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PO Box A524
Sydney South NSW 1235, Level 11, 227 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000

Telephone: 1800 812 164

© 2026 Opportunity International AustraliaABN 83 003 805 043

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.

A Church built by community, faith and hope

by Opportunity International Australia

In 2025, when David Bussau returned to Blimbingsari, the birthplace of Opportunity International Australia, the church that he helped rebuild was one of the first places he visited. In 1976, David led the project to rebuild the church after it was destroyed in an earthquake. The new church stands proudly in the centre of the village, and is the heart of the Christian community in Blimbingsari. Three of the men that worked on the construction with David 50 years ago were there to greet him when he…

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Webinar: Disability and Gender Inclusive Finance

by Opportunity International Australia

How can digital and cooperative finance systems be designed to work for everyone — including women, persons with disabilities and other marginalied groups? In June 2026, Opportunity International Australia, MSC (MicroSave Consulting) and our local partner in Indonesia, KSP MITRA DHUAFA (KOMIDA) brought together voices across government, the financial sector and organisations of persons with disabilities to unpack what it takes build financial systems that are inclusive and practical for all. Featured…

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Kamong – following in his father’s footsteps

by Opportunity International Australia

As Opportunity International Australia celebrates 50 years, we look back at our Founder David Bussau’s vision – to help people lift themselves out of poverty and create a better future for their families. The very first people David loaned $50 to in Blimbingsari, Indonesia, in 1976 were Ketut and his wife, Putu. They used the money to purchase a sewing machine to start a tailoring business, and the rest is history. Ketut and Putu’s tailoring business grew in Blimbingsari, hiring staff and buying…

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Advancing Inclusive Finance With Government Support

by Opportunity International Australia

Approximately 700 million women worldwide do not have access to a financial account. In Indonesia alone, an estimated 42 million women are unbanked, underscoring the scale of financial exclusion and enduring gender disparities. Opportunity International Australia works in Indonesia, partnering with local organisations to expand inclusive financial services and reach those who are most excluded, particularly women and people with disabilities. Through strategic partnerships and approaches grounded…

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Rekha’s path to recovery

by Opportunity International Australia

Living in one of Mumbai's most densely populated neighbourhoods, Rekha has spent her life holding her family together. But when illness struck, the cost of treatment threatened to unravel everything her family had worked for. Today 47-year-old Rekha shares a single 3.6 x 3.6 metre room with her husband and four children. The space is divided into a tiny kitchen and a small bathing area. There are no toilet facilities; they are outside. Life has never been easy for Rekha. She grew up in a hostel because…

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Health finance changed everything for Kavita's family

by Opportunity International Australia

Kavita, 32, lives with her husband, Deepak, and their two children in a single-room home in an informal settlement in India. Their space is small, but their hopes for their family are big. Both parents work tirelessly to ensure their children — Aaravi and Naitik — can access the education they never had. Growing up, Kavita watched her parents struggle to pay for even basic medical care. She remembers the fear of not knowing how they would afford treatment. She promised herself her children would…

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Health loan gave Sandhya’s family a fighting chance

by Opportunity International Australia

Sandhya runs a small tiffin business from her single-room home in one of Mumbai’s informal settlements. With a microfinance loan, she built a steady income cooking lunches for nearby office workers. Her husband, Khetan, worked at a hotel, and together they managed to support their children through hard work and determination. One morning, everything changed. Khetan saw a child falling from a crowded bus and rushed to help. In that moment, a taxi struck him and dragged him down the street. The child…

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Improving health access in urban slums

by Opportunity International Australia

In urban slums across India, families face many impossible choices. A single hospital visit can consume months of income. With no insurance and minimal savings, many are forced to borrow from informal lenders who charge interest rates as high as 200%. For women, the stakes are even higher: many delay treatment, miss essential antenatal care, or step away from paid work during illness. Health shocks are the greatest financial threat to families working to escape poverty. Globally, more than one billion…

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How government support is expanding community health

by Opportunity International Australia

In January, representatives from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Australian High Commission in Bangladesh saw firsthand how Opportunity International Australia and our local partner, Shakti Foundation, are expanding access to essential healthcare for families living in remote and low-income communities.  The visit highlighted the impact of our mobile medical clinic program, supported through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), and the difference it is…

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Meet Putu, the first woman helped with a small loan

by Opportunity International Australia

Fifty years ago, Opportunity International Australia founder David Bussau gave his first small loan to an Indonesian farmer named Ketut to start a tailoring business. But what you may not know is that it wasn’t just Ketut – it was also his wife, Putu, who was the brains behind the business. Putu had learnt sewing skills when she was younger and hadn’t been working while raising a young family. They relied on Ketut’s income from rice farming, but were struggling financially when the latest…

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