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.
Basketball and Joining the Team
I am a huge March Madness fan. I love Davidson College basketball, so I'll be cheering for my Wildcats as they take on the Iowa Hawkeyes tonight. But even if basketball isn't your thing, I think there are valuable lessons to be learned from the NCAA Tournament. Already we have seen major upsets this tournament. To me, these surprise victories remind me that anything is possible. And in my line of work at Opportunity International, I need all the reminders I can get that sometimes the underdog wins.…
Read MoreCharacteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs
Last year, Forbes released the results of a study conducted by Gallup that surveyed over 1,000 people to discover 10 traits of successful entrepreneurs. I recently returned to this article and was struck by the characteristics they identified. These traits - things like confidence, determination and relationship-building - describe Opportunity International clients beautifully. It shouldn't come as a surprise that Opportunity's clients exemplify the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs,…
Read MoreLooking Ahead: The Future of Love
"It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done." - Vincent van Gogh For the past several weeks, we have celebrated love here at Opportunity International. We have acknowledged and honored the many relationships and communities that make our work possible. And this celebration of love matters. But it is also just the beginning. Love is not the end game - it is the underlying…
Read MoreLooking Back at Love
For the last month, we've been celebrating love here at Opportunity International. I've enjoyed being a part of conversations about the love shared between clients and loan officers, husbands and wives, parents and children and trust group members. These many relationships are at the core of Opportunity's work and extend the impact of our work - transforming the lives of not just individuals, but entire communities. In case you missed any of the great things happening this month, we've rounded…
Read MoreAdvancing the World's Women
This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post in honor of International Women's Day. I saw an interesting report recently from the International Labour Organization that lists the percentage of women working in managerial positions in 108 countries. I was surprised there are only three countries—Jamaica, Colombia and Saint Lucia—where you are more likely to have a female rather than a male boss. Among developed nations, the United States ranks 15th with 42.7 percent women in managerial…
Read MoreWhat YAO Taught Me About Community
Community matters. For Opportunity International clients, the community provided by Trust Groups allows our clients to feel accountable, challenged and encouraged as they build their businesses and work their way out of poverty. For Opportunity supporters, community is equally important. Our personal networks – our friends, families, workplaces and churches – provide us with a much-needed sense of belonging and support. Understanding this power of community, five years ago we launched a network…
Read MoreAlleviating Poverty through Trust Groups
Recently I had a chance to visit our clients in Uganda. As a writer for Opportunity International, I’ve become quite familiar with our Trust Group model, but never had the chance to see it in action. It was everything I’d written about for years, but so much more. The friendship between the group members was clearly evident, and though I didn’t understand the language, it was obvious that important business was happening and friendships were being strengthened. I wanted to share with you one…
Read MoreQuestions about Trust Groups, Community and Success
As part of my job, I have the privilege of speaking to groups of students and young professionals about Opportunity International. I’m always struck by the consistency of questions that these groups present. Of course, there are unique inquiries related to personal interests and experiences, but largely I’m faced with the same questions no matter who is in the audience. The questions I get most often go something like this: Does Opportunity work? My answer is yes. How do you know? My…
Read MoreSacrifice and Other Marks of Love
Growing up - and still to this day - I’m struck by the work ethic of my dad and mom. Growing up, my brother and I were never in want. We ate well. We never had to sit out a season of hockey because of the cost, despite it being an expensive sport (especially considering how fast children grow). When the time came for me to go to high school, my parents enrolled me in the private school across town because, despite the tuition, my parents desired to plant me in an environment where I could grow.…
Read MoreDanny & Duver: Sacrifice
Duver Sua grew up in a neighborhood riddled with rampant drug activity. Violence and poverty were common, and like many children in his community, his future was uncertain. But Duver had a dream to do more with his life – and he became the first in his family to finish high school. After graduation, Duver took his hard-earned savings and enrolled in the local university, preparing himself with the tools he needed to build a career. But instead of escaping the community that…
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