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.
Opportunity’s supporters are changing the world!
Listen: https://youtu.be/o9zW-GKRl5w As we try to squeeze in just one more Christmas party and one more meeting so we get everything finished before the holidays, I’m reflecting on 2017 and the immense impact Opportunity International Australia’s supporters had this year in the lives of families living in poverty. Because of the generosity of Opportunity’s supporters in 2017, thousands of families in Asia can live lives free from poverty, free of preventable illnesses, free of domestic violence.…
Read MoreThe global community needs a pathway of action to eliminate violence against women
Sunday 10 December is Human Rights Day, the culmination of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Violence against women and girls is a human rights issue, not a women’s issue. We must say “no” to violence against women and girls on Human Rights Day…and every day. The global community must recommit to a pathway of action, a pathway that involves policies, programs and resources to achieve progress as a society. At My Choices Foundation in India we want women, children and families…
Read MoreHealth and livelihoods a means to prevent domestic violence
During the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence that follow the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November, we must mobilise people everywhere to bring an end to domestic violence. You can’t isolate poverty from domestic violence or domestic violence from poverty. They go together. We need to look at domestic violence as an aspect of poverty although it occurs in all social classes and goes beyond poverty. One of the main reasons women are excluded…
Read MoreViolence against women is in everyone’s backyard. Let’s join together to eliminate it
My parents are American, but I was born and grew up in India. India is home, and I love this country. As a woman living in India, however, I’m acutely aware of the gender issues that prevail in this country. I’ve experienced it. My closest friends have experienced it. Too often, women are perceived as being owned by their father, brother or husband; in some households, this means that they’re the last member of a household to be served food and in others, it means that parents only invest in…
Read MoreViolence against women isn’t a women’s rights issue, it’s a human rights issue
Violence against women isn’t a women’s rights issue, it’s a human rights issue. More women are killed each year by domestic violence than by malaria, war and accidents combined. I’m driven by a righteous anger about the abuse and injustice so many women face today. With so much going so right, how can so much be going so horribly wrong? Half of the world’s population is being slowly killed off by the other half. How did we get to the point in our modern society where almost half of Indian…
Read MoreHow entrepreneurs in developing countries are getting kids into school - now
The year 2000 was momentous. My daughter Isobel was born and with 2 billion children in the world, it was a year in which we were close to ‘peak child.’ Between 2000 and 2017, millions of children moved out of extreme poverty, but sadly, too many children still live in poverty, which often means they don’t go to school. There may be no school within walking distance, or the parents may not be able to afford the fees, or the children may be forced to work to supplement the family’s income…
Read MoreOn World Toilet Day let’s end women’s daily search for a private place amongst the bushes
In my early 20’s I taught science and maths to teenagers in the Kalahari Desert. My village was two days drive along a sandy track to the nearest town. Whenever I travelled into town and we had a ‘pit stop’, the men quickly found a spot to relieve themselves on one side of the Bedford truck, the women went to the other side to search for a scraggly acacia bush to hide behind for privacy. It was, for a 23-year-old used to modern comforts, confronting and awkward. This is the daily reality for…
Read MoreCan you imagine living without a toilet?
Having a toilet in your home is something taken for granted in Australia and many middle class and wealthy homes in India. But it’s not the norm everywhere, especially in India where it becomes more complex due to a traditional belief by many that a toilet inside the house is unclean, causes disease and spreads illnesses - so millions of families don’t have one. You may ask: “Why are you talking about toilets?” For one, I believe it’s is a human right and everyone needs dignity, also it’s…
Read MoreWhy does India have such a high rate of missed calls?
One of the changes I’ve noticed in India during the last decade is how the mobile phone has become ubiquitous. When I started working in rural North India in 2006, maybe 1 in 20 people had a phone. Now it seems almost everyone has a phone – or at least access to one - whether it belongs to a spouse, family member, neighbour or the local community. I’m fascinated by how families use mobile phones In India. India is one of the largest markets for missed calls - people don’t answer calls so…
Read MoreFamilies in Australia can help families in developing countries by cooking up a spicy curry
Having a global focus is important. We all need to think beyond our own circumstances to raise awareness about families in developing countries who struggle just to survive. Struggle to feed their children. Struggle to put a roof over their heads. Struggle to send them to school. My family believes fundraising for Opportunity International Australia through campaigns such as the Great Australian Curry is a great way to connect with families in India, as there is no more traditional food in India…
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