
Opportunity was founded in the 1970s by two businessmen, Australian entrepreneur David Bussau and American Al Whittaker. David was living in Indonesia, while Al was in Columbia. The local communities were poor, disempowered and lacking in hope. But David and Al recognised the clever business ideas of the local people who wanted to work but were too poor to access funding from formal financial institutions, and as a result, were without opportunity. They responded by offering them small loans and a hand up out of poverty.
Opportunity International Australia is now part of the global Opportunity Network, a leading provider and pioneer of socially focused microfinance,