In Rwanda, gender equality is real. For example, more than 50 percent of the Rwandan senators are women. The chief justice is a woman. Approximately 40 percent of the state ministers are women, including the ministers of agriculture, of trade, of foreign affairs. Indeed, women are empowered in Rwanda.

At Urwego Opportunity Bank (UOB) we are also empowering women in several ways. To name a couple, more than 90 percent of our clients are women and 55 percent of our staff are women.

Recently, Alice Gasatura (pictured at left), director of credit support, was on a three-week tour to the US as part of the fund raising team of Opportunity International-US. She shared her life story as well as the client transformation stories. She visited Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Seattle; Los Angeles; Dallas; Atlanta and more. She is one of the most senior women on staff at UOB and she was the first female staff member to travel to the U.S. as an ambassador of UOB.

We have also sent five middle management female staff (pictured at left) to a month-long training session in Nairobi, Kenya. This training was sponsored by Goldman Sachs as part of its campaign to develop 10,000 Women entrepreneurs in developing countries. During their training period, they learned 23 management topics on microfinance.

They will be deployed, along with other staff who have been trained elsewhere, to share their knowledge with their colleagues through the UOB Academy to be established in 2011. I hope to see more women empowered to carry out important tasks in Rwanda going forward, not only at UOB, but also among our clients.

Opportunity International’s loan officers are going green. They are traveling to loan client locations with the assistance of electric bicycles. If electric cars are the epitome of a culture that is constantly trying to reduce its carbon footprint, then electric bicycles (e-bikes) rank in the same category. That’s why Daryl Skoog, Opportunity International’s SVP of technology, is so enthused about deploying e-bikes to the field.

According to Skoog, “With our rural expansions, we recognized that transportation would become a challenge in getting our loan officers to their customers. We were seeking a low-cost mode of transportation with a target of 5 cents per mile, versus the 50 cents per mile it costs us per officer today. Bicycles are a common mode of transport throughout the world, so finding a way to use bicycles that would transport our loan officers and leave them with energy to do their job all day long led us to this innovation.”

Currently in the pilot phase of implementation, two e-bikes each have been sent to partners in Rwanda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ghana, India and Malawi. Kenya and Uganda are also set to receive e-bikes soon. The purpose of the pilot phase is to obtain feedback from the users as to how well they are working, get an idea of how reliable they are, and how much maintenance will be required. In the future, regional maintenance contracts may be established with local businesses which will also help stimulate growth in local economies.

In addition to the 350 watt, rear hub-based electric motor, the rider can pedal the e-bike like a regular bicycle, or use a combination of both to go even faster. Using the electric motor alone, the e-bike is capable of attaining speeds of up to 18 mph (29 km/h), but with pedal-assist, it can go as fast as 30-35 mph (48-56 km/h). Depending on the hilliness of the terrain, the battery has a range of 15-18 miles (24-29 kilometers), and charging takes 3-6 hours.

The initial feedback coming from users has been overwhelmingly positive. Skoog states, “Early comments coming back are telling us that hills are a lot easier to climb with the e-bike. Just like with that special head-turning automobile, an e-bike also turns heads. People notice that you are not riding just an ordinary bike, but something special, and when you can go uphill almost as easily as on flat ground, it gets their attention.”

Hopefully, many more loan officers will soon be turning heads as the e-bikes work their way into the mainstream of tools that help them accomplish their jobs more effectively and efficiently.

- John Larson, MIS division of Opportunity International

To help build a local primary school, Maria took out her first $101 loan from Opportunity International. Today (four loans later), that school teaches 500 students.

But that’s not all. Maria now runs a catering business and a poultry farm that raises 400 chicks. She’s built a house for her children—and she’s been able to send them both to school. Maria’s hard work and dedication is ensuring brighter futures not only for her two children, but for all the children in her community.

I met Maria on my first trip to Uganda. Her hard work and success is an inspiration to me, and hopefully to mothers everywhere who struggle to provide for their families and to lift themselves out of poverty.

I encourage you to take just a few moments and be inspired by the tributes posted on the Global Opportunity Quilt, honoring mothers like Maria and many more significant women who have shaped our lives. Help us build the Global Opportunity Quilt and help a mother in the developing world work her way out of poverty. Your contribution will touch one mother’s heart and change another woman’s life this Mother’s Day.

