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	<title>Stories</title>
	<link>http://www.opportunityinternational.ca</link>
	<copyright>Copyright 2012 opportunity. All rights reserved</copyright>
	
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		<title><![CDATA[Delia Rodriguez, Colombia]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[// 

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Delia Rogriguez lives in a good home with her husband Jose and 5 children, has a good job and is a leader in her community in Cartagena, Colombia. This wasn&rsquo;t always the case however. There was a time when things were not so pleasant.
Delia runs a t-shirt business focusing on sales to tourists and there was a time when she was just struggling to make ends meet. She had been forced to take out some loans from &ldquo;loan sharks&rdquo; and felt like a victim because of the extremely high interest rates charged to her. Then, a friend of hers told her about a local organization that provides loans at reasonable rates to people like Delia to start or expand their businesses. That was how Delia found out about Opportunity International.
Using the money from her small loan of just 300,000 pesos (CDN $161), Delia was able to purchase raw materials like fabrics and dye to make more of her screen printed t-shirts at a lesser cost. Since her first loan, she has doubled her average daily income, reinvested the profits into her business and began saving for the future.
Delia believes that her life has changed and she is experiencing a better quality of life. When Delia was asked what Opportunity has meant to her she responded, &ldquo;I feel so glad because my quality of life is improving day by day. I hope Opportunity can go all over the world to others like me.&rdquo; With tears in her eyes, she continued, &ldquo;Opportunity gives poor people like me a chance to live with dignity.&rdquo;
Delia&rsquo;s dream now is to modernize her business to fuel growth and use the profits to pay for a college education for her three boys. A dream that she believes is now within reach.
Find out how you can make an impact in the life of an entrepreneur like Delia.


Watch "5 Minutes with Mrs. Delia Rodriguez"]]></description>
		
		<link><![CDATA[/stories-deliarodriguez/]]></link>
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		<title><![CDATA[Ana Maria, Colombia]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[// 

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Ana Maria Guillen (pictured right) and her husband Juan Carlos own and operate a corner store in Cartagena, Colombia. Together they sell everything from paper supplies, cell phone minutes, candies, sandals and an assortment of food. In addition to their selling of goods, they also own two copy machines that they rent out to the local schools to generate income and meet a demand in their community.
They started this business three years ago as a stand that only sold cell phone minutes. With the help of financial services catered to meet their needs &ndash; microfinance &ndash; they have been able to grow their business and diversify their store. Because of their success and now in her third loan with Opportunity International, Ana Maria is able to receive larger amounts outside of the traditional Trust Group model that can better allow for the continued expansion of her store. She&rsquo;s now hoping to secure a fourth loan of 2 million pesos ($1,060 CDN) to increase her stock in preparation for the upcoming festivals.
From this now diversified business, Ana Maria is able to continue to expand her business and help pay the school fees for her sons, Juan Carlos and Yovanni.
Invest in a sustainable approach to overcoming poverty with an impact that will transcend generations and become a MicroVenture Philanthropist today! Click below to get started.]]></description>
		
		<link><![CDATA[/stories-anamariaguillen/]]></link>
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		<title><![CDATA[Beatrice Duku Frimpomg Boaten, Ghana]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[// 

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Beatrice Duku Frimpomg Boaten (pictured right) lives in the Ashanti region of Ghana where she works as part of the Nerebehi Cocoa Farmers Association. With the help of her Opportunity loan officer, Abena Agyakowa Nketha Sapong, Beatrice has been able to obtain her first savings account, loan and insurance policy with Opportunity International. Serving as a mentor and trainer, Abena says the changes she sees in clients like Beatrice are a constant source of inspiration. "My greatest reward is seeing our clients say goodbye to poverty. It's also very soul-satisfying that Opportunity allows me to utilize my business skills while expressing my faith."
Beatrice is grateful for Abena and Opportunity. Since becoming a client, Beatrice has built up over $30 in savings and can now afford necessities like soap and shoes. And she has improved her farming and gained authority and respect in the community. "With Opportunity, I feel I have joined a family I can call on at any time," says Beatrice. "With their help, I know I can achieve my goals, and that gives me hope for the future."
Invest in a sustainable approach to overcoming poverty with an impact that will transcend generations and become a MicroVenture Philanthropist today! Click below to get started.]]></description>
		
		<link><![CDATA[/stories-beatricedukufrimpomgboaten/]]></link>
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		<title><![CDATA[Melvis Guerrero, Colombia]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[// 

