Who, what, where?
The Purse Project
Tuesday 8 March saw Opportunity join with six other development organisations to mark 100 years of International Women’s Day with The Purse Project, an initiative that centred around an art installation – a six-foot-tall purse set up in Sydney’s Martin Place.
The purse was created to highlight the issues facing women in developing countries, including poverty, hunger, lack of healthcare and proper housing, inadequate access to education and finance and the denial of human and civil rights. Giant cards contained in the wallet – such as acredit card, healthcare card and library card – represented the opportunities and access that women in a country like Australia have in society – we can read, get access to proper medical attention and apply for bank loans to use however we wish. In many developing countries, similar opportunities are limited, if offered at all. To find out more on The Purse Project and how you can get involved, visit www.thepurseproject.org.au
Opportunity tell it like it is, good or bad
In mid April, Opportunity was pleased to be recognised in the prestigious 2010 PwC Transparency Awards as the runner-up of the revenue $5 to $20m category for the quality and transparency of our reporting. In association with PwC, the awards are also supported by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and the Centre for Social Impact (CSI). All finalists are selected by an expert jury and put forward by an independent evaluation committee. Opportunity is committed to communicating with our supporters as transparently as possible and pride ourselves on our program governance – we hope it helps you trust us so we can continue to help end poverty. To view our annual review, please click here and to see our latest progress reports, please click here.
Leave a legacy
Bequests are a powerful, yet simple way to leave a legacy. Today, an estimated 58% of adult Australians have made a will, and of these, 7.5% have included a charity in their will. Opportunity is banding together with 108 charities on Include a Charity (www.includeacharity.com.au) to raise awareness about the legacy that leaving a gift in your will can provide to those in need.
For more information on how you can leave a bequest to Opportunity, please click here or contact (02) 9270 3300.
Australian Workplace Giving Month
Did you know that if 10% of Australians donated $5 a week through workplace giving, $260 million a year would flow through to community organisations making a difference in the world? June sees the Australian Charities Fund (ACF) launch Australia’s first Workplace Giving Month. If you’re interested in getting involved, speak to your employer and ask them to set up a program in your workplace. Or, if a program already exists, you can opt to donate to Opportunity. Some employers even match employee gifts, doubling your impact, and because you receive an immediate tax deduction through your payroll payment, you save time searching for receipts at tax time.
Celebrating female entrepreneurs
More than 130 business men and women came together in Melbourne on 8 March to celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day and the success of female entrepreneurs. The lunch, organised by two of Opportunity’s Melbourne Ambassadors, Laura McKenzie and Karen Morley, was held at the NAB Academy and was generously supported by NAB and BlueChip Communication. The event successfully raised more than $52,000 for Opportunity’s work to help people living in poverty in India.
Rupali Kalita, an experienced banker and leader of Indian microfinance institution RGVN-CSP, was the keynote speaker at the event, giving guests the chance to hear how they can give India’s entrepreneurial women a hand up by supporting Opportunity.
She was joined in a panel discussion by Andrew Hagger, NAB Group Executive, Corporate Affairs and Marketing; and Tania Seary, Chairman of Australia’s leading procurement development advisory firm, The Faculty. The panel discussed the value femaleentrepreneurs bring to the global village, and how their primary concerns for the needs of their families and communities drive them to share their wealth, power and influence with others.
