News Blog
Read 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:
Read MoreRead With Us: June Book Club Selection
The sun is shining and we are ready for a few months of rest, relaxation, and reading. Instead of diving straight into the beach reads, we’re kicking off our summer reading by tackling a big, powerful book. This June, we are reading King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild. Described as \"a story of greed, terror, and heroism in colonial Africa,\" King Leopold's Ghost recounts the story of Belgium's King Leopold II's brutal destruction of the Congo in the 1890s. It's a heavy topic, to be sure,…
Read MoreA Message from Colombia
Elsa Martinez is an Opportunity client in Cartagena, Colombia. Recently, she shared her incredible story with us in her own words. We were moved and inspired, and wanted to pass along her powerful words to you. Hello friends, My name is Elsa and I live in Cartagena, Colombia. I want to share how you have impacted my life. When I was 9 years old, armed bandits arrived in my town. I was so afraid. Everyone had to leave immediately otherwise we would be killed…but where would an entire town go? We…
Read MoreCelebrating All Women on Mother's Day
While Opportunity International exists to empower people—especially women—to improve their lives, we did not pioneer the concept. Since the beginning of time, mothers and grandmothers have been naturally wired to instinctively know what their children need to survive and thrive. They are also wired to acquire those things above all else. I have learned so much about being a mom of grace from Opportunity moms.A few weeks ago, I became a first-time grandma or “mhamo.” I fretted over my daughter…
Read MoreRead With Us: May Book Club
We’ve been eagerly waiting for this month’s book to release, and now it’s finally here! Join us this month as we read Melinda Gates’ new book, The Moment of Lift. This will be one of the most talked-about books of the season—as Brené Brown put it, this book “changed how I think about myself, my family, my work, and what’s possible in the world.” Malala Yousafzai writes, “This book is an urgent manifesto for an equal society where all women are valued and recognized in all…
Read MorePowering Students' Futures with Clean Water and Sanitation
At the Best Start School in Ghana, a little girl proudly showed me the row of brightly colored bathroom stalls that lined the periphery of the property. She grinned as she pointed to the bold painted letters reading, “Girls Bathroom.” Outside of the stalls was a sink with running water, and the ground was carefully covered with tile. Next to the row of purple doors stood a water tank full of clean, drinkable water. Beyond that, there was an ever-growing block of classrooms. For the 466 students…
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