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Melvis Guerrero (above in the middle) is a 49 year old women with two children, Shirley and Sergioa living in Cartagena, Colombia. And she has a wonderful talent. Melvis makes some of the best pastries and cakes in all of Cartagena but due to a lack of finances, Melvis was limited in the number of people she could share her talents with. Melvis would make 8 cakes a day and sell them in her neighbourhood with weekly sales of around $150,000 pesos or $80 CDN. But then she was introduced to Opportunity International by her niece who was a member of a local Trust Group. Melvis attended aninformational talk, liked the methodology and thought her business could benefit from the small business loan and training services offered. And she was right.
Melvis entered into a Trust Group with an initial loan of $320,000 pesos ($175 CDN) which she invested in raw material for increasing her production. After successfully repaying the initial loan she has gone on to take out two more successive loans to invest in raw materials purchased in larger quantities and lower prices. Using the new captial her business has now grown considerably and she states that her life has changed because of it. She now sells 30 cakes a day! She has been investing her profits from the increased sales in machinery for making her cakes, and with her savings she been able to help her children with their schooling. Melvis also benefits from having a life insurance policy she obtained when she entered the Trust Group Program as is it will provide a safety net for her children if something happens to her.
Melvis says she has benefitted greatly from the training she received. She has learned to live side by side and share with the people in her neighbourhood, when before she didn&rsquo;t know them. She also says the training sessions have helped her to think and make better decisions about her business and noted that the attention provided by her Loan Officer has been especially excellent. Her dream for the future is to see her business become a company and thus improve the quality of her life, together with that of her family.
Invest in a sustainable approach to overcoming poverty with an impact that will transcend generations and become a MicroVenture Philanthropist today! Click below to get started.

Watch "9 Minutes with Melvis Guerrero" Filmed on a recent Insight Trip to Colombia]]></description>
		
		<link><![CDATA[/stories-melvisguerrero/]]></link>
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		<title><![CDATA[Grace Msowoya, Malawi]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[// 

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Malawi

In Blantyre, Malawi, dozens of women sell potatoes in the marketplace. But Grace Msowoya and her business partner Betty Louhana stand out. Frustrated by their small profit margins, they became the first women to take the bold move of becoming distributors themselves. Every two weeks, they withdraw money from their Opportunity savings to rent a truck. They hire a driver and spend several days on the road to get potatoes directly from farmers, which they then sell to other vendors.
Before Grace became an Opportunity International client in 2007, she kept her hard-earned money hidden in her home. Now, she and Betty are earning interest on nearly $2,000 in a joint savings account. With her biometric-enabled card she can safely deposit and easily access her money at the Opportunity banking kiosk, just 100 meters from her business.
Grace and Betty&rsquo;s courage has paid off. They have dramatically increased profits and redefined the place of women in the local market. And Grace has already made great strides in a short time as an Opportunity client. She has earned enough money to move her family from two small rooms to a two bedroom home, and all three of her children attend school.
Grace is working to UnDo Poverty and you can help too. Take a pledge, and commit to doing something starting on October 17 that will help work towards ending poverty.]]></description>
		
		<link><![CDATA[/stories-gracemsowoya/]]></link>
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		<title><![CDATA[Client Story 1]]></title>
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Mozambique

Civil war and poverty are inextricably linked. Lucas remembers how rebel activity prevented his community from leaving the safety of the village to cultivate the surrounding land. "During the war I couldn&rsquo;t implement anything," he recalls. But things have changed now. Lucas&rsquo;s two-acre plot produces cabbages, onions and tomatoes.&nbsp; Every Friday, the Opportunity mobile bank stops at Sussundenga, a one-kilometre walk from Lucas Chingore&rsquo;s farm. For the first time in his life, Lucas has a safe place to keep his earnings as well as access to life-changing loans. Opportunity loans have enabled him to buy a water pump to irrigate his crops&mdash;expanding his yield and his work force. Four neighbours now work for Lucas, bringing income to their families.Lucas can now afford quality food, health care and tuition for his five children and his two brothers at university.

&ldquo;My life has changed so dramatically because of Opportunity,&rdquo; Lucas says. &ldquo;I started with so little and the loans have allowed me to make a profit and provide more food for my community.&rdquo;

Invest in a sustainable approach to overcoming poverty with an impact that will transcend generations and become a MicroVenture Philanthropist today! Click below to get started.]]></description>
		
		<link><![CDATA[/stories-lucaschingore/]]></link>
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		<title><![CDATA[Client Story 1]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[// 

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Honduras

Eva Garcia moves with a boundless energy that defies her 74 years and inspires her six children and 19 grandchildren. She makes 500 tamales a day over a wood-fired stove just off a two-room home that she shares with her husband Jose.
Before becoming a client of Opportunity International, Eva sold only tortillas. But thanks to her loans, she has expanded her business and now sells four different kinds of tamales and other foods.
Eva is the founding member of her Trust Group, 10-30 entrepreneurs who co-guarantee each other&rsquo;s loans.&nbsp; She has served as the Trust Group president and as treasurer, and is now a member of her Trust Group&rsquo;s board of directors.
Unlike most elderly women in poor countries, Eva does not depend on her children for her basic needs. In fact, Eva&rsquo;s community depends on her. She is a respected leader, advocating for improvements in the lives of those around her. She is also a leading voice in her community &ndash; so much so that politicians seek her support. When Eva encouraged local government officials to repair her community&rsquo;s pot-holed, boulder-strewn dirt road, the road was repaired.

