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.
Carly Fiorina Steps Down as Global Board Chair of Opportunity International
US Board Chair Mark Thompson to assume new role effective immediately Opportunity International Global Board Chair Carly Fiorina today formally announced her U.S. Presidential candidacy. As a result, she is resigning from Opportunity’s Global Board. “Opportunity is unique among nonprofits for their businesslike approach and sustainable client impact,” Fiorina said. “It has been my privilege to serve as their first Global Board Chair. They are in good hands with the many fine global leaders…
Read MoreThank You, Mom
My mom is superwoman. She is brilliant and funny and compassionate and adventerous. Sure, she drives me crazy some days. And sure, we are both equally bossy and uncompromising. But at the end of the day, I love her and she loves me. My mom taught me just how powerful moms are. She showed me how hard and beautiful and frustrating and wonderful raising little humans can be. She showed me what unconditional love looks like. What true generosity looks like. What it looks like to sacrifice your own…
Read MoreWhy LBL is About So Much More than Food
I spent this week taking the Live Below the Line challenge - eating and drinking on less than $1.50 a day for five days in honor of the 1.2 billion people living below the extreme poverty line around the world. Let me tell you, the challenge is hard. But it is also incredibly eye-opening. Each day, I recorded my insights - the little things I was learning through because of the challenge. And what I quickly realized was that hunger and extreme poverty are about so much more than food. Day…
Read MoreThoughts on Living #BelowtheLine
This week, hundreds of Opportunity International staff, supporters and friends are participating in the Live Below the Line challenge - a challenge to eat and drink on less than $1.50 a day for five days in honor of the 1.2 billion people who live below the extreme poverty line every day. We are excited to celebrate a few of our LBL participants and their insights from the week. Why I'm Trying Not to Cheat by Samantha Snabes Whelp, here it goes. My third year living below the line. Even as I…
Read MoreThe Challenge Begins
This week, hundreds of Opportunity International staff, supporters and friends are taking the Live Below the Line Challenge - spending five days eating and drinking on less than $1.50 a day in honor of the 1.2 billion people living below the extreme poverty line around the world. Together, we are learning more about the daily realities of Opportunity's clients, building awareness about extreme poverty and raising support for Opportunity's life-changing products and programs. This is my third year…
Read MoreMeet David Gardner
David Gardner is a software entrepreneur and early stage investor to new entrepreneurs. This month, as we celebrate entrepreneurship, we asked entrepreneurs to share their insights with us. David, tell us a little bit about yourself. After spending nearly thirty years starting software companies, I have now become an early stage investor and advisor to first time entrepreneurs. What has been one of the most challenging elements of starting your own business? Funding is always difficult. And…
Read MoreMeet Kaelen McCrane
In 2014, Opportunity's Manager of Outreach Allison Kooser sat down with Kaelen McCrane, Young Ambassador for Opportunity and founder of acclaimed fashion company The West is Dead. Kaelen shared his personal journey of entrepreneurship - and offered his lessons learned from creating a business from the ground up. Allison: Kaelen, tell us a little bit about yourself and your business. Kaelen: The company I started with my business partner Will is called the West is Dead. I started it just over three…
Read MoreSchools Are Not Just For Children
People assume that the most important thing a quality school can do is to equip the next generation of children with the relevant skills they need to find gainful and meaningful employment. Children learn to read and write in the classroom - they learn to think, analyze and present information. They learn the skills they need to work and provide for themselves as they grow. But while the future employment potential of each child is indeed a very important and noble cause, it is not the only benefit…
Read MoreTransforming the Next Generation
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to travel to Uganda to meet our clients and staff. While there I met Rwamubende, an Opportunity client and cattle farmer in rural Uganda. Rwamubende has a serious exterior but a big heart. He proudly showed us his ever-growing farm and introduced us to the many farmhands he employs. When we took his photo, we teased, “Seca! Seca!” (“Smile!” in Luganda) and he laughed at our accents. He explained how Opportunity allowed him to build a new home to replace…
Read MoreThe Rift Valley
Running along the eastern part of the African continent, the Rift Valley is a prominent geological feature. Originally thought to extend from Jordan to Mozambique, geologists now note that the full Rift Valley is comprised of several smaller Rifts – including what is now considered the East Africa Rift, extending from the Afar Depression in Ethiopia to Mozambique. Unlike traditional valleys created by rivers or other forms of erosion, Rift Valleys are created by shifts in the tectonic plates of…
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