Stories
End the year with a memoir
This December, join us as we read The Country Under My Skin: A Memoir of Love and War by Gioconda Belli. Belli grew up as part of Nicaragua’s upper class, living the charmed life set before her. But in 1970, everything changed. She joined the Sandinistas—the political and military organization that overthrew the existing Nicaraguan government in 1979—and over the course of 20 years, worked her way up to what the book describes as the “highest, and often the most dangerous, levels.”
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Empowering the Next Generation
In my role as Head of the Financial Inclusion Initiative at Credit Suisse, I recently traveled to Uganda to see first-hand the impact of Opportunity International’s education work.
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Planting Seeds of Hope: Supporting Smallholder Farmers in Rwanda
In agricultural communities, every seed planted is a symbol of possibility. Amid so many unknowns, farmers work the land with hope. They look to the future—focused on what could be and learning into the potential of their plots. Like farmers around the world, Rwandans know that with hard work, focus, and the right conditions, tomorrow can be better than today.
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Think fast! (Or think slow!)
Research shows that each of us makes more than 35,000 decisions a day. In his bestselling book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, psychologist Daniel Kahneman dives into the two ways our brains handle the decisions in front of us.
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Portrait of a Waymaker Goes on the Road
In December 2021, Opportunity’s first immersive art experience Portrait of a Waymaker made its debut as a virtual art gallery featuring 10 illuminating portraits accompanied by narration from our clients and our field experts.
Read MoreContext Matters: Expanding EduFinance to Ethiopia
The median age in Ethiopia is only 19.5 years—and about 40% of the population is under the age of 15. This enormous youth population presents both a challenge and an opportunity. With so much potential to learn, grow, and lead, these young people could transform the future of Ethiopia.
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Passport to Opportunity: Uganda
On September 25, Opportunity International embarked on our second annual virtual Insight Trip—this time to Uganda. Our tour guide, Alice Lajwa, who works directly with those we serve, took us on a journey to better understand the challenges our neighbors around the world face and how we can help create opportunities for them to rise out of poverty.
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Audacious Relationships: How leaning into one another is the path to doing great things
I will always remember the moment Atul Tandon stood on stage at our cabi conference and told us it was possible for extreme poverty to end within our lifetime. This felt impossible. As he continued, he painted a picture of united groups of people rallied around this goal, sharing benchmarks of decade by decade decreases in those dangerously below the poverty line. My skepticism faded quickly as hope rushed in like a flood. I love an audacious goal and this one felt deeply important and meaningful…
Read MoreOf Baseball, Faith, and Legacy: Jerry Zamzow
Jerry Zamzow has been a Houston Astros season ticket holder since 1986. Not long after that, he met his mentor, friend, and fellow Opportunity supporter Dick Hoefs at St. Martins Lutheran Church in Houston. As any diehard baseball knows, faith and baseball--not to mention patience and humility--are inextricably linked.
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A novel fit for fall
Purple Hibiscus tells the story of teenage siblings in Nigeria—children who have a seemingly wonderful life but whose secrets are tearing them apart. The New Yorker described Adichie as “one of the most vital and original novelists of her generation,” and The Washington Post Book World called Purple Hibiscus “breathtaking.”
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