minutes reporting violence in her home, and over 60,000 communities identified as high risk of being targeted by traffickers. A group of Opportunity International Australia supporters and Board Directors from Melbourne decided to do something in response to shocking women’s safety…
Read MoreLessons learned early empower girls to be safe
Content warning: This story discusses gender-based violence and trafficking, which some readers may find challenging. As part of our Women’s Safety program in India – supporting women and girls to live a life free from violence and trafficking – Opportunity International Australia’s local partner runs a mentorship program for adolescent girls called Super Smart Shakti Network. Shakti means ‘feminine strength and power’, and the initiative empowers girls with knowledge and resources and…
Read MoreLeela ploughs her way to a brighter future
Leela and her husband Deshveer have five children and live in the Dungarpur district in north-west India. Both Leela and Deshveer had labouring jobs, but their income was not enough to cover their living expenses and they struggled financially. The Dungarpur district is mainly agricultural, with many farms in the local community. With their financial situation worsening during the pandemic, Leela decided to take out a small loan with Opportunity International Australia’s local microfinance partner…
Read MoreEndang cleans up with local laundry business
Endang lives in Perbaungan, South Sumatra in Indonesia. The residents in her local community have busy lives, which gave Endang an idea for a business. In September 2020, Endang opened a simple laundry business. She started from scratch by collecting clothes from residents in her neighbourhood, going door-to- door and asking if they required a laundry service. Her neighbours obliged and handed over their clothes for Endang to wash by hand and iron. It was hard work, but she managed to maintain a…
Read MoreKusnidah turns things around for the next generation
Growing up in a rural village in central Java, Indonesia, 62-year-old Kusnidah never finished primary school. Despite her parents’ hard work – her father in the rice paddies and her mother a housekeeper – poverty meant they couldn’t afford the fees. Kusnidah married and lived with her husband in a crowded slum in Jakarta. He worked as a driver, while Kusnidah stayed home with their young children. One by one the children hit school age, and the couple found themselves having to make a heartbreaking…
Read MoreIs microfinance an effective way to alleviate poverty?
Tackling global poverty can sometimes seem like an insurmountable task. Decades of progress on poverty stalled in 2020 – when poverty rose due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 crisis combined with the effects of conflict, cost of living pressures, and climate change. The World Bank estimates that globally 75 million to 95 million people were pushed into extreme poverty in 2022. Our efforts to end poverty have faced the greatest challenge in a generation, so how can we best support those…
Read MoreAmbassador Nomusa preparing for the trip of a lifetime
Opportunity International Australia Ambassador Nomusa Ngwenya is one of the adventurers who will be trekking the Eastern Himalayas in India in October to raise money for Opportunity. Nomusa has been passionate about the work of Opportunity for a long time and is excited to visit the microfinance clients she helps support in Varanasi at the end of the trek. “I was interested in the physical challenge of the trek and also the opportunity to meet some of the loan recipients and see firsthand the…
Read MoreTop tips for fundraising to help end poverty
The fight against poverty knows no boundaries, but everyday Australians can play a big role in creating positive change. Whether you’re looking to start a charity fundraiser from scratch, or have an existing event you’d like to partner with Opportunity International Australia on, you're already on the path to making a significant impact for women and girls globally. To help create lasting change globally, the best (and easiest!) fundraisers use your existing skills, resources and ideas to make…
Read MoreCoffee cart creating change
Lis is a 42-year-old widow, and a mother to two boys, aged 20 and 16, living in the slums of Jakarta, Indonesia. Five years ago, she quit her job and started her own mobile coffee business, on the back of a motorbike. Lis sells coffee, other beverages and fried food to her local community. She begins her day at 6.30am, selling drinks and food until 4.00pm. In 2019, Lis received a small loan through Opportunity’s local partner in Indonesia to expand her business. She was able to purchase more products…
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