quarterly newsletterWinter 2007

Celebrating ourone millionth clientOn September 3, in Kigali, Rwanda, the day began like any other. But, for youngRwandans Clementine Uzabakiriho and her husband Andre, the morning’s eventswould be significant. They would visit the Urwego Opportunity Microfinance Bank(UOMB) to open their first savings account, and be awarded a ceremonial “key tothe bank” by Opportunity International’s CEO Chris Crane. The key symbolizedOpportunity’s celebration of them as our one millionth client worldwide, andrepresented a tribute to their success as entrepreneurs.

“We chose to honor Clementine and Andre as our one millionth active loanclient worldwide,” said Crane, “because they are a stellar example of the tens of thousands of clients who have started small and quickly grown larger, successfulbusinesses. They employ 41 neighbors, all of whom benefit from the businessthis hard-working couple has built in only a few years’ time. We celebrate the

insideCeo Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Opportunity’s policy department . . . 3Smart Giving with Chuck Day . . . . . . 4Women’s Opportunity Network . . . . 4Board of Governors in action . . . . . . 6

“The rich and the poor have a common bond;the LORD is the maker of them all.”

—Proverbs 22:2

Clementine Uzabakiriho and her family

continued on page 2

Bishop John Speaks

For John Rucyahana, Bishop of ShyiraDiocese in Rwanda, a dream hascome true. The Urwego OpportunityMicrofinance Bank (UOMB) in Kigali,Rwanda is now open.

Long committed to restoringpersonal dignity to the war-ravagedand poverty-stricken people ofRwanda, Bishop John sees the newbank as a major step forward. TheUOMB makes possible—for thefirst time—safe and secure financialtransactions to poor entrepreneurs,and provides essential servicesthat will build up the country’seconomy.

“This is the beginning of God’srestoring His dignity into Hiscreation,” said Bishop John. “Iwant to thank you for being therefor the glory of the poor.”

Bishop John Rucyahana

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‘ripple effect’ that our entrepreneurs can have in helping to alleviate poverty insome of the poorest countries in the world.”

It was just five years ago that Clementine and Andre, who live in the village ofRubindi in the Northern Province, were supporting their young family on about$10 a week by selling a single sack of sorghum. Beginning with a $36 loan fromOpportunity in 2003, they were able to expand their business. Now, on their11th loan cycle, they sell more than 1,000 sacks of sorghum weekly, which theypurchase in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, and transport to their village via a hiredtruck. Their employees process the sorghum, which Clementine sells to 80 localretailers. Sorghum can be used to make ubushera, a local beverage.

With her business profits, Clementine has acquired four fields where she growsvegetables, corn and potatoes for her family’s consumption, as well as to sellfor additional income. She and Andre have also built a new house and boughtfurniture, purchased livestock and enrolled their children in school.

“My dream is to use the savings to buy my own truck and start an internationalbusiness of importing corn from neighboring countries like Uganda,” saidClementine. She also hopes to help her husband install electricity and runningwater in their house.

The celebration of Clementine and Andre coincided with the opening ofUOMB as Opportunity’s 17th microfinance bank in the developing world. Cranetold the crowd of well-wishers at the bank that Urwego Opportunity’s doorswould always be open to the working poor who are vital to the bank’s success.The bank is the result of a merger between World Relief, Hope Internationaland Opportunity International and will offer savings and expanded financialservices to its 28,000 current clients and the people of Rwanda.

“Opportunity International came to Rwanda because there is great hope inthis country today—hope for a growing economy and an end to poverty,” saidCrane. “With the increased income from their small businesses, our clientscan provide better quality food for their families, buy books and uniforms tosend their children to school, and even adopt orphans in their villages.”

For Clementine and Andre, the commemorative key they received at the bankmay mean more than just being Opportunity’s one millionth client. Along withtheir new savings account, it may well symbolize the key to their future.

Celebrating our one millionth client(continued from the cover)

ceocorner

with chris crane

As the holidays approach, ourthoughts turn to family, friends andall the blessings we have received in2007. I would like to take time nowto give thanks for the OpportunityInternational family and to sharemy hopes and dreams for thecoming year.

First, let me say that I am deeplygrateful for another year of leading theworld’s largest and fastest growingChristian microfinance organization.In 2007, we celebrated our one mil-lionth loan client and are now helpingmore than eight million people worktheir way out of poverty. While we areproud of these milestones, this is justthe beginning. We are committed tohelping 100 million people by 2015.

