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.
Listen In: Opportunity International on “The Not for Profit Exchange” Radio Show
Learn more about Opportunity International’s use of gift cards as a fundraising tool from Ruth-Anne Renaud, Opportunity’s vice president of interactive media. On Wednesday, June 14 at 4:00 p.m. ET, Ruth-Anne was interviewed on the “The Not for Profit Exchange” internet radio show. Listen to the archived episode below or click here to listen to the episode on Blog Talk Radio. Listen to internet radio with NotForProfitExchange on Blog Talk Radio. Beginning at just $10, Opportunity gift cards…
Read MoreIllinois Congressman Rep. Peter Roskam Visits Opportunity’s Oak Brook Offices, Following a Visit to Ghana
This past Wednesday, June 8, U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (IL-6th) stopped by Opportunity’s Oak Brook, Ill. offices to learn more about our work. During his visit, he toured the office, met many members of our US staff, and had a meeting with a few members of our senior staff, including Opportunity CEO Bill Morgenstern, Senior VP Dennis Ripley, VP Simona Haiduc and VP Ruth-Anne Renaud to discuss poverty eradication, the need for global development, and the impact of microfinance on developing countries. In…
Read MoreONE Blog: “Creating Jobs for Africans: An interview with Ambassador Marantis”
The following interview of Ambassador Demetrios Marantis, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, conducted by the ONE Campaign‘s Malaka Gharib, was originally published on the ONE Blog on Monday, June 6, 2011. I had the huge honor of interviewing Ambassador Demetrios Marantis for our Trade = Development blog series. He plays a leading role in enforcing the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a US legislation to help assist the economies of sub-Saharan Africa, and his passion for his work is infectious.…
Read MoreWhat We’re Watching: Kadita “A.T.” Tshibaka’s Voice of America Interview on Congo Grand Opening
Following the grand opening of our first regulated microfinance institution in the DR Congo, Congolese native and Opportunity supporter Kadita “A.T.” Tshibaka appeared on Voice of America‘s In Focus TV program, which airs throughout Africa, to discuss the growth of microfinance in the DRC and the impact of Opportunity DRC on the lives of the Congolese people. Tshibaka, a former executive at Citibank, now serves on Opportunity’s Board of Directors. In this June 7th interview with VOA‘s Ndimyake…
Read MoreYAO-ZA! Young Ambassadors Launches its Denver Chapter
The following post was written by YAO member and YAO-ZA! co-organizer Amy Steinhoff. Greetings from the Denver chapter of Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO). We are thrilled to officially become part of the YAO network after YAO-ZA!, our successful chapter launch on Saturday, May 21st. Thanks to a dedicated team and the generous support of our sponsors, families and friends, we were able to raise over $10,000–enough to fund two Trust Groups at Opportunity Tanzania–and spread awareness about…
Read MoreThis Memorial Day, We Remember Those Fighting to Work Their Way Out of Poverty
Olivia Schultz, was a spring intern in Opportunity International‘s marketing department. As we reflect on Memorial Day, a day to remember those who have fought and died for our country, we honor all the men and women who have courageously fought on our behalf so that we can live in freedom. One such woman is Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, who was the first woman to achieve the rank of three-star general in the United States Army. Not only does she stand for the security of America, General…
Read MoreWe Have a Winner in the Tanzania Correspondent Contest
The results are in! All the votes have been counted and we now have a first, second, and third place winner in our Tanzania Correspondent Contest. First prize First prize winner Kelly Flanagan from Tempe, Ariz. has won a spot on the Opportunity International Insight Trip to Tanzania this summer to be our multimedia reporter on the ground with her winning entry, ”Working Women.” Second prize Congrats to second place winner Laura Gamse of Arlington, Va., who won two tickets to the Opportunity International…
Read More“Why Farming?” Today’s Symposium on Global Agriculture & Food Security in Washington, D.C.
Today in Washington, D.C., the Chicago Council on Global Affairs‘ “The Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security: Progress to Date and Strategies for Success” with noted experts in agricultural policy, global development, philanthropy and more. Keynote Speakers: Bill Gates, Co-chair and Trustee, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Rajiv Shah, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Thomas Vilsack, Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture The objective…
Read MoreWhat We’re Reading: Roger Thurow on Bill Gates at the Symposium on Global Agriculture & Food Security
The following post, “Expert Commentary–The Importance of Innovation” by Roger Thurow, was published today on the Chicago Council on Global Affairs‘ Global Food for Thought blog about the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security that took place today in Washington, D.C.. Bill Gates came to the Chicago Council’s Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security with a confession. “I’ve never been a farmer,” he said. “Until recently, I rarely set foot on farm.” Farmer Gates,…
Read MoreWhat We’re Watching: Today’s Grand Opening of Opportunity DR Congo in Kinshasa
Opportunity International staff around the world have been eagerly watching our Facebook and the Opportunity Blog all day, keeping up with news and updates from today’s grand opening ceremony at Opportunity Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Kinshasa. Presenters at the celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony included Opportunity DRC CEO Gilbert Lagaillarde; Opportunity International US board member and Congolese native Kadita “A.T.” Tshibaka; Opportunity International Africa Chairman Francis…
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