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.
This 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…
Read MoreGrand Opening Today of Opportunity DR Congo: Expanding Microfinance to One of World’s Most Impoverished Countries
Today at 10:00 a.m. local time, Opportunity International celebrated the grand opening of Opportunity Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the capital city of Kinshasa, expanding our network of microfinance institutions to the Congo. The grand opening ceremony was attended by local government officials and dignitaries, Opportunity representatives from the DRC and the United States, as well as donors, supporters and clients. Among the presenters at the grand opening were UNDP Country Director Adama…
Read MoreWhat We’re Reading: Opportunity Rwanda’s Daniel Ryumugabe & Chicago Supporters Gather to Discuss Left to Tell
On Monday, I joined 15 women for a meeting of the Chicago Women’s Book Discussion Group in the home of Kim Stephens, a member of Opportunity International‘s Board of Governors. The group, led by my Opportunity colleague, regional director Linda Vander Weele, has been meeting regularly for the past two years to discuss books that touch upon the important issues that face women in the developing world in all walks of life. For Monday’s meeting, we gathered to discuss Left to Tell: Discovering…
Read MoreOpportunity International Joins Other Thought Leaders in Global Development to Discuss the Future of Philanthropy
The following guest post was written by Emily Yahr, a media consultant for Opportunity International and attendee at Thursday’s Hudson Institute panel discussion. On Thursday, May 12, representatives from research institutions, think tanks, universities, NGOs, and federal agencies took some time out of their day to attend the “Global Philanthropy: Skating to Where the Puck Is Going to Be” event at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the event was two-fold. First, it was…
Read MoreYAO Member on Chicago Microfinance Conference & How Innovations Expand the Reach of Savings
The following guest post was written by Lauren Dillon, a co-chair of the Chicago chapter of Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO) who works at Illinois-based nonprofit Oasis International. Innovation is at the heart of microfinance. It’s also the engine that propels it. Innovation is packed with chance, risk, fun, adventure! And, when coupled with microfinance, it helps bring opportunities to the people who need it most. Last week, a dozen of my fellow YAO members attended the 7th Annual Chicago…
Read MoreCongratulations to Our Tanzania Correspondent Contest Finalists!
Out of all the amazing entries we received in the last month for our Tanzania Correspondent Contest, our judges have made the tough choices and narrowed them down to our top 10. The judges chose people they thought would best use their skills to tell the stories of our Tanzanian women clients on an Insight Trip to Tanzania, and who best presented their ideas, meeting our criteria of creativity, clarity, originality and more. Now It’s Your Turn This is your chance to vote and help us pick the winners.…
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