Education Finance: School is in Session Your Program Impact Report—Fall 2023 2023–2025 EDUCATION FINANCE STRATEGIC GOALS To reach an additional 9.1 million children with $421M in education loans disbursed in 29 countries—getting more learners in better schools.
OUR GRATITUDE Esther and her husband Joseph founded the Bright Community School in Uganda, welcoming 80 children into their first kindergarten in 1998. Since then, Esther and Joseph have partnered with Opportunity International to build new classrooms, a kitchen where they prepare nutritious food each day, and dormitories—enabling even more students to get a good education. Now, Esther and Joseph educate 820 incredible students and are transforming not only their family, but their entire community.
Esther, School Proprietor, Uganda
Thank you for believing in the power of quality education to break the cycle of generational poverty.
THE NEED Opportunity International’s goal is to enable people living in extreme poverty to build sustainable livelihoods. We listened to our clients and heard across the board that they used their income to send their children to school—because parents know that education is the best way for their children to break the cycle of poverty. So, we asked: how can we build success for the whole family—starting with a profitable, sustainable business and ensuring quality education for all children?
THE SOLUTIONS Opportunity International offers one of the only programs in the world that addresses both the need for loans to parents AND school owners, while also deepening the skills of school leaders and teachers: ► Access means getting more “seats” and more ways for children to safely attend school. Opportunity increases education access by connecting affordable non-state schools with financial institutions which provide School Improvement Loans for school facilities and connecting parents with financial institutions for School Fee Loans to send all their children to school.
► Quality means students have a safe, child-centered learning environment using best teaching practices so they can be successful. Opportunity works with affordable non-state schools to improve the quality of teaching and learning conditions for students through its Education Quality, or EduQuality, initiative. Through our program “Pathways to Excellence,” Opportunity staff guide school leaders through holistic school development and improvement planning; we deliver school leadership and teacher professional development training. 101 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150, Chicago, IL 60606 T 800.793.9455 W opportunity.org
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