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19 September 2017 - Opportunity International Australia’s annual fundraising campaign, the Great Australian Curry, is here! It kicked off with a spicy curry cook-off between Stephanie Rice and Courtney Ferdinands on one team and Michael Kasprowicz and Valerie Ferdinands on the other team. Michael and Valerie won – but only just!

Opportunity Chief Executive Officer Robert Dunn says: “I hope Aussies will get on board with the Great Australian Curry. It’s easy to put on a curry lunch or dinner to raise funds so that families in developing countries can receive small loans to build businesses and break the cycle of poverty. I’m planning a low-key curry night at home this year and one of my friends is having a pot luck dinner where everyone brings their favourite curry.

“The first 20 people to set up a fundraiser on Opportunity’s website will receive Rick Stein’s mouth-watering cookbook, ‘India’. The book features a wealth of simple curry recipes that’ll come in handy for your Great Australian Curry events. The colourful cookbook features the best recipes from Rick Stein’s Indian odyssey in search of the perfect curry.

“We’re running a writing competition and the prize is a signed copy of renowned Sydney Quay chef Peter Gilmore’s cookbook ‘Organum’. Peter’s book delves into the four essential ingredients for the perfect dish “nature, texture, intensity and purity. Just tell us in 25 words or less why taking part in the Great Australian Curry is important to you. Details of this competition are on the Great Australian Curry website.

“Signing up online to Opportunity’s Great Australian Curry campaign is one of the easiest and tastiest ways of helping those in need in developing countries. Opportunity’s website has a fundraiser toolkit packed with everything you need to run your curry fundraiser,” he added.

Opportunity supporter Vanessa Castle, who aims to raise $1,000 in her Great Australian Curry dinner, says “We're raising funds to help provide wonderful opportunities to women and their families living in poverty. In return, you’ll have the opportunity to feast on delicious homemade Aussie curry!”

The Great Australian Curry runs through October and November. The money raised will give families the essential tools they need to start their own businesses, earn regular incomes and make the journey out of poverty.

For more information on hosting a Great Australian Curry event or the competitions go to: www.greataustraliancurry.org.au

About Opportunity International Australia

Opportunity International Australia enables you to invest in a mother living in poverty so that she can use a small loan to buy an item like a sewing machine and build a small business. For a family in a developing country who can’t afford the basics, a gift as small as $70 can be life changing. With this hand up, a mother can put food on the table, send her children to school and transform her family’s future for generations. Mothers want what is best for their children, and as businesses become successful (98% of Opportunity’s loans are repaid), your help means they can make their dreams for their children come true. For more information, visit www.opportunity.org.au