Microfinance
WHAT WE DO
Helping entrepreneurs build sustainable livelihoods, increase incomes, and create brighter futures.
Today, one in ten people lives in poverty, not because they lack potential, hard work, or determination, but because they lack access to opportunity. With your support, Opportunity International Canada helps entrepreneurs—primarily women—gain the financial tools, training, and support they need to build businesses, increase incomes, and create more secure futures. By meeting people where they are and equipping them with solutions tailored to their needs, we help families break the cycle of poverty and create lasting change in their communities.
How a small loan changes the equation.
1. Donations are received from generous donors.
2. Funds are leveraged by our microfinance program partners and used as evidence of financial strength, enabling partners to secure further funding from lenders.
3. Loans are distributed to help families build businesses. Impact is increased as businesses expand, allowing families to feed, educate and provide healthcare to their children. Many create jobs in their community.
4. Loans are recycled. Once a client repays their loan, it is re-lent to someone else. The historical rate of repayment is 97%.
5. The cycle of poverty is broken, and families are marginalized no more. Individuals, families, and communities begin to thrive.
Our impact in microfinance.
In FY2024-25, microloans, digital financial services, and climate-smart agriculture support reached 2,831,422 people both directly and indirectly, across the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Ghana, Malawi, and Nicaragua — helping entrepreneurs, primarily women, build businesses, grow incomes, and create stronger futures for their families.
Through our Microfinance program:
Why women?
At Opportunity International Canada, we believe that empowering women entrepreneurs through microfinance and financial inclusion, is essential for building lasting and sustainable change. Women are the backbone of families and communities.
Women entrepreneurs play a central role in economic development, especially in regions with limited opportunities. For example, women smallholder farmers in Ghana and Malawi demonstrate how access to capital, training, and support can empower women to transform their businesses, increase productivity, and enhance food security in their communities. When women gain these resources, they become key drivers of economic resilience, fostering sustainable growth and creating lasting impact for their families and communities.
CLIENT STORIES
Lives transformed through the power of microfinance.
Ana Julia, Nicaragua
Ana Julia, a single mother from Nicaragua, transformed her life with Opportunity International’s support. Once struggling to provide for her children, she received a microloan to start a small sewing business. Now, she supports her family, employs local workers, and helps her daughter with college expenses. Her story exemplifies the power of microfinance to break the cycle of poverty.
Kenia, Honduras
Kenia and her husband Gabriel, originally from Honduras, started a banana farming business with support from Opportunity International’s local partner. With microloans, they expanded their farm and now transport bananas to markets, aiming for further growth. Their journey highlights resilience, dedication, and the transformative power of small beginnings in building a sustainable future for their family.
Zinabu, Ghana
Zinabu’s journey exemplifies her entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to community. With the support of Opportunity’s partner, Sinapi Aba, she transformed a sachet water business into a thriving restaurant and guesthouse. Now, Zinabu supports local orphans and plans to build an orphanage, inspired by her own challenging childhood. Her story is a powerful testament to resilience and the impact of microfinance.