Stories
Hopes for my Baby Boy
Mother’s Day may be over, but the stories of strong Moms continue. The following post is from Mari Gottlieb, a Young Ambassador for Opportunity and Co-Chair of YAO-San Diego. I am expecting my first child this summer, a baby boy named Hunter. As I await Hunter’s arrival, I spend hours each day thinking about the endless possibilities and my hopes and dreams for him. Will Hunter have my freckles? Will he share my husband’s passion for math? I hope that Hunter will be healthy, that he will have…
Read MoreCelebrating Women Helping Women
This weekend, we celebrate Mother’s Day and the women in our lives who love, nurture, and empower us to reach our full potential. At Opportunity International, we recognize the remarkable power of one woman to change the world. That’s why we founded the Women’s Opportunity Network, a community of dynamic trailblazers, corporate and government leaders, entrepreneurs and philanthropists committed to helping Opportunity International empower women to improve their lives, strengthen their families…
Read MoreOpportunity International’s Staff Celebrates Our Moms
This Mother’s Day, Opportunity International’s staff is joining the Invest in One. Honor Mom. campaign to celebrate the important women in our lives. We’ve honored our mothers, sisters, wives, friends, and mentors – even our 4 legged friends joined in to create tributes patches! Here is a glimpse at Opportunity International’s Mother’s Day messages. To HopeDear human mom . . . I can’t thank you enough for all the wonderful things you do for me. Feed me – really good people food, walk…
Read MoreWhy I am Living Below the Line
Last week Young Ambassador for Opportunity member Ashley Luse participated in the Live Below the Line Challenge. She shares her motivation below: Consider this encouraging statistic: The share of people living in extreme poverty in the developing world has been halved in the last 2 decades (from 43 percent in 1990 to 21 percent in 2010). Truly exciting. But 1.4 billion people across the world still live in extreme poverty. To put that into perspective, 1.4 billion is nearly 5 times the population…
Read MoreLiving Below the Line with My Family
“I’m going to send my grandchildren a food parcel.” – my mother “Can I give you a loan so you can buy more food? Very low interest rate, you can pay me back over the next month.” – my boss“Would you like to come over for dinner – is that allowed?” – my friend My well meaning friends have found it strange to think that we – Harry, me and our three kids aged 13, 11 and 6 – are about to embark on a week without food. I, too, thought it would be extremely difficult to live on…
Read MoreWhy I’m Giving Up Choices for a Week
In a few weeks, I’m going to take the Live Below the Line challenge. For five days, I’ll spend just $1.50 each day on food to raise funds and awareness for the 1.4 billion people worldwide who have to live below the extreme poverty line every day. Living in suburban Chicago, it can be difficult to really grasp the effects of extreme poverty. I’ve traveled to parts of the world where hunger is a fact of life; however, in my everyday life here at home, I don’t always feel compelled by a sense…
Read MoreClinton Global Initiative University 2010
Opportunity International and leaders from our Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO)group will be at CGI-U this week participating in the conference. You can watch the live webcast here
Read MoreDoes the Shoe Fit?
Day 2: Opportunity International Philippines Insight Trip As I reflect on the experiences of the day, in the hopes of choosing one to highlight in this blog, my thoughts drift to Imelda Marcos – the wife of Former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. I’m thinking of her shoe fetish—she had over 3,000 pairs of shoes at one time, 765 of which today are on exhibit in the local Marikina Shoe Museum—and I think: how on earth did she choose which shoes to wear every morning? Renewed by the idea…
Read MoreStep Into Someone Else’s Shoes
Mandy is a Young Ambassador for Opportunity in Houston, Texas and is Living Below the Line for Opportunity from April 29-May 3. Join her in the challenge, support her fundraiser, and learn more at https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/favouritethings. I was raised with a sense of responsibly for my community; I learned that if I don’t do something to help to change my immediate community and world, no one will. I volunteer at soup kitchens, donate clothes and household items to those less fortunate,…
Read MoreEvery moment show up stupid
Day 1: Opportunity International Philippines Insight Trip I showed up very stupid this morning in a country that I hadn’t intended to visit last night. Flight delays and missed connections due to electrical difficulties—our plane wouldn’t start—took us to Tokyo, rather than Manila, last night. When we arrived in our hotel room, sometime in the middle of the night and eager for a hot shower, I couldn’t figure out how to coordinate the three knobs to turn the water on; after figuring it out,…
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