-Ruth-Anne Renaud, The Women’s Opportunity Network, Opportunity International

This International Women’s Day (and week), let’s come together and celebrate the stories of women who show resilience, strength and courage every day. Opportunity International works with many of these women. In fact, more than 85% of our clients are women. With determination, knowledge and the support of microfinance services, these women have transformed not only their lives, but the lives of their families and communities.

Here is the story of just one of these amazing women, Rosemary Namande. Rosemary’s life has been deeply affected by the AIDS epidemic. The disease has taken her daughter, two siblings, a nephew and the parents of 11 children in her community. Rosemary was able to adopt these children and provide them with shelter, safety, support and an education in large part due to her entrepreneurial spirit. Forty years ago, Rosemary opened a school for infants. Today, equipped with a staff of over 50 people and Opportunity loans, she has five permanent buildings that house an orphanage and an elementary school that allows over 900 children to go to school.

But Rosemary’s impact doesn’t just end with the children. She uses the increased income from her loans to reinvest in her community. She adopts orphans, hires widows to teach marketable skills, helps women establish businesses, leads a local women’s council, and opens her school to other community activities.
I believe that Susan Gillette of the Women’s Opportunity Network had Rosemary in mind when she said “Strong women mother the world.” If you know other strong and inspiring women like Rosemary, please post a tribute to them on the Global Opportunity Quilt. Help us celebrate women in honor of International Women’s Day.

-Ruth-Anne Renaud, Vice President, Women’s Philanthropy & the Women’s Opportunity Network, Opportunity International

Check out this partner crosspost from our friends at Opportunity International.

Below is an excerpt. Read the full post here.

There is an unquestionable link between poverty and AIDS. When AIDS strikes, family income drops by 40 to 80 percent and medical expenses increase by 400 percent. As a result, many families are forced to choose between using their limited resources for food or medicine.

Recognizing the severity of the AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, Opportunity International is committed to breaking the devastating spiral of poverty and AIDS in Africa. To help families in these devastating circumstances, Opportunity has set out to do the following: provide loans for families afflicted and affected by HIV/AIDS; empower these families economically to take in and support orphans; and reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS by empowering women economically, socially and spiritually, and by providing HIV/AIDS education.

“A single bracelet does not jingle,” states a Congolese proverb. With that idea in mind, the tone of Opportunity International’s recent trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo was one of cooperation. The microfinance organization realizes that without partnerships it will not be able to fully address the problem of poverty.

Half of the DRC’s 66.5 million people live on $1 per day. With painful poverty comes a host of serious problems for the Congolese people. Financial, health and social service organizations must work in tandem.

For this reason, Opportunity visited the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation (DMF) hospital in the DRC. A tour of the impressive facility and a meal with the staff further revealed that the two organizations have a shared vision. The patients to which the DMF Hospital provides healthcare are the very ones that Opportunity targets in its effort to alleviate poverty through savings, loans and insurance. Both organizations are committed to serve those living on less than $1 per day.

Opportunity International President and CEO, Kadita “A.T.” Tshibaka, also set up meetings with local churches such as the Evangelical Covenant Church in the DRC. He notes that “churches play a key role in advocating for the poor. We encouraged church leaders to partner with us as we serve our brothers and sisters in the D.R. Congo.”

Finally, the group met with other microfinance organizations. Rather than finding a competitive climate, Opportunity International discovered a great deal of support and encouragement. The organizations all share one common goal: to serve and empower the poor.

Without partnerships, organizations can only have a limited impact. Indeed, with the power of partnerships Opportunity International can be more than just a single bracelet in a country filled with agonizing poverty.
And the poor can receive a working chance.

To learn more about Opportunity’s commitment to providing microfinance solutions to the working poor in almost 30 countries, visit www.opportunity.org.

-Sonja Egeland Kelly, Opportunity International

Having grown up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Opportunity International President and CEO Kadita “A.T.” Tshibaka experienced poverty first hand. Thanks to a hard working family and a timely scholarship, Kadita attended Dartmouth College, where he earned his MBA before starting a career at Citibank. His subsequent success in international banking and his passion for the poor have now led him to Opportunity International – and back to the DRC.

