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Sydney South NSW 1235, Level 11, 227 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000

Telephone: 1800 812 164

© 2025 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.

Australian churches celebrate Very Different Mother’s Day

by Opportunity International Australia

On Mother’s Day this year, six churches in Western Australia and one in Queensland raised money for Opportunity International Australia through their church community in celebration of mothers around the world.  A Very Different Mother’s Day is a coming-together to honour mothers in their community, while raising much-needed funds to support mothers in Asia on their journey out of poverty. Funds raised during the Mother's Day celebrations was enough to help close to 70 women access smalll loans…

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In their own words: how community health educators are bridging gaps in rural India

by Opportunity International Australia

Community Health Leaders are empowered to build health knowledge and provide basic services in their communities, while earning an income and growing their confidence.  The challenges to accessing health care in rural India  For women in rural and remote parts of India, employment opportunities outside of the home are often limited, and many abandon their own hopes of tertiary study and careers when they get married and move in with their in-laws.  Basic health knowledge within these communities…

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The day I met Bhikhiben

by Nicole Clements

I remember the day I met Bhikhiben, one of our remarkable clients and her children in rural Gujarat. It was warm and sunny in her village and her kitchen and home were small for her family, but she stood out with her smile, her hands decorated in henna and an air of dignity. I felt a deep connection as shared with me her dreams for the future and many of the struggles they had as a family. Opportunity International Australia's Head of Communications & Marketing, Nicole Clements, with Bhikhiben Bhikhiben’s…

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Leni’s broom business takes off

by Opportunity International Australia

Leni and her husband Zulfani live in a rural area of South Sumatra, Indonesia. They run a coconut broom business, producing palm-fibre brooms and bamboo curtains and selling them to nearby markets in cities. Leni has four children – one daughter, who is already married, and three sons - who she provides for with the profits earned from her broom-making business. It wasn’t easy when they started out. “The difficulty I faced was the capital,” said Leni. Due to a lack of capital, they couldn’t…

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Creating change with innovation: Our 2023 Annual Review

by Opportunity International Australia

The 2023 Annual Review highlights the work of Opportunity International Australia in Asia through Microfinance, Health, Education and Women’s Safety programs. It also highlights Opportunity’s supporters, those who have found innovative ways to fundraise in 2023 to help women and families build a pathway out of poverty. As the world is changing, so too are the needs of people living in poverty. Through digital innovation, Opportunity, working with local partners in Asia, is able to help more women…

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How a small loan helped Bhikhiben transform her world

by Opportunity International Australia

When Bhikhiben was just a teenager, her mother died. Her passing brought not only deep sorrow, but almost unimaginable responsibility for Bhikhiben. As the eldest of five children, Bhikhiben had no other option but to quit school and become ‘mother’ to her siblings. My father was alone and we had to manage farming as well – goats and cows… I was the only helping hand.” \"I wanted to study, but… my father told me I should manage the kitchen and the children… So I grew them up (sic),\"…

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Mama Ovi’s determination to educate her children

by Opportunity International Australia

In Indonesia, Mama Ovi leads a simple life. She sells yellow rice and cakes in the school canteen, and her husband works as a driver.  Her rice and cake business, though modest, has helped provide for her family and is a great supplement to her husband's income. However, school fees were an expense that was just out of reach. Mama Ovi and her young son, Leon, who live in Indonesia Mama Ovi was determined to send her youngest child, Leon, to a good kindergarten. Even though the family had financial…

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Adventure in the Himalayas on the Trek for Opportunity 2023

by Opportunity International Australia

In October 2023, a group of passionate Opportunity International Australia supporters travelled to India for the Trek for Opportunity, a ten-day experience to help end global poverty. As well as hiking from Darjeeling to Sandakphu and back again, along mountain peaks and through the majestic Eastern Himalayas, the experience gave participants the opportunity to see the impact of microfinance firsthand. Here's how it all unfolded...  If you'd like to learn more or register for this year's adventure,…

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Forging a stronger future for her children

by Opportunity International Australia

Thirty-three-year-old Dia has big dreams for her four children, and they can aspire to a better future too, thanks to Dia and her husband’s hard work and a boost from a small loan. When Dia heard that Opportunity’s local partner Bina Artha Ventura (BAV) opened a new branch inthe nearby town of Tugumulyo she saw an opportunity to expand their family’s business. Dia lives with her family in a rural area of Sumatra, Indonesia. Her husband Alimin is a blacksmith, making equipment for agricultural…

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Life for Madina is better thanks to a buffalo loan

by Opportunity International Australia

Madina is a married mother of three and is now running a successful buffalo milk business thanks to a Buffaloan from Opportunity International Australia’s local partner in India. Her family live on farmland, growing rice and other crops for their own use and selling some, but their income was low. Her husband and eldest two sons work in nearby factories, but the family struggled financially. Madina hopes income earned from her buffalo will help with her children's future. With a small loan, Madina…

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