Our technology and innovations willcontinue in the new year, enabling usto enter more countries with banksand “value-added” microfinance serv-ices. Through our new Microschoolsof Opportunity™ initiative to makeloans to proprietors of private schoolsfor the poor, we have a chance tobrighten the futures of children indeveloping countries and break thecycle of poverty once and for all. Andour microinsurance products willsafeguard families from unexpectedlosses that would otherwise wipe outtheir small assets.

Fighting poverty is truly a God-sizedtask that none of us can do alone.I want to thank you for your invest-ment of time, talent and treasure insupport of Opportunity’s mission,and I wish you joy in the year ahead.

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Opportunity’s policydepartment enlistsboth sides of the aislePublic advocacy has become an integral part ofOpportunity International’s work. As Opportunity’s policyand advocacy team, Susy Cheston, Senior Vice Presidentfor Policy, and Whitney Rhoades, Policy Director, are working to increase the quantity and improve the qualityof public funding available to the microfinance industry.Opportunity’s commitment has paid off in the passage ofthe Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act of 2004,increases in appropriations for microfinance, the opportunityto testify at two congressional hearings and the creation ofa new United States Agency for International Development(USAID) funding mechanism for microfinance.

Key to Opportunity’s success has been our donors whohave effectively called, emailed and visited Members ofCongress on behalf of the poor.

Below: Opportunity Governor John Struck (far right) is atrue ambassador for Opportunity. Here John and his wifeand fellow Governor Beatriz Struck are pictured with U.S.Representative Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.) (far left) andU.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (second from right).John strategically used this meeting—and prior ones—toeducate lawmakers about the difference microfinance canmake in the lives of the poor ( June 2007).

Top (from left): Opportunity International Policy DirectorWhitney Rhoades, Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.),Opportunity Senior Vice President for Policy Susy Cheston,and Opportunity Ambassador Tony Hall meet to discussmicrofinance legislation in the Senator’s office ( June 2007).Senator Brownback is especially concerned about thecrippling poverty of sub-Saharan Africa and recognizes thatmicrofinance is a powerful solution there and in otherparts of the world.

Above: Gordon V. Smith (left), Opportunity’s 2005Philanthropist of the Year, travels to the Philippines severaltimes a year to serve on the board of the OpportunityMicrofinance Bank. In July, Smith met on Opportunity’sbehalf with U.S. Representative Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.)(right), the Ranking Member of the AppropriationsSubcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and RelatedPrograms. Representative Wolf is a strong congressionalsupporter of microfinance.

Smart Giving Tips forYear-End 2007

As December 31 approaches, hereare some quick tips on how tomaximize your charitable dollarsso that you can feel good abouthow you gave, as well as to whomyou gave.

Look beyond the checkbook: Thestock market is up again in 2007,and the Dow has increased in valueby over 20% since the beginningof 2006. Therefore, consider givingthose appreciated stocks to charityinstead of cash, so that you candeduct the full fair market valueof the stock and avoid the capitalgains taxes;

Consider your IRA: If you are age70- or older, this is the last year oflegislation that allows you to give upto $100,000 to charity directly fromyour IRA and pay no income tax onthe withdrawal;

Join the Fund: Donor Advised Fundsoperate like “charitable checkingaccounts” and are extremely flexible,simple to use and provide wonderfultax benefits;

Gifts that give back: You can givecash or stocks, receive back a lifetimeincome stream and qualify for acurrent tax deduction.

Chuck Day is Opportunity’s Directorof Gift Planning Services. You can emailhim at cday@opportunity.org or call himdirectly at (800) 793-9455 ext. 4136.

smartgiving

with chuck day

Women in Opportunity—viewing success a decade laterIt was ten years ago that a poverty-stricken Filipino seamstress received a smallloan from Opportunity International through one of our Trust Groups in Manila.Today, through her own efforts and support programs developed by the Women’sOpportunity Network, she operates a thriving business selling clothing.

“This woman is a successstory for microfinance,” saysOpportunity Internationaland Women’s OpportunityNetwork board memberDiana Negroponte, whorevisited that same seamstressthis past August. “I’ve seenhow, in a decade, she’s gonefrom gathering scraps offabric from a local factoryto owning six sewingmachines, employing eightpeople and selling herproducts to retail stores.

