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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.

Everyone’s story counts: Measuring what really matter

by Opportunity International Australia

As we evolve, Opportunity is moving towards more meaningful metrics to assess the impact of our programs in addressing stigma and equity. The objectives and key results of our programs are often a balance between doing the greatest good for the greatest number - and serving communities with the highest unmet needs. Our health and women’s safety programs also tackle changing perceptions, norms and behaviours in topic areas that are often stigmatised. We recently conducted two studies which help…

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Paying the opportunity forward

by Opportunity International Australia

Kim-Ngan Harwood was born in Vietnam and arrived in Australia aged nine as a refugee with her widowed mother. Since then, she has built her own successful business and supports other women entrepreneurs through Opportunity. Hope, to me, is wanting an outcome that makes life better in some way. When I was two, my dad passed away. The way my mother led her life and wanted a life for me was hope. “My grandparents had a similar attitude. They were pushed down from the north to the south of the country…

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Bringing hope to more people through opportunity

by Opportunity International Australia

Six months into the CEO role, Scott Walters shares his passion for philanthropy and plans for Opportunity. Opportunity: What drew you to Opportunity? Scott Walters: Apart from being led by God, it was the chance to be involved in helping to break the cycle of poverty that still pervades so much of the world. My philanthropic passions have always revolved around changing embedded disadvantage rather than welfare. O: You have a varied background in accounting, consulting, business, philanthropy –…

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Preventing modern slavery

by Opportunity International Australia

Modern Slavery is a major issue that affects people in every country around the world. It is estimated that 40 million people are trapped in some form of modern slavery. Two thirds of these people are in the Asia-Pacific region and many of them are women and children. Opportunity International Australia supports programs in India and Indonesia to help free women and children from modern slavery through our microfinance, education, health and women’s safety programs.  By providing an alternative…

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One million vaccine milestone reached in India

by Opportunity International Australia

Opportunity International Australia has worked with Indian partner, Equitas Small Finance Bank, and the Indian Government to swiftly establish a mass vaccination campaign for vulnerable people affected by COVID-19 in India. The vaccination camps reached 1.2 million beneficiaries in 10 states by the end of August.  “Equitas and Opportunity are working to support an equitable roll-out of this lifesaving vaccine in India, where only 15% of the population have been fully vaccinated [as of 24 Sept],”…

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Opportunity’s health response in India

by Opportunity International Australia

Thanks to the generous support of the Opportunity community, we were able to move swiftly to provide relief to those hardest hit by the virus’s second wave in India. Microfinance institutions provided existing footprints and trusted networks into communities, enabling last-mile delivery of healthcare, support and relief packages. We supported Indian health services and systems to deliver mass vaccination camps, mobile medical vans, a ‘doctor on the doorstep’ program, education, training and…

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‘A spruiker for philanthropy!'

by Opportunity International Australia

I support Opportunity because I am keen to support women. Women don’t just help themselves but always help the next generation as well. When Laurie Cowled lost her husband, Ron, unexpectedly 17 years ago, she found herself at a crossroads.  “I didn’t know how many days I had left,” she says. “But I had a plan to carry out.” Laurie and Ron had agreed that whoever survived the other would need to be a good steward of their money. Laurie and Ron met in their fifties and didn’t have children.…

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A matter of family

by Opportunity International Australia

Ben O’Connor’s performance at the Tour de France this July was the best debut by an Australian rider ever in the 118-year-old race. The family celebrated the victory together in what Ben’s father, Opportunity Board member, John O’Connor, calls ‘a beautiful set of circumstances’. Ben O’Connor secures the win on the summit of Tignes in Stage 9 of the 2021 Tour de France. Credit: Tim de Waele, Getty Images. Opportunity: Congratulations on your performance, Ben! You must be so proud, John?…

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Planning for a changed future

by Opportunity International Australia

Opportunity’s clients are amongst the most vulnerable to a changing environment. Here’s how we are building resilience and planning for future generations. Climate change is a chronic challenge for the poorest people that will long outlast the pandemic. It ‘threatens to undo the last 50 years of development, global health and poverty reduction,’ according to a United Nations report. It could push more than 120 million more people into poverty by 2030 and will have the most severe impact in…

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A legacy of opportunity

by Opportunity International Australia

As we approach 45 years since Opportunity International founder, David Bussau, first arrived in Indonesia, it’s an opportune time to reflect on what has grown from those early beginnings. Early into his success, entrepreneur David Bussau, a millionaire at 35, realised the ‘economics of enough’. “I reached a turning point. I started thinking how much is enough. I had 15 different businesses and I was just going through the process of building and selling potential. But where was that taking…

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