Microinsurance provides a safety net that mitigates those risks that can be a barrier to the poor’s climbing out of poverty. It is not a panacea, but we are always encouraged to hear how our clients describe their experiences:
“MicroEnsure was on my side and they gave me hope to go on.” Patricia Nakkacwa
“I feel peace because of insurance. I know that anything can happen to my business, family, or even myself, but I can continue to go on because of insurance,” Annette Namenzi

Our Vision, Our Mission and Our History

Our work is based firmly on the Christian ethic, and we are motivated by Jesus Christ's call to serve the poor. We do not question the faith or beliefs of any of our clients.

OUR VISION
We envision a world where the materially poor enjoy abundant life.

OUR MISSION
Our mission is to empower the materially poor to transform their lives by insuring them against financial risk and its consequences. We seek to serve the economically active poor who live on $4 per day or less in developing countries and provide a safety net to reduce economic setbacks

OUR HISTORY
In 2002, Opportunity International, one of the world's largest and fastest growing microfinance organisations, began to look at the possibility of providing micro insurance for its existing loan clients in the developing world. The first tasks for this special project included a careful assessment of the market potential and research among 10,000 Opportunity clients to determine their needs.

It was apparent that there was a large demand for microinsurance products. Although life, funeral, and property were the first products to be introduced, it was realised that health and crop insurance were often the most in demand by the poor. So as early as 2005, the first pilot test of an innovative weather index crop insurance scheme started with groundnut farmers in Malawi to provide protection against drought. This was the first of many product innovations to be introduced by the organisation.

By 2005 the insurance operations were growing so rapidly that the Micro Insurance Agency was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Opportunity International in order to concentrate exclusively on developing and expanding microinsurance to meet global demand.

With a $24.2 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2007, the pace of expansion accelerated, and more ambitious growth targets became a reality. It is planned to expand from the five subsidiary offices at present into an additional 11 countries by 2012 by which time some 21 million lives are expected to be covered.

In 2008, the Micro Insurance Agency became MicroEnsure, a new identity to better reflect our leadership status in the market, our innovation, and aspirations to serve the poor throughout the developing world.