But adapting to the valuesand discipline of making

loan payments and growing a business sometimes can be a struggle for clientsunaccustomed to such structure, says Negroponte, recognizing that their successrequires time and commitment. “Our work here is much harder than it wouldappear on the surface,” she said. “What distinguishes Opportunity Internationalas a successful microfinance organization is its ongoing investment in training,and its essential role of preparing clients to build a business.”

Women’s Opportunity Network’s participation in developing support programsthrough its Trust Group model is key to helping new and existing clients succeed.

“The Women’s Opportunity Network helped to create a series of trainingmodules for the Trust Groups about subjects ranging from business basicsto nutrition and AIDS prevention,” says Susan Gillette, former president ofDDB Needham Chicago and an Opportunity board member. “This holisticresponse to the needs of our clients helps insure that we are providing themnot simply a loan transaction but also the means to transform their lives.”

For more information about the Women’s Opportunity Network, please call (800) 793-9455

or email getinfo@opportunity.org.

Diana Negroponte chats with tailors in Manila this summer,getting a firsthand look at how they make products anddevelop their business. Photo by Joven Cagande/STAR andreprinted from the STARweek, the Sunday magazine ofthe Philippine STAR.

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Partnership adds $5M toimpact poverty in Africa

Compassion International and OpportunityInternational, among the largest Christianorganizations of their kind, announced adramatic expansion of their partnership toreach more of the working poor. Over thenext five years, Compassion Internationalwill invest $5 million in Opportunity toenable expansion of Opportunity’smicroloans, savings accounts, insuranceand business training services in Ghana,Kenya and Rwanda.

“This relationship is a strategic alliance between two Christian operations, focusedon the same mission to reverse the cycle of poverty in the lives of the poor,” saidDr. Wess Stafford, president of Compassion International, a ministry serving morethan 900,000 children in 24 countries.

“We believe that our two organizations, each with its own strengths and areas ofexpertise, can have a much bigger impact on the poor if we work together,” saidChris Crane. The collaborative effort will produce mutually beneficial results for thechildren, families and communities that both organizations serve.

left:Dikembe Mutombo, centerfor the NBA’s Houston Rockets,visits Opportunity Internationalclients in a Mozambiquemarketplace similar to theone he worked in as a child inthe Congo. Mutombo is amember of Opportunity’sBoard of Advisors.

ShopforOpportunityBe sure to check out theAlternative Gift Catalog, “My Shopping List for theWorld,” featuring OpportunityInternational client DorothyKanjautso. With loans fromOpportunity, Dorothy has builta Microschool™ which employsseven teachers and serves250 children in her villagein Malawi.

To find Dorothy in theAlternative Gift Catalog, visitwww.alternativegifts.org/projects/malawi-micro-loans.

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Drew Smith in Ghana with a groupof children who gathered outside aTrust Group meeting.

drew smith in ghanaIt was while he was in Hondurashelping to rebuild a village destroyedby the deadly Hurricane Mitch thatDrew Smith, now an OpportunityInternational governor, decided hewould begin a search for a microfinanceprogram that worked to help poverty-stricken people worldwide. Whatresulted was a relationship withOpportunity International and thedevelopment of corporate partnershipstrategies that are working now tobenefit the poorest of the working poor.

“I was drawn to Opportunity International because it was Christian-based,” saidSmith, a venture capitalist and social entrepreneur in St. Louis. “I wanted tomatch my skills in the construction and manufacturing industries with the valuesof Opportunity and the needs of the people it serves.”

Within three years of becoming involved with Opportunity, Smith already has madea major impact by successfully assembling a team to partner with Caterpillar, resultingin a $1.2 million donation from their foundation for our work in Africa and China.Smith’s instrumental role in obtaining the grant was a direct result of his background inmanufacturing, construction and business—and his commitment to the working poor.

“My expertise isn’t in fundraising,” said Smith. “But I can talk the same languageas some of the companies who can contribute to our mission and that’s where Iput my energy.”

Smith has been awed by how Opportunity can transform lives.

“I’ve seen how Opportunity can break the cycle of poverty in just one generation andhow the power of a mother can help her kids succeed,” he said, referring to onewoman, who with the help of our small loans, has evolved from selling a single pot ofsnacks daily to putting one son through medical school, another through engineeringschool and currently supporting a daughter in college. “The lives of these women andtheir families literally have been transformed through the work of our Trust Groups.”

