Opportunity International has deep experience in delivering financial services, training, and support that will create lasting change for families living in poverty. The link between poverty and poor health is undeniable–each year, out-of-pocket medical expenses force nearly one billion people deeper into financial hardship.
To address this crisis, Opportunity International collaborates with financial institutions to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that address both healthcare accessibility and financial stability. These initiatives combine access to financial services, health education, and practical training, empowering families to avoid devastating health costs and make healthcare more accessible.
By focusing on underserved communities, Opportunity ensures that families have the tools they need to build healthier, more financially secure futures.
Opportunity is one of the only organizations currently focused on this critical intersection of finance and healthcare, and has the potential to scale through continued pilots and research.
The Need
For families living in poverty in developing economies, healthcare is unaffordable and inaccessible, especially in rural and remote areas. Hundreds of millions of families are one unexpected health expense away from being plunged deeper into poverty. In fact, health-related crises are a leading cause of loan defaults—underscoring the heavy burden of medical expenses on families working to break free from poverty.
Research from the World Health Organization suggests that 90% of essential health needs could be met by bringing primary healthcare to vulnerable communities. However, significant barriers persist: public health systems cannot address the widespread gaps in care, especially in Asia and Africa; private providers often lack resources to offer quality care; and some communities remain inaccessible due to their remote locations, leaving millions without the care they need.
Our Programs
Our goal is to improve the overall health of communities living in poverty and prevent illness and catastrophic health spending through education, finance, and access to better health services.
Opportunity’s health program aims to serve entire communities, particularly women and their families, by empowering community leaders in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, and Africa.
The result: improved health for the community, a reliable source of income for health leaders, and options around health care for rural and remote areas. Health Leaders train communities on prevention and wellbeing, covering nutrition, menstrual health, maternal and childcare, and on non-communicable and infectious diseases including tuberculosis.
Opportunity’s financial institution partners have deep trust and vast networks in vulnerable communities. This trusted presence allows Opportunity to integrate health programs alongside our financial services creating a scalable, sustainable solution to healthcare and financial challenges at the same time.
Through these partnerships, Opportunity supports:
- Community health education programs to improve awareness and prevention
- Enhanced training and resources, and access to finance for small local healthcare providers to improve care quality
- Health-focused financial services like affordable loans, savings tools, and health insurance, helping families protect their health and avoid catastrophic expenses
Health Leaders
In India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, Opportunity Health Leaders are expected to reach 5.3 million people over the next five years. Health Leaders deliver trusted education, telehealth, and connections to essential services, improving health outcomes and women’s confidence, income, and leadership.
Health Finance
Health Finance encompasses solutions like loans and insurance. In urban Mumbai and Pune, Health Finance pioneered unsecured emergency health loans, health savings, mutual insurance, and primary care. Strong repayment and a more than 50% out-of-pocket cost reduction in our pilot confirmed the feasibility and scalability of affordable health finance for low-income families; 70% of loans are provided to women.
BURO Bangladesh, one of Opportunity’s health program partners, compiled four years of evaluations for the Health Leaders program, showing the measurable increase in health knowledge for vulnerable people:
- 60% improvement in knowledge about maternal health
- 48% growth in understanding neonatal and child health
- 52% increase in understanding water, sanitation, and health habits
- 43% increase in knowledge about infectious disease
Mobile clinics are an extension of our Health Leader model, providing primary care, diagnostics, and maternal health services; 76% of clients reached were women.
OUR IMPACT
When families have access to health education and affordable care, the cycle of poverty and illness can finally break. Opportunity's Health Finance program is reaching communities across Asia and Africa with trusted Health Leaders, emergency health financing, and locally rooted care—so fewer families face the impossible choice between their health and their financial survival.