Opportunity International Australia Blog

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This week is National Volunteers Week and we are so thankful for the incredible support we receive from our team of volunteers and interns here at Opportunity. In honour of them, today we held a high tea in our Sydney office to say ‘thank you’!

Seven years ago, Zenaida and her family were living in extreme poverty. Their home was made up of a pig pen, old boxes and used sacks. Food consisted of no more than a single meal of rice per day. Living in a dire state, Zenaida decided to take out a small loan with Opportunity International Australia’s partner in the Philippines, ASKI, to start a pig raising business. The business has enabled her to earn an income that provides enough money for her family to improve their quality of life.

Despite pleas from people all over the country, prominent Australians and the aid & development sector, the federal government has been unable to stay on track with its promise to increase foreign aid for 2012- 2013. Last night the 2012-2013 budget was released, producing a budget surplus at the expense of an increase in overseas aid and sending the government’s previous aid target of $8 billion or 0.5% of GNI (Gross National Income) by 2015 into jeopardy.

So what does this mean for people living in poverty?
Figures calculated by Australian based aid organisations are stating that up to 250,000 lives could be lost due to the reduction in foreign aid. That’s a staggering number. It highlights the significant impact that Australia can have in the fight against poverty.

What can you do? And will it make a difference?
Your support is needed more now than ever. As the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott prepares his budget reply speech, it’s important that we ask him to keep his promise should the Coalition form government.

You can have your voice heard by sending Tony Abbott a message by email, fax or post. Click here to get on board with the Micah Challenge campaign to ask Tony Abbott to keep his promise.

What else can you do?
While many organisations rely on government funding for their important programs, the majority of support comes from individual donations. In times when the government can’t commit, the Australian public can still make a difference. Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to reach out to families living in poverty today.

Sources: http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/blog/n/aid-promise-sacrificed-to-budget-surplus-120509

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/charities-warn-gillard-not-to-cut-foreign-aid/story-e6freonf-1226319755985 

http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/foreign-aid-vow-broken-20120508-1ybdk.html#ixzz1uKEgjcdo

http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/foreign-aid-funding-boost-delayed-till-2016-20120508-1yb3w.html#ixzz1uK57lvIS

Sometimes in our work we’re asked if what we do can really change anything when there is so much need out there. There’s so much poverty in the world – why bother? Can anything we do really make a difference?

Perhaps the only answer to that question is this: it makes a difference to the one. It made a difference to Melba from the Philippines, who is pictured on this year’s cover with her five-year-old daughter Renalyn. A small loan has enabled Melba to start a cooking business, and the income she is earning means that Renalyn is now in school.

To read Opportunity International Australia’s 2011 Annual Review, please click here.

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The remote islands of eastern Indonesia are some of the poorest in the country. Opportunity International Australia’s microfinance partner, TLM, recently opened up a new microfinance branch on one of these islands, Flores. Due to the remote location and the island’s dependence on small-scale farming for people’s livelihoods (often reliant on seasonal and unreliable rain), levels of poverty in this area have worsened in recent times and there has been an increase in the costs of basic items, especially food.

Malnutrition is a chronic problem, particularly for children – the area has one of the highest death rates in Indonesia for children under the age of five. About 96% of households have a daily expenditure which equates to less than Rp.17,000 (A$2).

A huge 95% of the labour force is engaged in agriculture. Many people are subsistence farmers who use traditional farming methods without the benefit of modern equipment. Farmers also lack the capital to invest in their livelihood and have no access to financial services to help manage their cash flow during lean periods.

Flores is less then 3,000 miles from Australia, but with statistics like this, it is a whole world away in some respects. Through its new branch on the island, TLM will be providing access to basic banking services that many people living in rural or isolated regions don’t usually have access to.

The branch will also soon provide financial literacy training, allowing clients to learn about the importance of saving and financial planning. This will enable them to become financially stable and less susceptible to external shocks, providing them with the best chance of moving permanently out of poverty.

Local Flores resident, Adrianus, is already benefiting from the new branch. Adrianus runs a motorcycle repair shop and saw a microloan as a brilliant opportunity to improve his business. The capital injection allowed him to expand and develop the shop, and through the additional income, his business is now generating enough income for him to send his children to school. Adrianus has even been able to employ two locals, giving them an opportunity to earn a regular income and progress in their journeys out of poverty, too.

Flores island is just one of the remote locations where Opportunity is making a difference. We are committed to go where others haven’t – or won’t. With your support, we can provide even more opportunities for people living in rural poverty. If you would like to make a difference to families in need, please click here to donate today.

Sources: Nusa Tenggara Timur In Figures, Swisscontact and UNICEF Newsline

Photo of the week: Jaya

Jaya lives with her family in a small house in rural Kerala, India. For many years she struggled to afford food and other basic items for her family. It wasn’t until she took out a small loan from EMFIL, one of Opportunity International Australia’s partners in India, that she was able to improve her farming business and purchase additional poultry and cattle, enabling her to sell eggs and milk to the local community and supply milk to a large farmer’s co-operative.

Last night, Opportunity International Australia was named the winner of the 2011 PwC Transparency Awards for the $5 million to $30 million revenue category.

This latest award follows from the runner-up position we were awarded last year, and we hope that, ultimately, it will translate into more families being given a hand up out of poverty through microfinance.

The prestigious award is given to organisations for honest reporting in the not-for-profit sector.

Opportunity’s CEO, Robert Dunn said, “We put great emphasis on being honest and transparent in our communications.  We want to be an effective bridge between donors here in Australia and families living in poverty in developing countries.”

Opportunity strives to clearly communicate to our clients and donors all aspects of our work and ensures that at every stage, the information we provide is both accurate and informative. This award recognises and commends this clarity and increases the confidence our donors and clients have in our work.

Opportunity extends its congratulations to the runner-up of our category, Youth Off The Streets and also to the winner and runner-up of the over $30million revenue category, Cancer Council NSW and Oxfam Australia.

Opportunity is committed to our mission to provide opportunities for people living in poverty to transform their lives, and we are equally committed to our program governance and public accountability.

Our thanks go to PwC, Centre for Social Impact and the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia for their commitment to the not-for-profit sector, and also to all the donors who place their trust in us – we are grateful to be the bridge between you and the families you empower to leave poverty behind. 

If you would like to see how Opportunity’s programs impact families living in poverty, click here to watch Conchita’s story.