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PO Box 2826
Carol Stream, Illinois 60132

Toll Free: 1-800-793-9455

© 2023 Opportunity Internationala 501(c)3 nonprofit. EIN: 540907624.

News Blog

50 for 50: 7 Bible Verses to Inspire and Encourage You

by Opportunity International

Many things about Opportunity International have changed since our founding, but one thing has remained unchanged for the last 50 years: the heart behind our work. Our motivation is clear: We respond to Jesus Christ's call to love and serve the poor. We seek to emulate the Good Samaritan, whose compassion crossed ethnic groups and religions. We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Each year, our philanthropy team chooses a Bible verse to serve as inspiration. The verse…

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50 for 50: Founders Circle Award Winners Ken Vander Weele and Larry Reed

by Opportunity International

On Saturday, February 20, 2021, we presented the first of a series of 50th anniversary awards. The first Founders Circle Awards went to a group of Opportunity International pioneers who helped us innovate our strategies and programs to better serve clients. These awards celebrate the earliest days of initiatives that have come to define Opportunity's work—and we are so excited to go back and remember how these programs began. In 1998, then-Opportunity Network CEO Larry Reed issued a Change or Die…

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50 for 50: Founders Circle Award Winner John Magnay

by Opportunity International

On Saturday, February 20, 2021, we presented the first of a series of 50th anniversary awards. The first Founders Circle Awards went to a group of Opportunity International pioneers who helped us innovate our strategies and programs to better serve clients. These awards celebrate the earliest days of initiatives that have come to define Opportunity's work—and we are so excited to go back and remember how these programs began. In the early 2000s, Opportunity Bank of Malawi noticed a challenge facing…

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50 for 50: Founders Circle Award Winner Richard Leftley

by Opportunity International

On Saturday, February 20, 2021, we presented the first of a series of 50th anniversary awards. The first Founders Circle Awards went to a group of Opportunity International pioneers who helped us innovate our strategies and programs to better serve clients. These awards celebrate the earliest days of initiatives that have come to define Opportunity's work—and we are so excited to go back and remember how these programs began. In 2004, a young Opportunity International employee wrote a white paper…

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50 for 50: Founders Circle Award Winners Susy Cheston, Martha Cray, Jill Dailey Smith, and Linda Vander Weele

by Opportunity International

On Saturday, February 20, 2021, we presented the first of a series of 50th anniversary awards. The first Founders Circle Awards went to a group of Opportunity International pioneers who helped us innovate our strategies and programs to better serve clients. These awards celebrate the earliest days of initiatives that have come to define Opportunity's work—and we are so excited to go back and remember how these programs began. In the early 1990s, a group of Opportunity International donors in the…

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What we know (and don't know) about School Reopening Plans

by Catherine O'Shea

    “When will schools reopen in-person classes?”   “Will parents send children back to school?”  “How will learners catch up after so much lost time?”  “Will all students have a school to return to?”   The questions are known and have been echoed around the world, as countries have wrestled with balancing student and educator safety amidst an ongoing pandemic against the massive risks of learning loss. The answers are more complex, shift on a sometimes daily basis, and…

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50 for 50: Founders Circle Award Winner Chris Crane

by Opportunity International

On Saturday, February 20, 2021, we presented the first of a series of 50th anniversary awards. The first Founders Circle Awards went to a group of Opportunity International pioneers who helped us innovate our strategies and programs to better serve clients. These awards celebrate the earliest days of initiatives that have come to define Opportunity's work—and we are so excited to go back and remember how these programs began. Enjoy the first spotlight on a winner: In 2005 and 2006, then-Opportunity…

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50 for 50: Our History, Chapter 2: David Bussau

by Opportunity International

Opportunity International's story began in 1971 with the vision of Al Whittaker and the relentless entrepreneurial spirit of Carlos Moreno, a small business owner in Colombia. As Al was beginning his work in Latin America and raising support for microloans in Washington DC, another innovative humanitarian leader was exploring similar opportunities on the other side of the world. David Bussau grew up in an Anglican boys' home in Australia and began his own entrepreneurial journey by renting a hot…

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Governor Spotlight: Dawn Helwig

by Allison Kooser

When Dawn Helwig’s youngest daughter traveled to Tanzania with her college class 10 years ago, she met a group of women that were building their businesses using microloans—and she immediately texted her mother.  “She told me, 'this is what you need to do when you retire,'” Dawn remembered. “She had me pegged. I was a finance person, and she knew this was something that would interest me.”  After graduating from college, Dawn’s daughter got involved with Young Ambassadors for Opportunity…

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50 for 50: A look back at Insight Trips

by Opportunity International

Throughout our history, we have had the honor and privilege to travel to the field to meet Opportunity International clients; visit their homes and businesses; and be inspired by their incredible tenacity, compassion, and hard work. These trips, known today as Insight Trips, have opened our eyes and hearts — and helped us build relationships with new friends around the world. Travel around the world — and back in time — with us as we remember some of our favorite Insight Trip moments over the…

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