Stories
Christy Turlington Burns Visits Opportunity Tanzania with Every Mother Counts
At the end of August, Christy Turlington Burns, Opportunity International partner, model and philanthropist, took a day out from her family vacation in Tanzania to see our Arusha branch. Christy is the founder of Every Mother Counts, an advocacy and mobilization campaign that increases education and support for maternal mortality worldwide, and the director/producer of the documentary film, No Woman, No Cry. In Arusha, she met with staff and clients, including Stanley Tsikirayi, CEO of Opportunity…
Read More9/11 Eleven Years On–Turning a Tragedy into Good Deeds
By Opportunity International on September 11, 2012 Eleven years ago, Americans faced one of the biggest national tragedies of their lifetimes. We are all honoring that tragedy, as well as the sacrifices and heroism of all the victims–passengers on the hijacked flights; those in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon; and the police, firefighters and other first responders–and their families, with tributes, ceremonies and religious services. Today, 11 years after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, people…
Read MoreWhat We’re Watching: IDP Rising Schools Brings Better Education to Ghanaian Kids
About IDP A growing body of research reveals many of the world’s most impoverished parents choose to send their children to private schools instead of subsidized or free government schools. These private schools are owned and operated by local school proprietors who charge an affordable tuition to parents who demand higher accountability than the government sector can provide. However, despite growing market demand, low-cost private schools lack access to many basic services. In response to this…
Read MoreWhat We’re Pinning: Cities Around the World
Opportunity works in more than 20 countries around the world, and many of our clients live in urban areas. So this week, we pinned some of our favorite urban landscapes from countries that we work in. What’s your favorite city in the world? Mexico City skyline. Makati City in the Philippines. A neighborhood in Kigali, Rwanda. Nyando Slums in Nairobi, Kenya. Beautiful Cartagena, Colombia. Kampala, Uganda.
Read MoreFirst Day with Vicki Escarra, Our New CEO
Watch our video with Opportunity‘s new CEO Vicki Escarra. Get to know Vicki and welcome her in comments below or on Facebook. Vicki Escarra'a First Day from Opportunity International on Vimeo.
Read MoreThe Fruits of their Labor
As we celebrate our Monday off for Labor Day, most of us don’t realize it’s a national holiday started by the labor movement to honor the achievements of working people with a much-needed day of rest. Our clients are some of the hardest-working people we know and so we wanted to take a moment to lift up just a few of them in honor of this U.S. holiday. Below, meet three resourceful, energetic entrepreneurs who are transforming their lives through Opportunity, ingenuity and very hard work. Have…
Read MoreMeet Our Staff: How World Travel Brought Me Home to YAO
For the past month, when people have asked me how I am doing, I have answered, “I’m living the dream!” As the new manager of Young Ambassadors for Opportunity, I spend my days interacting with smart, motivated, and fascinating individuals, travelling around the country strengthening communities of like-minded people in YAO chapters, and developing plans to better inspire, educate, and involve young leaders in the work of Opportunity International. Most importantly, I go to work each day knowing…
Read MoreWhat We’re Pinning: Entrepreneurs & Labor Day
Opportunity wouldn’t exist without the hard work of the millions of entrepreneurs around the world that we are blessed to have as clients. In honor of Labor Day and our clients’ tireless efforts, here are some of our favorite entrepreneurial pins of the week! Let’s hear it for the entrepreneurs of the world! Success requires a leap of faith and an ability to fill in the gap. (Pin via social entrepreneurship incubator Panzanzee) Infographic: Who are the entrepreneurs and what are they up…
Read MoreAn Education and a Brighter Future for Nicaraguan Girls
The following post was written by actress and Young Ambassador Malin Akerman about her July visit to Opportunity’s Emprendedora School in Granada, Nicaragua. It was first published on the Half the Sky movement‘s blog. For more blog posts by Malin, click here. For information on Opportunity’s partnership with Half the Sky, visit opportunity.org/halfthesky. In late July, I took a whirlwind, one-day trip to Granada, Nicaragua. I arrived in this poverty-stricken country and we spent one full day…
Read MorePaying it Forward
“I’m at a point in my life where I want to give back,” was his response. “You know, kind of pay it forward.” At the end of the training session for my alma mater’s mentoring program (I volunteer to help college students with their professional development) I had asked my fellow volunteer why he chose to participate. When he said “pay it forward” his tone of voice was unmistakably happy and perfectly genuine, while his face told the story of someone who had worked hard, had been greeted…
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