Opportunity International Australia

 


Opportunity International is the chosen beneficiary of Keys To Success Club; we aim as part of our vision to be a major donator to assist other people in less fortunate circumstances to achieve their own success.  It is a brilliant synergy with the ideals and goals of Keys To Success Club and its members.  Below is an introduction to Opportunity International.

Opportunity International Australia is motivated by a genuine love for, and belief in, the potential of poor people. We believe a world without extreme poverty is possible, and we exist to help poor people make their way out of poverty permanently. 

Opportunity International Australia uses a business and entrepreneurial approach to solve the problem of poverty. Rather than a hand-out, we provide poor people with microfinance and enterprise development services to help them start and grow their own small businesses. This enables them to earn a regular income and means they no longer have to struggle to afford the basic necessities of life.

Part of the global Opportunity International Network, we have been in business for more than 36 years, and are presently helping more than a million poor people in 27 developing countries around the world. Our desire is to see clients, their families and their communities transformed with dignity, empowerment and hope.

For more information, please visit www.opportunity.org.au

 

Damaris’ story

 

 

 Take a walk through the village of Keaoen in Indonesia and you’re likely to come across the sweet scent of coconut boiling away under the palm trees. Damaris Ladoh, 37, runs a business making coconut oil, used for cooking a range of local dishes. To make the oil, Damaris peels off the coconut shell then grates the sweet flesh inside. She then mixes the coconut with water before boiling it on the fire for an hour. Once the oil is ready, she sells it for Rp. 6,000 (A$0.72) a bottle, making a profit of between Rp. 125,000-160,000 (A$15.10-$19.30) per week.

Before becoming a client of Opportunity International Australia, Damaris’ profits were less than half that, and she and her husband, who works as a farmer/fisherman, were not always able to provide for their three young children. Damaris used her loan to buy 1,000 coconuts – previously, she could only ever afford 100 or 200. By expanding her business, the loan has given Damaris security – she has been able to buy food and clothes for her family and has even began saving. “I would be so grateful if I could afford to send my children to university,” she says.

It is in a story like Damaris’ that the vision of Opportunity International Australia is truly realised. CEO Paul Peter notes: ““The real impact of microfinance is in the kids. That’s what we’re working on, setting up the next generation so that they live a very different life and can participate in the things you and I may take for granted.”

Jyothi’s story

 

 

Jyothi used to live a hand-to-mouth existence running a beauty salon from her home. Sometimes she would have no income for up to 15 days, having to borrow money or rely on extended family just to survive. As a mother of two girls, it was a difficult situation, and she often struggled to provide food for her family. When a friend told Jyothi about a microfinance program being run in her area, she signed up to become a client. She is now on her third loan. With her first loan, she opened a small general store in front of her home, with one wire rack to display stock. With her second loan, she was able to relocate to a shopfront on a busy street corner. Recently, Jyothi used her third loan to purchase a small fridge. This means she can now sell fresh milk and cold drinks, increasing her profit considerably. Jyothi now stands proud. With both her daughters able to get an education, each loan has impacted not just her life, but the lives of her children, too.