A Christmas Message

The Opportunity International logo is a circle of three colours, representing three groups of people who are interconnected in an inspiring journey of sustainable poverty alleviation.

Orange for our donors – the Opportunity Tribe who make our work possible.

Pink for the Opportunity Team – the Canadian and Global team of staff, Board Members, volunteers and Implementing Partners. 

Teal for our clients, the microentrepreneurs who are growing sustainable livelihoods so they can provide for their families.

In this past year since becoming CEO, it has been my honour to meet many from each group.

Each group has a unique role in the journey, but as the circle suggests, each are impacted by the others.

Our donors generously provide the necessary resources that make our mission possible. This is the Opportunity Tribe – an amazing group of people across Canada who own our vision and mission and who give generously and sacrificially to provide opportunities for our clients.

I have met donors over coffee or breakfast, at luncheons, over dinner, at golf events, cycling events, in their offices, at evening receptions, in their homes and even on Insight Trips – and these encounters have left me changed. The generosity and passion of these Agents of Hope give me great hope for the future and inspire me to strive for excellence in all we do – to earn their trust in us.

I have noticed that our donors are impacted by Opportunity staff, with deep friendships formed that transcend philanthropic transactions, and our staff inspire them to consider how they might make a difference in the world as they share from their abundance.

And I have seen our donors deeply impacted by our clients, with grizzled financial executives and tough-minded CEOs wiping away tears, as they see or hear their stories and are inspired by their work ethic, creativity, optimism and commitment to their families.

This year it has also been my great privilege to work closely with the Opportunity Team here in Canada and in the countries where we serve.  Each staff member is skilled, hard-working, passionate and deeply committed to our mission.  And the same can certainly be said about the Board of Directors and the many other volunteers.  

As these amazing people serve in the circle of opportunity, they are making a huge difference in our mission to serve both our clients and our donors.  And they are also transformed in the process, inspired by the generosity of our donors and by the tenacity and resiliency of our clients.  You cannot engage in this work without being changed.

And our Implementing Partners, the microfinance institutions and NGOs in the field who work directly with our clients, have deeply inspired me by their commitment to the poor, by the excellence with which they work and by their friendship. We truly are a family.

And I know our Implementing Partners are motivated by the change they see in our clients, are challenged towards excellence by the global OI staff team, and are inspired and encouraged by the support of our donors – they know they are not alone in this demanding and challenging fight against poverty.

And then there is our clients. It is hard to describe the impact they have had on me already in this short year.  I have personally met and heard the stories of women and men, young and old, in Colombia, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and have read other client stories from Nicaragua, India and Ghana. 

I have visited shoemakers, tortilla bakers, beauty salons, store owners, upholsterers, clothing makers, leather workers, and juice makers, dance studios, small restaurants, taxi drivers, mechanics and fruit sellers … the range and diversity of microenterprises is astounding.

And the thing that stands out the most for me with each encounter is the hope I see in the eyes of each entrepreneur.  For years they struggled to make it day by day in a grinding and dehumanizing cycle of poverty.  And now they have been given an opportunity – a loan with some training – and they are determined to make the most of it, to break the cycle of poverty, and to provide a better future for their children.

They inspire me and the entire Opportunity Team to get better and stronger and more effective so we can help even more clients find freedom from poverty.  And they inspire and motivate the Opportunity Tribe to give more so this can happen.

And I know our clients are also encouraged, knowing there are global investors who care about them and invest in them as equal partners on the journey.

And so the circle closes, and turns again and again in a virtual cycle of poverty elimination.

It has been my honour and privilege to serve this year.  I look forward to 2020 and beyond as the Opportunity Canada Board and staff team move forward with a new 3-year strategic plan to grow the impact and effectiveness of our mission.

And as we approach Christmas, this season of hope, we are reminded that it is the love of God for people that is the reason we do what we do.

On that note I thank you for partnering with us this year.  From my family to yours, our prayer is that you experience a wonder-filled Christmas and a full and blessed New Year.

Dan