Opportunity International Germany
| Opportunity International Germany | |
|---|---|
|
|
| legal form | charitable foundation |
| founding | 1996 |
| founder | Karl shock |
| Seat | Cologne ( ⊙ ) |
| purpose | Poverty reduction |
| method | Social microfinance |
| Action space | Africa, Latin America, Asia |
| people | Anke Luckja (board member), Nils Ritterhoff (chairman of the board of trustees) |
| sales | 2,245,462 euros (2018) |
| Foundation capital | 430,475 euros (2018) |
| Employees | 8 (2018) |
| Website | www.oid.org |
Opportunity International Germany is a non-profit, Christian-motivated foundation from Cologne , which is active in the field of social microfinance. It was founded in 1996 as part of the Opportunity International network .
Following the example of the patron and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus , the foundation offers poor people the chance to break the cycle of poverty by helping them to help themselves. With the help of donations, the foundation supports people in developing countries with training, micro-credits, micro-savings and micro-insurance to expand their small businesses or farms. The foundation is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development , among others .
history
At the beginning of the 1970s, the Australian David Bussau founded the aid organization after personal experience during numerous stays in Indonesia , which has developed into an international network to this day. The network consists of seven donor countries (Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Canada, Switzerland and the USA) and local project partners in 23 recipient countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. The network supports people living in poverty and enables them to free themselves from poverty on their own. The German foundation was established in 1996 with the help of the private assets of the entrepreneur Karl Schock as a legally independent foundation and is part of the Opportunity network. The office of Opportunity International Germany is in Cologne, the seat in Schorndorf. Mark Ankerstein has been the director of the German organization since August 2015, replacing Stefan Knüppel, who has held the board position since 2005. The non-profit foundation is financed through donations.
Social microfinance
The special thing about the foundation's work is that it is committed to social microfinance . This term coined by the foundation differs from commercial microfinance insofar as the social return and poverty reduction are in the foreground compared to the financial return . Furthermore, a holistic approach is pursued in that not only the pure lending takes place, but also micro savings accounts, insurance and training are offered and long-term success is ensured.
Lending
Before a microcredit is granted, the potential borrower is checked with regard to the feasibility and prospects of his entrepreneurial project and trained accordingly. The holistic approach also often includes the integration of people into a group of borrowers whose members vouch for one another and who support each other with their business idea. The small loans are repaid with interest (repayment rate 99 percent) and lent again to new borrowers; there is a multiplier effect. The average amount of the individual loans is around 200 euros. The individual borrower undertakes to gradually repay the loan in small installments including interest at the market rate. If a borrower cannot pay off the loan, the group is liable for him. This meets at regular intervals to exchange experiences.
Over 95 percent of borrowers are women, because they are usually also responsible for an average of six other family members. The money given does not only benefit the borrowers themselves.
Micro savings accounts
Very few poor people have access to a savings account , so they cannot keep the money they have saved in a safe place. For this reason, the foundation works with banks in the respective countries to build up a network that enables people to save money safely. With a savings account, these people can lead a more stable life by not only being able to make provisions for times of crisis or small investments, but also earning interest.
Insurance
Together with various subsidiaries (e.g. MicroEnsure), Opportunity also offers microinsurance in addition to loans. These insurances offer protection against various risks. In this way, clients are protected against loan defaults in the event of crop failures, illness and natural disasters.
Ensuring success
Another pillar of social microfinance is the mediation of contacts between clients and companies. This should guarantee a fair price and a long-term secure sales market. In the course of this, several small farmers often join together to form a cooperative in order to facilitate trade with large customers. This results in planning security for both sides and less complicated trading. Opportunity International Germany also supports the development and expansion of educational structures in the respective project countries.
Training
The client groups are to be prepared for running their own small business with regular training . In addition, they are instructed and advised on health topics or social issues. The training is carried out by the loan officer or third-party provider and internalized in group discussions. The respective topics are individually adapted to the client groups and their environment.
Projects
Together with partner organizations, the foundation initiates and supports various projects such as B. Agricultural projects , microschools , training courses in the health and hygiene sector and vocational training programs such as the Youth Apprenticeship Program in Ghana (YAP).
Agricultural projects using the example of rice farmers in Ghana
The project supports women in the rural Northern region in Ghana. 400 rice farmers in the municipality of Nasia are given the opportunity to expand their agricultural activities, increase their harvest yields and thus increase their income. The rice farmers are supported with agricultural loans, which are given to them in the form of seeds, fertilizers, tools and the payment of the irrigation fee. In addition, the women acquire business knowledge and additional knowledge about alternative cultivation and fertilization methods through advice and training. Another important part of the project is the opening and securing of a sales market that will be available to women beyond the project's duration.
