Providing small loans and other financial services allows families to build their own small businesses and earn reliable incomes, giving them the tools to break free from the cycle of poverty.
More than 1 in 5 people around the world live in poverty.
Surviving on less than US$3.20 a day, people struggle to afford even the basics, like food, shelter, or medicines. Living in poverty means they're often unable to provide education for their children, are more likely to experience hunger and poor sanitation, and often contract preventable illnesses, diminishing their capacity to work. As this cycle repeats itself, families living in poverty struggle to survive.
The flow-on effects of the COVID-19 crisis have had a significant impact on the livelihoods of families living in poverty, with the economic fallout disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable, especially women.
But there's a surprisingly simple solution: small loans.
Small businesses are often the only head start a family needs to break free from the cycle of poverty. Starting a business is next to impossible without capital—no matter where you live—but it can provide incredible freedom.That's where Opportunity comes in.
Small loans—on average around $540—give families the ability to purchase the tools they need to start or grow their source of income. With help from trusted local partners, Opportunity provides these small loans and financial training to individuals who are determined to leave poverty behind for good.
Some spend their loans on a sewing machine or material to start a tailoring business, others on bulk goods which they resell for a profit, and others on animals, like chickens or cows, that can provide food items to sell. And once their business is up and running, these families pay back their loans, allowing Opportunity's partners to re-lend the same funds to other families in need.
It's a smart, scalable and sustainable way to end poverty, once and for all.
How small loans help break the cycle of poverty
Donations are received
Your donation enables Opportunity to reach out to families living in poverty.
Loans are distributed
We provide small loans to these families to help them grow their own small businesses.
Impact is increased
Families generate regular income to afford food, shelter, medicine and education—and in many cases, employ others in their community.
A new cycle begins...
Each small loan is repaid and recycled to help more and more families over time.
As of December 2021, we're helping
6,753,480 families
leave poverty behind with the help of small loans in India and Indonesia.
Jasmine's story
Jasmine and her husband Mamad live in a small village in the west of India, in a modest house with two rooms and a kitchen. Both working as labourers, they did not earn enough to cover their basic necessities. Unfortunately, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they lost their jobs and had no other source of income.
Through her neighbour, Jasmine heard about small loans being offered by one of Opportunity’s microfinance partners. She applied and received a loan of INR 35,000 ($A626) to open a small grocery shop and purchase a cow and a goat to start a dairy business.
Things were going well but when further lockdowns happened, Jasmine was forced to close her shop.
COVID-19 hit us hard, we had to close the shop as there were no sales. But by farming and selling milk we were able to survive in tough times.
With the assistance of a small loan, Jasmine and Mamad could pivot their small business during the worst of COVID-19 to make ends meet. Through selling her cow and goat's milk, she's able to keep her business afloat and Jasmine and Mamad are earning more money now than they were before the pandemic
The future is looking bright for Jasmine, as she hopes to increase her dairy business and find more opportunities in agriculture and farming.