“I had the pleasure of traveling with Drew on our Governors Trip to Ghana last year,”said Wendy Cox, Opportunity’s Director of the Board of Governors. “I almost lost himon that trip. Some of the ladies we met wanted to buy him, so we held an auction.But the bidding stopped once they concluded that he didn’t know how to carrywater on his head.”

“My hope is that through my faith and my work with Opportunity, I can make a differencein people’s lives, and bring hope to those who are so desperately in need,” Smith said.

Governors in action

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impact is published quarterly by

Opportunity International2122 York Road, Ste. 150Oak Brook, Illinois 60523

Janna Cosby, Editorgetinfo@opportunity.org

©2007 Opportunity International

(800) 793-9455www.opportunity.org

Board ofGovernorscalendarinsight tripsNicaraguaFebruary 6–10, 2008

PeruApril 8–11, 2008(with optional four-day excursion toMachu Picchu)

Governors Family Week Honduras June 22–28, 2008

RwandaSeptember 2008 (dates pending)

GhanaNovember 28–December 6, 2008

board of governorsannual conferenceOctober 3–4, 2008, Chicago

webinars–2008January 24, 2008Noon (CST)“A Skeptic’s Guide to Global Poverty,”hosted by Dale Hanson Bourke, authorand member of our Board of Directors.

To participate in any Governor activities,please contact Wendy Cox, Board ofGovernors director, at (630) 414-2567or wcox@opportunity.org.

2007 Board ofGovernorsAnnual MeetingMore than 190 Opportunity International governorsgathered in Chicago in October for the group’sannual meeting—a time for sharing, learning andcharting a course for the year to come.

Among the keynote speakers was Tom Walsh,chief of staff in the Office of the U.S. Global AIDSCoordinator, who noted that “Opportunity is helping to win the fight against AIDSin Africa [by] providing economic opportunities to women who then take AIDSorphans into their homes and raise them as their own.” In fact, Opportunity clientsin Africa take in an average of two AIDS orphans per household.

Another highlight for meeting attendees was learning from members of Opportunity’sinternational leadership about the many ways our innovations, including savingsaccounts, insurance, smart cards, ATMs and biometric technology are helping toreach and benefit millions of additional clients worldwide.

Governors learned of new ways to become more involved in the work of OpportunityInternational through three committees that met this year: Microfinance Education,Corporate Partnerships and Church Connections. The Church Connectionscommittee launched a new initiative called “People in the Pews” and invites allgovernors to become involved to help bring Opportunity International to churchesaround the country. Those interested in participating in this initiative or hearingmore about other opportunities for involvement on a committee can contactWendy Cox at wcox@opportunity.org for more information.

opportunity international’s

board of governors is a community

of people impassioned with the desire to help lift

the world’s poor out of poverty.

these philanthropic individuals contribute major

financial support and serve as ambassadors

for us by developing new sources of revenue.

Maria Elena Taylor Jimenez, ExecutiveDirector of Oportunidad Microfinanzas,Mexico, and Michael Okleme, BranchRelationship Officer from Ghana,addressed the transformationalaspect of Opportunity’s innovationsand work methodologies in-country.

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2122 York Road, Ste. 150, Oak Brook, Illinois 60523

Clementine Uzabakirihois Urwego Opportunity’s largest loanclient in northern Rwanda. Recently,she received her 11th loan of $1,600to expand her wholesale grainsorghum business. Clementine sellsthree truckloads of grain sorghumeach week to 80 retailers and employs41 people. Her husband, Andre, handlessales and marketing for the business.

Above top: Clementine supervises heremployees as they process sorghumin the river.

Above bottom: Clementine and herhusband Andre with OpportunityInternational’s CEO Chris Crane.

Right: Clementine at the openingcelebration of the Urwego OpportunityMicrofinance Bank in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Opportunity International mission is to provideopportunities for people in chronic poverty to transform their lives.

Our strategy is to create jobs, stimulatesmall businesses and strengthencommunities among the poor.

Our method is to work through indigenouspartner organizations that provide smallbusiness loans, other financial services,training and counsel.

Our commitment is motivated byJesus Christ’s call to serve the poor.

Our core values are respect, commitmentto the poor, integrity and stewardship.

Opportunity International serves womenand men of all faiths and no faith.