KM INSIGHT RESEARCH BRIEF May 2025
Knowledge Management
Opportunity Graduates People Out of Poverty Holistic Programs to End Ultra Poverty in Haiti, Malawi, and Colombia Show Results Research Overview In Haiti, Colombia, and Malawi, Opportunity International (Opportunity) delivers a holistic set of services to people living in ultra poverty to help them graduate out of poverty. Over the course of 18 months, these programs offer clients comprehensive solutions to address multi-faceted challenges facing people living in ultra poverty. Launched in 2007, the Haiti program has served some 18,000 clients (3,750 with Opportunity support) and has a graduation rate of 95%. In two new programs, launched in 2023 in Colombia and Malawi, 354 clients have completed the program, with 82% graduating in Colombia and 90% in Malawi. Key Insights The following key insights emerged from the program generated data and learning group discussions among staff: 1. Personal transformation is as important as material change. 2. Addressing women’s empowerment directly pays off. 3. Community-centric tailoring and collaboration makes the program effective in different contexts. 4. Local government engagement supports success. 5. Innovation and adaptability are required for crisis response. 6. Vision building and planning are critical to client graduation. 7. Clients role-model success for the community. 8. Staff mentors are key to client change, need sufficient support. Next Steps Opportunity has started a new program in Madagascar. The organization is also continuing work to systematize and streamline data collection/reporting and to engage our funding partners.
Graduation program neighborhood, Cartegena. Colombia
PROGRAM CONTEXTS Opportunity International (Opportunity) provides financial solutions and training to empower people living in poverty to transform their lives, their children’s futures, and their communities. In this endeavor, Opportunity is implementing a globally proven strategy, the “ultra-poor graduation” approach.1 Ultra poverty refers to the poorest economic group, people living in destitution, people who go hungry, live in squalid conditions, whose children are unable to attend school, who cannot afford basic healthcare, and are socially isolated, in part due to their severe poverty. In Haiti, the program primarily serves people in rural, agricultural areas. Deep poverty in Haiti is made worse by government instability and widespread gang violence. In Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, Opportunity targets people living in rural, agricultural settings. Exacerbating their marginal circumstances are extreme weather conditions such as an unprecedented cyclone in 2023 and drought in 2024. In Colombia, Opportunity targets city-dwellers living in lowincome and informal settlemenets in Cartegena. Many participants 1
Client’s home, destroyed by Cyclone Freddy, 2023. Malawi
Graduation Overview - BRAC UPGI,” May 2021. https://bracupgi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Graduation-Overview-May-2021.pdf