With half of the DRC living on less than $1 per day, the Congolese native is leading the organization’s efforts to bring microloans, savings and insurance services to a country of 66.5 million people.
Recently, Kadita led a small delegation of Opportunity supporters and staff to the DRC to witness firsthand both the challenges and possibilities that exist for his home country.

“As I shook hands with start-up business owners, I was struck by the great potential for microfinance to help expand their businesses,” reflects Kadita. “These entrepreneurs work hard to provide for their families in a country where so many are fortunate when they can eat three or four times a week. They are very focused and determined to succeed. Opportunity International will make a significant difference in their lives, supporting them with adaptable microfinance products and services.”

In the DRC, Kadita listened to the working poor and learned about their need for loans, savings and insurance. He appealed to prominent political, economic, church, and social-sector leaders, who were all excited about the prospect of an Opportunity International presence in the DRC. He met with organizations already in the country to hear about their triumphs and their struggles.

“We bank on the spirit of people and on their hopes and dreams,” Kadita continues. “The people that we met saw this and promised their support. We are both humbled and very encouraged by what we experienced.”

Kadita firmly believes in microfinance as a working solution to poverty. More specifically, he is adamant that banking in the DRC is key to the development of Africa. The DRC has the third largest population and the second largest land area in sub-Saharan Africa. With 99% of the population lacking basic banking services, raising funds for an Opportunity International Bank in the DRC has become one of the organization’s top priorities.

To learn more about Opportunity’s commitment to providing microfinance solutions to the working poor in almost 30 countries, visit www.opportunity.org.

- Sonja Egeland Kelly, Opportunity International

The Grand Marche market in Kinshasa brims with tens of thousands of vendors. To the untrained eye, the market is full of chaos and confusion. To those who dare to look past the sea of people, however, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s largest market is an organized, catalogued, and thriving economic system.

Delegates from Opportunity International on a recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo soon discovered that there was more to the story than met the western-trained eye. Visitors are required to gain permission from the Queen of the Market (a title of true honor) to wander around the winding pathways between tightly-packed stalls. The Mayor of the Market lists the vendors present and their businesses as he proudly shows off his domain. The infrastructure is unexpected, and looks different than traditional infrastructure, but it works.

In a market like this it is hard to believe that only 1% of the DRC’s 66.5 million people have bank accounts.

Without access to formal financial services, the vendors in this marketplace are unable to get a loan that will help them to grow their business. They cannot safely save the profits that they make. They do not have the ability to take out insurance to keep them from losing their business if a fire devastated the market. They cannot gain additional structured training.

Opportunity International, a ONE partner organization, has plans to open a formal financial institution (or FFI) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ultimately, the organization’s goal is to bring loans, savings, insurance, and training to those who are living on less than $2 per day. With 99% of the population in need of banking services, Opportunity is poised to enter a market with much potential.

In this country roughly the geographical size of Europe, plagued by war, economic instability, and corruption, an Opportunity International formal financial institution can help to make the difference between families being able to afford only three meals per week to families being able to afford three meals per day.

To learn more about Opportunity’s commitment to providing microfinance solutions to the working poor in almost 30 countries, visit www.opportunity.org.

-Sonja Egeland Kelly, Opportunity International

I’d like to introduce you to a special woman I met in Ghana. Rose Adjei is 39 and married with two children. She was Opportunity’s first client in her community, forming a Trust Group of 26 other women living in poverty who wanted to start businesses. (Visit http://www.optinnow.org for more information on this lending methodology.) With her first loan of $25 in 1998, Rose started selling groceries on a tabletop. Today, she is the proud owner of a grocery store and a Kente products shop, and employs seven young men to weave the kente cloth. She is repaying her 14th loan from Opportunity, this one for almost $2,000. With proceeds from her business, Rose has been able to send her children to the best schools in her area.

Rose Ajdei, an Opportunity International client, at Rose’s shop in Bonwire Ghana.

I invite you to visit OptINnow to learn more about Opportunity’s women clients, their businesses and their communities. There, you also can check out the heartwarming Global Opportunity Quilt sponsored by the Women’s Opportunity Network. This Mother’s Day, I’m purchasing tribute patches on the virtual quilt to honor special women in my life and to give a hand-up to women who need it the most. I can choose from several beautiful Mother’s Day patches by artist Dawn Feller, and then write a tribute that can be read by everyone visiting the virtual quilt. Each woman I honor receives an email with a link to view the quilt plus a gift card that can be used to help another woman with a life-changing loan at OptINnow. It’s fun to visit the quilt (I must admit…I do it several times daily) to see all the wonderful messages that have been posted.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the women in the world who make a difference!

