On a sparkling Saturday evening in Washington D.C., the Women’s Opportunity Network of Opportunity International honored a pioneering program and a special staff member in the field who are making an impact on women’s lives in the developing world. The first International Women’s Leadership Award of the night went to Teddy Ajiku, who has held a wide range of positions in her 10 years at Opportunity Uganda, from loan officer to branch manager, to her current position as international education liaison. Her breadth of experience has given her a deep understanding of our clients’ struggles and dreams. Teddy received her B.A. in social sciences from Makerere University with a focus on international relations.

Opportunity also recognized Goldman Sachs for its10,000 Women initiative, which provides underserved women around the world with a business and management education that fosters greater shared economic growth.Accepting on behalf of Goldman Sachs, Kim Azzarelli, vice president, Office of Corporate Engagement, said, “Goldman Sachs and Opportunity International both recognize that investing in women can have a tremendous impact in the lives of both individuals and broader communities. Last year, Goldman Sachs chose to make its single largest philanthropic investment in the empowerment of women.  Since we launched 10,000 Women, we can already see that our investment in business and management education for women around the world is one of the smartest investments we have ever made.” Speaking of Goldman Sachs’ partnership with Opportunity, Kim said, “We are particularly proud of our work with Opportunity International to provide education and microfinance job placement opportunities to women in select African countries to advance the status of women in the financial services sector.”

Opportunity International is grateful for Goldman Sachs’ support and for our thousands of staff members around the world who every day bring hope to people living in poverty.  For more information on the awards, you can link directly to the press release athttp://www.opportunity.org/WONawards.