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.
Finding a needle in a haystack
In August 2018, the Indian state of Kerala endured the worst flooding in a century. Around 500 people lost their lives while more than 1 million were evacuated from their homes. They returned to widespread destruction. On the anniversary of last year's deluge, Kerala is once again enduring catastrophic flooding, with floodwaters washing away homes and livelihoods, leaving families stranded. For families struggling in the aftermath of a natural disaster, accessing funds is key to rebuilding their…
Read MoreThree minutes
What did you do in the last three minutes? Chat to a friend? Scroll Instagram? Eat some lunch? Do you know what else happened? A girl was sold in India. And in the next three minutes, another girl will be sold too. Every three minutes a girl in India is sold into slavery. Her average age is 12.1 I recently attended the first Asian Anti-Trafficking Forum, hosted by Opportunity International’s program partner My Choices Foundation. The forum was attended by over 90 Indian, Bangladeshi and Nepalese…
Read MoreMy Choices: Building Strong Women and Good Fathers
Providing small loans to women is often the solution that allows families to lift themselves out of poverty. But what happens when those women—a staggering 50 per cent of women in India—are suffering abuse at the hands of their husbands? Elca Grobler, founder of Opportunity International Australia's partner My Choices Foundation, journeyed to India to help women leave poverty behind through microfinance. What she saw changed the way she thought about ending poverty. Elca shared with us how the…
Read MoreWhat I saw
In March 2019, 19-year-old Jemma Holden travelled from the UK to India to see Opportunity's health programs for herself. She reflects on her journey below. Jemma with Jessica Carter (Opportunity International Australia's Asia Health Program Director) and Poonam Kumari, a Community Health Leader, in Aurangabad, India. Photo by Jemma Holden. I had always wondered how a week in rural India would pan out and had thought about what sights and scenes would affect me most. I assumed I’d find the intense…
Read MoreFrom Bohemian Rhapsody to ending world poverty
It was a long flight and a movie about Freddy Mercury seemed in perfect order. The summary said: “The events in the lead up to “Live Aid”. Within two hours I was transported back to the eighties, and if I could have cranked the Queen songs up any louder in my seat, I would have. I was taken back to when I first saw the photos of the Ethiopia famine, of starving men, women and children—who could forget those images—and remembering Bob Geldof's call to mobilise the world to do something about…
Read MoreWhy girls?
“The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world.” — Charles Malik Sikander and Sindhu never wanted a girl. In their home village of Nagpur, India, they dreamed of a different life – a life with sons. Yet whenever Sindhu gave birth, it was to a girl. They went on to have five daughters, each time hoping the child would be a son. “In India, the boy is considered the higher of the house,” Sikander said. “I felt I needed a boy to help me provide in the future.”…
Read MoreThe importance of health
In March 2019, 19-year-old Siri Wrigley travelled from the UK to India to see Opportunity's health programs for herself – meeting three strong women along the way. Since completing her training, Imirty has more confidence sharing health information with her daughter. Photo: Siri Wrigley and Jemma Holden My week in the field definitely had an impact on me personally. I had visited India once before and came away thinking that the sole change needed was for people to have greater economic gain.…
Read MoreThe changing climate of poverty
How does climate change impact people in poverty? This World Environment Day, Opportunity's Global Impact Director, Calum Scott, discusses the relationship between climate change and ending poverty. 1. Opportunity International Australia is known as a microfinance organisation. Why the interest in climate change? Opportunity’s mission is to empower people living in poverty to transform their lives, their children’s futures and their communities. We empower people through providing financial and…
Read MoreFishing for Success
Oktavin and her daughter, Natalia. Photo: Sara Bolst Opportunity is now reaching 1,000,000 people in Indonesia with life-changing small loans. This has grown from only 30,000 people just six years ago – a testament to the commitment of our partners, the vision of our team, and the giving of our valued supporters like you. It’s life-changing for women like Oktavin. Oktavin met her husband Abraham, a Rote native, on her home island of Dao. He had come to the island to sell vegetables, which Oktavin…
Read MoreSurvive to Thrive
How important is health? In the lead up to World Health Day, Opportunity's Asia Health Program Director, Jessica Carter, speaks about the importance of running health programs in conjunction with more traditional microfinance programs to help people lift themselves out of poverty. Poonam is a Community Health Leader who wanted to learn about health issues and use that knowledge to help her village. Here, she is surrounded by the women of her village following a talk she gave on women’s health. Photo:…
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