News Blog
Read With Us: October Book Club Selection
Have you read something great recently? As a community of book enthusiasts, we love getting recommendations from all of you. Let us know if you have a new must-read book to add to our list! Here at the Opportunity Book Club, we just finished reading The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. We became fans of Adichie while reading her books, Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists (add those to your reading list, too!), and we loved diving into her short story collection this…
Read MoreTaste of Home: What's on my plate
Chicagoans are partial to their hot dogs and New Yorkers claim their pizza is the best. Food has always played a critical role in our communities. We gather with our families, friends, and neighbors over a meal for a multitude of reasons, and we spend countless hours thinking about what we want to eat next—but how often think about what dinner looks like for our global neighbors living in poverty? Pull up a chair and join us as we share virtual meals around the world! Less than $35 a month…
Read More5 Unforgettable Lines from Gates Goalkeepers
Each year, Bill and Melinda Gates release a report that compiles data on our collective global progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. This Goalkeepers report is a touchstone for those of us in the development community. It reminds us of the progress we have already made, and that optimism is supported by overwhelming data that the world is indeed getting better. At the same time, it calls us to action—pointing to the wise investments, critical changes, and big opportunities the Gates…
Read MoreDigital Financial Services for Women in India
Rosa Wang serves as Opportunity’s Global Director of Digital Financial Services, leading the organization’s digital strategy. These content below was first shared at the Ideagen conference in Athens, Greece in August 2019. As the Global Director of Digital Financial Services at Opportunity International, I’m focused on one key goal: bringing digital technologies to those living in poverty. These are people—disproportionately women—who are often illiterate and living without running water…
Read MoreRead With Us: September Book Club Selection
In this back-to-school season, we are feeling extra motivated to read great books! Last month, we explored A State of Freedom by Neel Mukherjee. This collection of short stories was set in modern-day India and long-listed for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. Like so much of what we have been reading this year, it was both beautiful and devastating, and it opened our eyes to some painful realities of the world. This month, we’re sticking with short stories, but traveling to Africa. Join…
Read MoreRead With Us: August Book Club Selection
With the last days of summer looming, we're squeezing in as many books as we can before the fall gets underway. Which book from your summer list did you love the most? Before we get to our August selection, let's take a quick look back at what we read last month: Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras. Inspired by her personal story, Contreras’ novel recounted the story of an unlikely friendship—and taught us all about Colombia at the height of Pablo Escobar’s reign. If you…
Read MoreViews from Colombia
Colombia will captivate your eyes and taste buds as one of South America's most vibrant countries. In a nation that was once known for devastating conflict and despair, you will discover its true beauty through the inspiring, resilient people who are redefining their homeland. While traveling on an Insight Trip to Colombia, you'll explore Bogota's breathtaking architecture, wander the famous streets of Cartagena, and sip on Colombia's world-renowned coffee while enjoying their famous \"ajiaco\" soup.…
Read MoreRead With Us: July Book Club Selection
It's officially the season of vacation, relaxation, and sunny afternoons—which means it's time to pick up a great book! Last month, we read King Leopold's Ghost, a sad, harrowing story about King Leopold II's capture of the territory surrounding the Congo River. We were particularly struck by this truth: \"And yet the world we live in—its divisions and conflicts, its widening gap between rich and poor, its seemingly inexplicable outbursts of violence—is shaped far less by what we celebrate…
Read MoreRemembering Refugees on #WorldRefugeeDay
In a small town in Colombia, Miriam poses with her puppy in her lap. She appears like many of her neighbors—hard-working, welcoming, greeting our team with a smile. But things have not always been easy for Miriam. She is Venezuelan, and two years ago, she fled to Colombia as a refugee. As she explained, “In my country there was a very unstable economic situation. I was a widow and my son lived in Panamá. The economic, political, and social situation in Venezuela eventually forced me to leave…
Read MoreAtul Tandon on the Ideagen Podcast
Opportunity International CEO Atul Tandon sat down with the team at Ideagen to discuss extreme poverty, innovative financial solutions, and the exciting future that's ahead of us. Watch two clips or listen to the full episode below. Clip 1: Our 3 Biggest Challenges Clip 2: Why We're Optimistic Full episode:
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