50 Weeks of Opportunity
Each week for the next 50 weeks, we will share a piece of Opportunity’s history—major or minor, sobering or inspiring, we have gotten where we are today by facing some of the world’s greatest challenges, with you by our side. Please join us in celebrating the many impactful moments that have built the foundation on which we will embark on our most audacious vision yet: ending extreme poverty.
Think fast! (Or think slow!)
Research shows that each of us makes more than 35,000 decisions a day. In his bestselling book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, psychologist Daniel Kahneman dives into the two ways our brains handle the decisions in front of us.
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Portrait of a Waymaker Goes on the Road
In December 2021, Opportunity’s first immersive art experience Portrait of a Waymaker made its debut as a virtual art gallery featuring 10 illuminating portraits accompanied by narration from our clients and our field experts.
Read MoreContext Matters: Expanding EduFinance to Ethiopia
The median age in Ethiopia is only 19.5 years—and about 40% of the population is under the age of 15. This enormous youth population presents both a challenge and an opportunity. With so much potential to learn, grow, and lead, these young people could transform the future of Ethiopia.
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Passport to Opportunity: Uganda
On September 25, Opportunity International embarked on our second annual virtual Insight Trip—this time to Uganda. Our tour guide, Alice Lajwa, who works directly with those we serve, took us on a journey to better understand the challenges our neighbors around the world face and how we can help create opportunities for them to rise out of poverty.
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Audacious Relationships: How leaning into one another is the path to doing great things
I will always remember the moment Atul Tandon stood on stage at our cabi conference and told us it was possible for extreme poverty to end within our lifetime. This felt impossible. As he continued, he painted a picture of united groups of people rallied around this goal, sharing benchmarks of decade by decade decreases in those dangerously below the poverty line. My skepticism faded quickly as hope rushed in like a flood. I love an audacious goal and this one felt deeply important and meaningful…
Read MoreOf Baseball, Faith, and Legacy: Jerry Zamzow
Jerry Zamzow has been a Houston Astros season ticket holder since 1986. Not long after that, he met his mentor, friend, and fellow Opportunity supporter Dick Hoefs at St. Martins Lutheran Church in Houston. As any diehard baseball knows, faith and baseball--not to mention patience and humility--are inextricably linked.
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A novel fit for fall
Purple Hibiscus tells the story of teenage siblings in Nigeria—children who have a seemingly wonderful life but whose secrets are tearing them apart. The New Yorker described Adichie as “one of the most vital and original novelists of her generation,” and The Washington Post Book World called Purple Hibiscus “breathtaking.”
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Graduation is just the beginning: Ultra-poverty in Malawi
Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with over half of the population living in poverty. Nearly 80% of people rely on agriculture to survive, and the country is at risk of natural disasters and climate shocks that could decimate a season’s harvest. In addition, Malawi is landlocked, limiting access to ports, easy transportation, and the rest of the world.
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An inside look at apartheid-era South Africa
Bianca Marais’s powerful novel weaves the perspectives of two compelling narrators—and it’s a book you don’t want to miss!
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Governor Spotlight: Linda Martens
Linda Martens has always been interested in international affairs, so it seems inevitable that would find a way to devote her skills, network, and passion to a mission like Opportunity International.
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