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.
50 for 50: 7 Bible Verses to Inspire and Encourage You
Our motivation is clear: We respond to Jesus Christ's call to love and serve the poor.
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50 for 50: Founders Circle Award Winners Ken Vander Weele and Larry Reed
Thanks to Ken Vander Weele and Larry Reed's tireless efforts, Opportunity was able to prove success with pilots and established the first network of microfinance banks in Africa.
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50 for 50: Founders Circle Award Winner John Magnay
Over the last decade, John Magnay worked alongside Opportunity International's leadership team, field staff, and program managers to drive the tremendous success of the Agriculture Finance program.
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50 for 50: Founders Circle Award Winner Richard Leftley
Today, millions of Opportunity International clients and families living in poverty can protect their earnings and plan for the future. Thanks to small insurance policies, they know that a disaster won’t destroy years of hard work.
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50 for 50: Founders Circle Award Winners Susy Cheston, Martha Cray, Jill Dailey Smith, and Linda Vander Weele
On Saturday, February 20, 2021, we presented the first of a series of 50th anniversary awards. The first Founders Circle Awards went to a group of Opportunity International pioneers who helped us innovate our strategies and programs to better serve clients. These awards celebrate the earliest days of initiatives that have come to define Opportunity's work—and we are so excited to go back and remember how these programs began.
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What we know (and don't know) about School Reopening Plans
The questions are known and have been echoed around the world, as countries have wrestled with balancing student and educator safety amidst an ongoing pandemic against the massive risks of learning loss. The answers are more complex, shift on a sometimes daily basis, and are often controversial, as stakeholders approach the common goal of mitigating learning loss from many varied perspectives.
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50 for 50: Founders Circle Award Winner Chris Crane
On Saturday, February 20, 2021, we presented the first of a series of 50th anniversary awards. The first Founders Circle Awards went to a group of Opportunity International pioneers who helped us innovate our strategies and programs to better serve clients. These awards celebrate the earliest days of initiatives that have come to define Opportunity's work—and we are so excited to go back and remember how these programs began.
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50 for 50: Our History, Chapter 2: David Bussau
David Bussau grew up in an Anglican boys’ home in Australia and began his own entrepreneurial journey by renting a hot dog stand when he was 15 years old. He loved running his small business, and over the course of the next 20 years, he launched several successful enterprises.
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50 for 50: A look back at Insight Trips
Throughout our history, we have had the honor and privilege to travel to the field to meet Opportunity International clients; visit their homes and businesses; and be inspired by their incredible tenacity, compassion, and hard work. These trips, known today as Insight Trips, have opened our eyes and hearts — and helped us build relationships with new friends around the world. Travel around the world — and back in time — with us as we remember some of our favorite Insight Trip moments over the…
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