Stories
Meet Alexa from YAO-New York
Hi, I'm Alexa. I am a Portfolio Manager in Capital One’s Public Finance group. I specialize in New Market Tax Credits providing below market rate financing to catalyze development in low income neighborhoods. I am also building an Alternative Energy investment and production tax credit business. I became involved with YAO because I wanted to leverage my finance background to give back to the community. YAO is also a great way to connect with young professionals interested in microfinance and to…
Read MoreEntrepreneurcast: Meet Amanda Britt, Founder and CEO of Panzanzee
The Young Ambassadors for Opportunity network is comprised of hundreds of amazing young leaders committed to making a sustainable impact in the fight against global poverty. These Young Ambassadors not only advocate, educate and fundraise on behalf of Opportunity International, but they also create innovative and influential solutions to big challenges through their careers. We thought it was time to celebrate these accomplishments. Each month, we will meet a Young Ambassador who is also an entrepreneur…
Read MoreChatting with Thomas Balya Bugembe, a School Proprietor in Uganda
On Wednesday, February 12, Campus Ambassadors and Young Ambassadors for Opportunity welcomed Thomas Balya Bugembe for a live chat. Thomas is a school proprietor in Uganda who has grown the Maryhill Primary School and Kindergarten outside of Kampala, Uganda from 37 students to over 700 students with tools and training from Opportunity International. One of 13 children, Thomas and his brother were the only two siblings who were able to go to secondary school. After briefly attending seminary, Thomas…
Read MoreVicki Escarra on global reach, impact and technology
Opportunity CEO Vicki Escarra has been featured on the Chicago Tribune’s Blue Sky Innovation, a premium website and digital publication aimed at the growing community of innovation-minded business professionals and philanthropists in Chicago and around America. The interview highlights the mission of Opportunity International and how the organization creates innovative products and services to help clients in even the most remote areas of the world. “We are currently leading the industry…
Read MoreFacts about Extreme Poverty
Although the world has seen a reduction in poverty over the last few decades, approximately 1.2 billion people still face extreme poverty daily. Here is a blog that contains facts about the populations living in poverty.
Read MoreMeet JP from YAO-Los Angeles
Hi! I'm JP from YAO-Los Angeles! I live in Los Angeles and work for various film and television companies. I started out as a Production Assistant, but have been quickly making my way through the ranks. My most recent shows have both been on the Food Network: Cutthroat Kitchen & Next Food Network Star. I hope to continue working in the production world as long as opportunities keep presenting themselves. I spend my free time working at church doing youth ministry, leading bible studies, and helping…
Read MoreMeet Julia from YAO-DC
I'm Julia and I'm a member of YAO-DC! I am a nurse in the Emergency Department at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. In my free time I enjoy experimenting with new recipes in my kitchen, exploring the outdoors hiking, running, biking, and traveling to new places. I am a Young Ambassador because I saw with my own eyes the difference micro loans made in the lives of women and their families on an insight trip in the Dominican Republic and was inspired to get involved. Learn…
Read MoreMeet Abbey from YAO-Denver
Hi, I'm Abbey and I'm a part of YAO-Denver! I am a high school Spanish teacher at Monarch High School, just outside of Boulder, Colorado. I love to spend my winters snowboarding, sewing and hanging out with close friends. During the summers, I explore the mountains, travels abroad (if I can) and always visit my sweet home, Chicago! Traveling abroad and communicating with new people are two of my major passions. After traveling to Argentina and Central America to study, to adventure and to serve,…
Read MoreLive Chat with Michael Okleme
This week, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity and Campus Ambassadors welcomed Michael Okleme to their first live chat of the year. Michael worked for Opportunity as a loan officer and relationship manager in Ghana, and now works as a fundraiser for Opportunity in the US. As a loan officer, Michael directly served over 600 people working their way out of poverty. Later, as a relationship manager, he helped to double the capacity of his branch and led a team of loan officers working to empower clients.…
Read MoreChoose Nonviolence on Martin Luther King Day
The King Center is celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by inspiring and educating youth to "Choose Nonviolence." In a press release from earlier this month, Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center, stated that this year's theme "underscores the urgency of Dr. King’s challenge to people of every nation to choose nonviolence as a way of life, as well as a method for peaceful social change." At Opportunity International, we’re constantly inspired by Dr. King’s impassioned…
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