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Carol Stream, Illinois 60132

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© 2026 Opportunity Internationala 501(c)3 nonprofit. EIN: 540907624.

News Blog

Meet Engelberto

by Lydia Baldridge Meier

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:20-22 Engelberto and his family lived in rural Colombia on a small farm near the village of Maria La Baja until one fateful day when everything changed. Hoping to be among the first to arrive at the marketplace in the morning to take advantage of early risers at his market stall, he jumped on the first bus before light. However, a group…

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Good Friday

by Lydia Baldridge Meier

Good Friday is a day that challenges many of us. We want to skip ahead to the joy and new life of Easter. However, that joy cannot be fully realized apart from the deep pain of the preceding Friday. Today, we think about that pain and the love it took to endure. But for Jesus’ disciples and followers, that pain was even deeper because on the very first Good Friday, they could not see that new life was just two days away. All they could see was hope dashed. A devotion I recently read discusses the…

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Easter and Rwanda

by Allison Kooser

When I think about Easter, I think about "re". Rebirth. Restoration. Reconciliation.  Redemption. And I think about where I have seen these beautiful things in action. I fell in love with East Africa while working in Rwanda in 2011. Beyond the rolling hills and  picturesque landscapes, the true beauty of Rwanda was in the people. Wide, bright smiles  greet you everywhere you go and sweet children hold your hand as you walk down the  street. It’s a country that has the sneaky ability to totally…

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Farmers Working to Feed Their Families

by Opportunity International

For many people living in extreme poverty, food scarcity is real - and feeding their families is an all-consuming, top-of-mind priority. It's not about preference or variety or deliciousness - it's about calories and energy and nutrients. It's about filling children's bellies so that they can go to school and learn. It's about eating enough to provide needed energy to make it through the day. It's about survival.  Opportunity's agricultural entrepreneurs are working to improve the quantity and…

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A Reflection on the Occasion of World Water Day

by Brad Skeba

I drank the water. There’s a reason a hotel in a place like this stocks at least four bottles of sealed water with each turndown. It’s not a surprise to find zero tumblers sitting rim-down next to the bathroom sink just waiting to be used. This is a Nice Hotel - perhaps the best in the city (country?) - and still the message is clear: In a hotel in a city in a country on a continent like this, you still don’t drink the water. Sorry, bottles on the house. - mgmt So, of course, I drank the water. It…

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Basketball and Joining the Team

by Allison Kooser

I am a huge March Madness fan. I love Davidson College basketball, so I'll be cheering for my Wildcats as they take on the Iowa Hawkeyes tonight. But even if basketball isn't your thing, I think there are valuable lessons to be learned from the NCAA Tournament. Already we have seen major upsets this tournament. To me, these surprise victories remind me that anything is possible. And in my line of work at Opportunity International, I need all the reminders I can get that sometimes the underdog wins.…

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Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

by Allison Kooser

Last year, Forbes released the results of a study conducted by Gallup that surveyed over 1,000 people to discover 10 traits of successful entrepreneurs. I recently returned to this article and was struck by the characteristics they identified. These traits - things like confidence, determination and relationship-building - describe Opportunity International clients beautifully.  It shouldn't come as a surprise that Opportunity's clients exemplify the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs,…

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Looking Ahead: The Future of Love

by Allison Kooser

"It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done." - Vincent van Gogh For the past several weeks, we have celebrated love here at Opportunity International. We have acknowledged and honored the many relationships and communities that make our work possible. And this celebration of love matters. But it is also just the beginning.  Love is not the end game - it is the underlying…

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Looking Back at Love

by Allison Kooser

For the last month, we've been celebrating love here at Opportunity International. I've enjoyed being a part of conversations about the love shared between clients and loan officers, husbands and wives, parents and children and trust group members. These many relationships are at the core of Opportunity's work and extend the impact of our work - transforming the lives of not just individuals, but entire communities.  In case you missed any of the great things happening this month, we've rounded…

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Advancing the World's Women

by Vicki Escarra

This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post in honor of International Women's Day.  I saw an interesting report recently from the International Labour Organization that lists the percentage of women working in managerial positions in 108 countries. I was surprised there are only three countries—Jamaica, Colombia and Saint Lucia—where you are more likely to have a female rather than a male boss. Among developed nations, the United States ranks 15th with 42.7 percent women in managerial…

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