&ldquo;In 74 years, I feel excitement to work,&rdquo; Eva says, &ldquo;I wish I could keep living longer, so I could continue in the Trust Group. As long as God gives me life, I'm going to continue in the group, because I have a work spirit.&rdquo;]]></description>
		
		<link><![CDATA[/stories-evagarcia/]]></link>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tulia Ledesma, Colombia]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[// 

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As a widow with five children and 22 grand-children and great grand-children, Tulia carried a heavy burden. Pursuing her talents as a seamstress with help from Opportunity International, she now has a home for 10 people and a place for family members to meet.
&ldquo;I am head of the household &ndash; father and mother and everything,&rdquo; Tulia says, explaining she&rsquo;s more of a mom than a grandmother. She said she would never have managed to have a home before Opportunity. Tulia&rsquo;s loans have risen steadily from 200,000 pesos, or $100, to her current loan of 480,000 pesos. She&rsquo;s invested most of the money in materials, but with this latest loan she also bought a sewing machine.
&ldquo;I taught myself,&rdquo; she states proudly of her sewing skills. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never taken a course or anything. It&rsquo;s all on my own.&rdquo; Initially, Tulia made sheets, then pillows and now she also does bedspreads. On a good day, her sales reach about 50,000 pesos, with a profit of about 40%. Besides prospering economically, Tulia said she&rsquo;s developed relationships with other people, particularly her 24-member Opportunity Trust Group. &ldquo;We are very close in our group,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;Very united.&rdquo;
Tulia&rsquo;s business acumen and ambition have had a positive influence on young family members. Two of her granddaughters have graduated from high school and are studying international business. Their dream is to one day export their grandmother&rsquo;s sewing products.]]></description>
		
		<link><![CDATA[/stories-tulialedesma/]]></link>
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		<title><![CDATA[Tomas Samuel, Mozambique]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[// 

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Mozambique

Before Valentim Tomas Samuel became an Opportunity client, he took a bus early each morning to a nearby village to purchase fresh fish to sell in his market stall 15 kms away from Maputo, Mozambique. His profits were deeply impacted by rising gas prices, which caused his bus fare to increase dramatically. Valentim received an Opportunity loan of $99 to buy a freezer so he could safely store the fish for several days, reducing his travel time and costs. Subsequent loans have enabled him to expand his line of products and buy more freezers. He still has one more goal to achieve &ndash; the purchase of his own car.]]></description>
		
		<link><![CDATA[/stories-samuel/]]></link>
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		<title><![CDATA[Norma Vergara, Colombia]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[// 

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Colombia


Norma Vergara of Henequen, Colombia, employs three to five neighbors to clean and sort used plastic bags from the city dump, and then resells them. With her profits, she is able to pay school fees and purchase supplies for her two children. Norma is working to UnDo Poverty and you can help too. Take a pledge, and commit to doing something starting on October 17 that will help work towards ending poverty.]]></description>
		
		<link><![CDATA[/stories-normavergara/]]></link>
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		<title><![CDATA[Supporter Story 1]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[// 

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India
Gowri Bai lives in the village of Kadu Shivanahalli. Through small business loans with Opportunity International, Gowri and her husband have established a small variety store, the only one in their village.&nbsp;With some of the profits of the business, Gowri's husband has been able to free his brother from bonded labour - or as we understand it, slavery. Bonded labour was banned from India in 1975, and it technically remains illegal.&nbsp; The sad reality, however, is that millions are still in the grip of slavery in India, working to pay back their debts.&nbsp; &nbsp;Gowri Bai is on her second loan of 5,000 rupees ($200). When asked what she will do with the profits of this loan, she tells the story of her husband's younger brother who is still in bonded labour.&nbsp; It only costs 5,500 rupees to free him. Their profits will go towards this goal.&nbsp;Gowri Bai is just one example of how microfinance can make a massive impact within a family.&nbsp; Her small business has allowed her and her husband to end oppression and the denial of basic human rights for her relatives.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;]]></description>
		
		<link><![CDATA[/stories-gowribai/]]></link>
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		<title><![CDATA[Supporter Story 2]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[// 

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Philippines

Many entrepreneurs draw from the unique natural resources around them when they create a new business.&nbsp; For Evelyn Pendon of Gerona, Philippines, that resource was translucent capiz shells&mdash;found only in the shallow coastal waters of the Philippine and Indonesian islands.&nbsp; Years before, Evelyn made lanterns using bamboo, crepe, Japanese paper and coloured plastic.&nbsp; But she soon realized that lanterns made from native capiz shells would increase her sales.&nbsp; She worked hard at the business and hoped to continue expanding, but she was discouraged by low sales and bouncing cheques.It was about that time that she joined a Trust Group and received her first microloan. Soon, her monthly income dramatically and the training she received opened new doors for her.Evelyn&rsquo;s business now employs five apprentices. She encourages her apprentices to create their own lantern designs and develop their own approach to the craft&mdash;just as she did.]]></description>
		
		<link><![CDATA[/stories-evelynpendon/]]></link>
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