Stories
Making Schools Better and More Accessible for all students
This fall, we are exploring eduction around the world. Through a careful study of the Ahobrase Academy in Ghana, we are studying how investing in education transforms the lives of students, families and entire communities. Join us. Full disclosure - I love school. I have always had a soft spot for life in the classroom - reading books, learning about the world around me, discussing big ideas and searching for answers to hard questions brings me great joy. And so it's no surprise that I want this…
Read MoreSchools as Job Creators
This fall, we are exploring eduction around the world. Through a careful study of the Ahobrase Academy in Ghana, we are studying how investing in education transforms the lives of students, families and entire communities. Join us. Ahobrase Academy has had an enormous impact on its community. As a result of the increased physical infrastructure, Ahobrase was able to grow from just a nursery school to a primary school, and then to a complete junior high school as well. With more students, the school…
Read MoreMeet Caroline Busch
This fall, we are celebrating education by highlighting incredible students and teachers around the world - including our friends right here at home. This week, I chatted with Caroline Busch, a high school Junior at Loyola Academy in Chicago. Caroline is starting an Opportunity club at her school with her sister Charlotte and her cousin Mary Goldberg - and we think she is awesome! Hi Caroline! Thanks for talking with us! Take a minute to introduce yourself. Who are you and what do you like to do? My…
Read MoreHow Schools Develop Community Infrastructure
This fall, we are exploring eduction around the world. Through a careful study of the Ahobrase Academy in Ghana, we are studying how investing in education transforms the lives of students, families and entire communities. Join us. Do you remember your elementary school? Mine was a red brick building just down the street from my home. It housed our second grade classroom - the one with the extra-high ceiling - that we turned into a life-sized ship to learn about the Mayflower. The third grade…
Read MoreLearning about Opportunity at Vacation Bible School
“When I grow up I want to be a dog!” “Oh yeah, well I want to be pizza!” Everyone, kids are hilarious. This summer, I served as the missions teacher at Vacation Bible School at First Presbyterian Church of River Forest. For three days, I had the joy of talking to elementary school kids about global poverty – sharing with them the stories of some of the amazing students I have met in my travels, and discussing how their daily lives look different from our own. We looked at pictures of…
Read MoreWhat We're Reading: Learning Unleashed in the Economist
This August, The Economist included an article celebrating the power of private education in the developing world. It’s a topic that we know well at Opportunity International – and our shared belief that private schools can be major change agents has motivated us to invest in private schools throughout Africa. We believe that accessible, high-quality schools can make all the difference for students trapped in generational poverty. And so when The Economist references “the fastest-growing…
Read MoreMeet Stella and Isabella
Stella Rose Anyodo is a 16-year-old student at Tororo Girls’ School in Soroti, Uganda. She dreams of becoming a Civil Engineer – and currently loves studying physics! When Stella’s father stopped receiving his salary, Stella was on the verge of dropping out of school. Thankfully, her mother applied and received a school fee loan from Opportunity International, enabling her to keep Stella in school. Stella expressed her fears, saying, “I thought I was going to leave school because they grade…
Read MoreIntroducing the Ahobrase Academy
This fall, we are exploring eduction around the world. Through a careful study of the Ahobrase Academy in Ghana, we are studying how investing in education transforms the lives of students, families and entire communities. Join us. I can't believe we are already in the back to school season. As the kids in my neighborhood gather their supplies, pack their backpacks and prepare for another year of learning, I can't help but remember my own education. I remember tough assignments and wise teachers.…
Read MoreMeet Rohit Dhake, Young Professional and Young Ambassador
This fall, we are celebrating education by highlighting incredible students and teachers around the world - including our friends right here at home. This week, I chatted with Rohit Dhake, a Young Ambassador in Chicago and a current MBA candidate at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Rohit served as our YAO-Chicago co-chair and is a great guy to know! Rohit, please introduce yourself! Tell us a bit more about who you are, what you do and what you like to do in your free time. My…
Read MoreThree Cheers for Coffee and Chocolate
While we appreciate sweet treats and caffeine here at home, coffee and chocolate are changing lives around the world! Coffee and cocoa are critical food crops that are empowering Africa to feed itself. In fact, in the first half of 2015, Opportunity disbursed 7,030 loans to coffee and cocoa farmers in Uganda and Ghana alone - and this number continues to grow as Opportunity helps more small-scale farmers harness their full potential. But what does this look like for farmers and their families? 1.…
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