-Ruth-Anne Renaud, Vice President of Women’s Philanthropy, Opportunity International, rarenaud@opportunity.org

Global Opportunity Quilt created by the Women’s Opportunity Network and you at www.optinnow.org/quilt

Early in the conference, I met three passionate women, Ruth Ann, Karen, and Amma (featured in the photo), who kindly took the time to discuss an important book with me. In the words of Opportunity International, the book One Hen is: inspired by the life story of Opportunity International’s Dr. Kwabena Darko, chairman of the Ghana board and member of the Opportunity International Board. One Hen tells the story of Kojo, a boy from Ghana who turns a small loan into a thriving farm and a livelihood for many. With this tiny loan, Kojo buys a hen. A year later, Kojo has built up a flock of 25 hens. With his earnings Kojo is able to return to school. Soon Kojo’s farm grows to become the largest in the region.” The book is being given as gifts and being read to children in schools and churches. Amma, Karen, and Ruth Ann carefully explained how ONE Hen is helping children grasp the importance of compassion and the benefits of microfinance. The hope is children will see how ONE person can make a difference through opportunity and entrepreneurship. After reading the story, children can then go online, play games, take a quiz, and read success stories to essentially gain a unique perspective of world’s outside their own.

Like many challenges facing the developing world, I learned providing loans was not as easy as I thought and not quite the same as loans we offer here in the United States. The biggest challenge is proving individual identity in most African countries, and in fact many countries around the world. Africa, a continent invested in rich culture, traditions, and potential, is often held from opportunities because of undocumented identity. A simple drivers license or passport are too expensive for many people to afford. However, through “Smart Cards,” Opportunity International has harnessed technology to keep files of photographs, thumbprints, and personal information of several people they call their clients. Now, Africans and others are gaining access to loans, savings accounts, and in some cases insurance while protecting their growing assets started with their small businesses. The loans are established through Trust Groups, a community of close friends and relatives who co-sign for each other’s loans as a group and therefore are essentially responsible for the repayment of the loan as a community. As the loan is repaid, the interest is used to finance other loans to start more businesses in communities. In addition to the loan, Opportunity International provides mandatory training to explain the basics of personal banking, savings and business investments. Profits and savings allow families to purchase food, clothes and provide jobs for their communities. Currently 98% of the loans are being repaid because of the trust groups.

Creatively, Opportunity International has tackled a second challenge, that of banking access, by establishing mobile banks across several countries with the hopes of allowing their clients to open savings accounts within a sixty minute walk of their home. Now, “dead money,” often stored under beds or in containers, can not only be housed and protected, but also used to create loans for others in the community. As an important service to their clients, Opportunity International trains loan officers to go door-to-door to both establish loans and collect payments weekly.

Identity Smart Cards, banks and small loans programs also create another avenue of protection for many hoping to secure their new ventures – Micro-Insurance. Through Smart Cards and documented assets, a growing number of people are able to gain access to health, property and life insurance. Micro-insurance can also serve to help people, once ineligible, obtain a small loan. In some cases people are not able to obtain a loan because they happen to live in an area burdened by poor weather conditions. In other cases, the small amount of money families have are wiped-out because of natural disasters or health issues. Health insurance gives investors the confidents to underwrite a small loan. So, a family once concerned about the weather effecting their crops, can use insurance to obtain a loan to purchase irrigation tools, and tolerant crop seed. Then, they can insure their property in the case of flood or drought allowing them to get loans in the future to expand their small business.

During the conference it became clearer to me why just one aspect of our campaign at ONE is so important. Often times health insurance is almost impossible to obtain for those with HIV and AIDS. ONE members are urging congress to set aside funds to help those inflicted with preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. Hopefully soon, groups like Opportunity International will become more confident to providing low-cost insurance to those who have access to life-stabilizing medications for illness which currently prevent health insurance coverage.

I am more energized now than ever to keep the conversation alive. I urge everyone to share these stories with your friends and family, learn more about our partners, and encourage everyone you know to make time to get involved. The more we do for the developing world today, the better a world we will sustain for generations to come.

-Roscoe Mapps, California Organizer