About the Opportunity International Network

About Opportunity

The Opportunity International Network is comprised of regulated formal financial institutions and non-profit NGOs serving economically challenged families with microfinance. Our services include small loans, as little as $90, small savings accounts with a country average balance as low as $86, and microinsurance. Opportunity International has more than $500 million in assets serving poor families with microfinance, education, and training in 27 countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Opportunity builds, owns, and operates microfinance banks and the first wholly-owned microinsurance company, MicroEnsure. With Supporting Members in Australia, Canada, Deutschland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Opportunity manages investment divisions.

Our mission is, through the provision of Microfinance Services, to provide opportunities for people in poverty to transform their lives.  This Mission is accomplished when clients of the Implementing Members earn livable incomes, create new futures for their children and communities, and reclaim their hope and dignity.

These clients generate small business incomes through hard work and creativity, empowered by Microfinance Services offered by our Implementing Members. 

Our commitment is motivated by Jesus Christ's call to serve the poor.

Our core values are:

Commitment to the Poor:  Members are committed to loving and serving the poor and marginalized in the developing world, striving to enable lasting improvement in their lives, families, and communities. The needs, expectations, and wellbeing of the poor inspire everything we do.

Humility: Members are committed to modelling our behaviour on being of service to one another, and not on any supposed personal superiority or advantage (whether based on our position, influence, personality, wealth or otherwise).

Respect:  Members operate on the basis of respect for all people; in particular, Members aim to value fully each client and to affirm personal dignity and uniqueness. This respect is also the foundation for our Members’ relationships with clients' communities and with others involved in our work - supporters, suppliers and colleagues.

Integrity:  Members honour the trust placed in us by our clients, supporters, fellow members, and staff, endeavouring to manage all our resources transparently and in a manner that reflects our Motivation.  We aim to do the right things for the right reasons, whether or not anyone will know.

Stewardship:  Members are committed to being good stewards of resources, exercising a thoughtful and cost effective use of time, skills and finances.  We promote excellence, professionalism and best practice in every aspect of our work, seeking to maximise every opportunity to fulfil the Association’s Mission.

Transformation:  Members are committed to providing services, resources and encouragement that equip our clients, their families and communities for better economic prospects, new futures, new hope and dignity.

Our Motivation is, the call of Jesus Christ to love and serve the poor. 

See our 2010 performance highlights.

What we do

The Opportunity Network governs and supports 17 owned and regulated formal financial institutions and non-profit microfinance organizations. In order to create and sustain the world’s best network of microfinance institutions serving the poorest of the economically active, the Global Microfinance Operations (GMO) provides a common mission and identity for its affiliates. The Network Global Microfinace Operation performs:

Independent audit of banks and financial institutions

Risk assessment, standards, and accreditation

Internal audits of partners

Information technology services

Market research

New product development

Human resources services, training, leadership development, recruitment, and succession planning

Regional management

Client transformation services

Marketing

Knowledge management

Communications

Business planning

Operational advancements for back office and client product distribution

New market development