2.1 MILLION
left poverty behind in 2020
In 2020, through the power of compassion and social capital from generous supporters like you, 2.1 Million hurting people left the devastating burden of poverty behind. Without the fear of returning.
© Opportunity International Canada
WHO WE ARE
Opportunity International Canada empowers families along their journey out of extreme poverty to new lives filled with strength, hope, resilience and the power to achieve
their dreams.
WHO WE SERVE
We serve people living in poverty who lack economic choices, experience low and irregular incomes, face unequal access to assets and have little opportunity to earn a decent living. With a particular focus on women, we also serve children and young people, since the task of ensuring that everyone can achieve a sustainable livelihood starts at a young age.
OUR APPROACH
Our goal is to tackle poverty and financial exclusion across the generations by helping some of the world’s poorest families to build sustainable and resilient livelihoods that can withstand shocks and adapt to change.
Where we serve. Our Programs.
Microenterprise – Helping families build businesses to earn sustainable incomes.
Education Finance – Helping schools improve and parents to send their children to school.
Agriculture Finance – Improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and their communities.
Innovative Programs – Continually developing, piloting, and scaling new products and services to better serve clients.
Check out our website for stories of inspiring clients or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Help someone leave poverty behind. For good. Donate today at opportunityinternational.ca
Where We Work
Opportunity International helps 18.7 million clients in 30 developing countries.
Explore the map to learn more
Colombia
Opportunity International’s very first loan was made in Colombia in 1975. Since then, we’ve been working to provide stable financial systems as a way to reduce unemployment, social unrest and violence in the country.
D.R. Congo
Only 1 percent of the DRC’s citizens have access to basic financial services. Fortunately, recent economic liberalization has opened up opportunities that will allow sustainable economic growth to gain a foothold.
Dominican Republic
High levels of unemployment, underemployment, and poverty pose long-term challenges to the Dominican Republic. In addition to providing microloans to local entrepreneurs, Opportunity International is providing loans to schools as part of the education finance initiative.
Ghana
With an average income of $2 per day, many Ghanaians struggle against the debilitating effects of chronic poverty and hunger. Opportunity Ghana’s operations began in 1994 as the Sinapi Aba Trust.
Honduras
With sixty percent of the population living below the poverty line, Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Central America. The nation also suffers from unequal distribution of income and high underemployment.
India
In 1989, Opportunity International began operations in India, home to the largest global concentration of impoverished people. Opportunity today serves more than 1.4 million clients throughout the country, and disburses 98 percent of its loans to women.
Indonesia
Opportunity has 30 years of experience working in Indonesia’s microfinance industry. Although the number of poor people living in Indonesia has declined in recent years, more than 120 million Indonesians still live in poverty.
Kenya
Opportunity Kenya was established in 2006. The need for stable financial structures became increasingly apparent as the country faced violence and significant political unrest following the disputed presidential elections in December 2007.
Malawi
In Malawi, 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas. To reach these remote communities, Opportunity International uses mobile bank vehicles, ATMs and point-of-sale (POS) devices in local businesses.
Mozambique
More than half of Mozambicans live on less than $1 per day. Within this context, Opportunity International is reaching out to serve the most impoverished working people in Mozambique.
Nicaragua
For nearly two decades, Opportunity International has worked with microentrepreneurs in Nicaragua to build sustainable, successful businesses that will break them out of the cycle of poverty.
Philippines
More than a quarter of the Philippines’ 105.7 million people live in dire poverty. The reasons are many: rapid population growth, inadequate social infrastructure, slow growth of rural productivity and lack of access to credit.
Rwanda
Though Rwanda has made some remarkable advances since the 1994 genocide, 44.9 percent of Rwandans live below the poverty line. Microfinance remains an essential part of the solution to end Rwanda’s crushing poverty.
Serbia
The breakup of the former Yugoslavia and, more recently, the global economic crisis, has left many economic challenges and a large section of the population unemployed, struggling to rebuild their lives.
Tanzania
One out of every three Tanzanians is self-employed, indicating a high level of microenterprise activity. Only 20 percent of the population, however, has access to a formal bank within an hour’s walking distance of their home.
Uganda
Nearly a quarter of Uganda’s population lives below the poverty line. Opportunity Uganda offers a full suite of financial services to those living in chronic poverty.
United States
Opportunity International staff in the United States work with the donor community, manage programs and support the growth of our implementing members.
Australia
Opportunity International staff in Australia work with the donor community, manage programs and support the growth of our implementing members.
Canada
Opportunity International staff in Canada work with the donor community, manage programs and support the growth of our implementing members.
Germany
Opportunity International staff in Germany work with the donor community, manage programs and support the growth of our implementing members.
United Kingdom
Opportunity International staff in the United Kingdom work with the donor community, manage programs and support the growth of our implementing members.
Nigeria
Opportunity International helps nearly 12 million clients in 27 developing countries.
Ecuador
Haiti
CLM is Chemen Lavi Miyò, the Pathway to a Better Life, an 18-month program that principally depends on the way it accompanies women living in ultra-poverty closely. CLM features one-on-one enterprise and life skills training which is offered during weekly home visits from case managers. But it is not merely an education program.
Liberia
Zimbabwe
Pakistan
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WE EMPOWER FAMILIES TO LEAVE POVERTY BEHIND. FOR GOOD.
Opportunity International Canada empowers families along their journeys out of extreme poverty toward new lives filled with strength, hope, resilience and the power to achieve their dreams.