Microschools
Opportunity supports educational entrepreneurs ( edupreneurs ) in setting up microschools. These are mostly set up in rural and remote areas, where the children would otherwise have to walk a long way to school. They are therefore an alternative to the state school system, especially for poor families, and give children the opportunity to develop their potential through smaller classes. In addition, most microschools have developed systems to enable the children of financially weak parents to attend school. Parents can help with school operations and, for example, work in the school kitchen or pay the school fees at a later point in time.
Since 2013 the OID ambassador Marta Binder has been donating the Jan Binder Award to schools in Ghana that take part in the OID program under the motto “Keep your school clean, make your school green” . The award is named in memory of her son who died in an accident and who was the press spokesman for Opportunity Germany.
Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP)
The youth training program aims to give young disadvantaged people in Ghana the chance of a full-fledged training. Training courses on topics such as AIDS prevention are also an important part of this program. The training program represents a preliminary stage of microcredit, as the young graduates can be provided with an interest-free loan to start their own small business after successfully completing their training.
Health projects using the example of health counselors in India
The state of Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state. 30 percent of the population live below the national poverty line. Poverty also has a negative impact on people's health. Due to a lack of health education, inadequate access to health care and inadequate sanitary infrastructure, people die from diseases that are actually easily treatable or entirely preventable.
As part of this aid project, Opportunity is training 100 women to become health advisors with the help of microcredits. They receive training on health prevention and hygiene and then pass on their knowledge to the women in their villages in the form of health training. They also help the villagers to apply for state subsidies and microcredits for the construction of toilets in order to improve the hygiene situation in the villages. With their knowledge, they serve as a point of contact for health problems and emergencies beyond the duration of the project. In addition, they learn how they can generate additional income with their knowledge in the health and hygiene sector. After completing their training they are able to improve their income, for example by selling sanitary napkins.
In addition, 50 other fully trained health advisors receive advanced training to become so-called health providers. This advanced training course provides in-depth medical knowledge, for example the diagnosis of acute and chronic diseases and their treatment. First aid for emergencies such as broken bones or open wounds is also trained. For this purpose, the women are provided with first aid kits and basic medicine. By carrying out (preventive) examinations and making an initial diagnosis, you generate a small income. In serious cases, the patient is referred to a doctor by the healthcare provider.
The 150 trained women carry out health education, preventive health care, supply of non-prescription drugs and acute medical first aid and guarantee better access to hygienic care for 37,500 families.
successes
Typical sectors for borrowers are trade, crafts and services. With the help of the support people can z. B. Buy livestock, a sewing machine or a small fruit and vegetable stand. This means that they can usually not only take care of themselves, but also their entire family better. This includes safe housing, clothing, food and schooling for the children. A study by the Kellogg School of Management confirms that small business owners supported by Opportunity have seen improvements in their business and living conditions after taking out a loan. The study compared small business owners with no access to financial services and small business owners who could take advantage of Opportunity's offerings. The result showed that recipients of opportunity benefits not only earned more money, but also saved more money and invested more in their children's education.
Others
Together with other members of the microfinance platform Germany, the foundation promotes the web portal MicrofinanceWiki, where it is responsible for the content. The Microfinance Platform Germany formulates the objective of promoting communication between different actors in German microfinance and strengthening the role of microfinance in German development cooperation. The Microfinance Wiki is aimed primarily at the public and is intended to provide information on the subject of microfinance. The German Central Institute for Social Issues certified transparency and the responsible use of donations with the donation seal.
Web links
- Official website (Germany)
- Summary of the WDR report (text) ( Memento from October 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Transparency. In: oid.org. Retrieved October 31, 2019 .
- ^ Articles of Association. In: oid.org. June 26, 2014, accessed October 31, 2019 .
- ↑ [1] . Website of Opportunity International Germany. Accessed October 5, 2015.
- ↑ Ambassadors on the OID website. Accessed May 2018.
- ↑ Dr. Marta Binder - 10,550 kilometers in the saddle . In: Die Glocke , September 8, 2017.
- ↑ http://www.mikrofinanzwiki.de/file/1078/opportunity_wirektiven_soziale_mf_malawi_2010.pdf (PDF; 834 kB)
- ↑ Microfinance Wiki (Opportunity International Germany)
- ↑ Sponsors of the MicrofinanceWiki portal (accessed November 30, 2012)
- ↑ Mission of the microfinance platform (accessed November 30, 2012)
- ↑ http://www.dzi.de/spenderberatung/das-spenden-siegel/liste-aller-spenden-siegel-einrichtungen-az/index/O/