Blog Archives

Fireside Chat with CEO Adrian Merryman #BOG09

By Eliza Griffith on October 4, 2009

The “Fireside Chat” with Adrian Merryman, the CEO of Opportunity’s Global Leadership Team, is an annual hit. It’s not just a simple information sharing session when you sit in that room, but the stirring of a fire within as you are inspired by Adrian’s passion for and commitment to seeing the lives of our clients Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, Our Work
Tagged Adrian Merryman, Board of Governors, CEO, Global Leadership Team, Opportunity Network, Women, Women's Philanthropy

Live: Ward Brehm Encounters the Power of Empowerment #BOG09

By Sonja Egeland Kelly on October 3, 2009

Ward Brehm delivered Friday night’s keynote address at the Board of Governors Conference. What a powerful story he has to tell. It is a story he tells on behalf of those who have no voice. Former chairman of the United States Africa Development Foundation (USADF), Brehm has walked among those living in chronic poverty. In Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, Our Work, Rural Outreach
Tagged Board of Governors, Board of Governors Conference, Conference, Opportunity International, Poverty, The American dream, United States Africa Development Foundation, USADF, Ward Brehm

Live: Dale Hanson Bourke Inspires Board of Governors #BOG09

By Sonja Egeland Kelly on October 3, 2009

I am always surprised by Opportunity supporters. It is not that I do not expect them to be exceptional, or that I do not see them as leaders. It is the fact that they are such impressive people, and they simultaneously care so deeply for the poor. Dale Hanson Bourke is an amazing woman. She is Read more…

Posted in Insight Trips, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation
Tagged #BOG09, Africa, AIDS Orphan Bracelet Project, CIDRZ Foundation, Dale Hanson Bourke, HIV/AIDS, Insight Trip, Passion and Purpose, Second Calling, The Skeptic's Guide to Global Poverty, Women

Live: Roger Thurow Insists There is "Enough." #BOG09

By Sonja Egeland Kelly on October 2, 2009

Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman’s compelling book Enough: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty tells the story of the world’s food. It raises the question of supply and demand, which is easy to understand even if you were not an economics major. There is enough food to feed everyone in the world. Read more…

Posted in Loans, Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work, Rural Outreach, What We're Reading
Tagged #BOG09, Africa, and Kenya, Board of Governors, Board of Governors Conference, Client Stories, Conference, Crop insurance, Enough, Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty, Ethiopia, Farmer, Francis Pelekamoyo, Ghana, Hunger, Loans, Malawi, Mozambique, Opportunity International, Passion, Roger Thurow, Rural lending, Rwanda, Scott Kilman, Sought Africa

Daniel Taylor: Tell Me A Story #BOG09

By Eliza Griffith on October 2, 2009

Hi! Let me tell you a story. Doesn’t your body, your soul just lean in a bit when you hear that? Oh please, tell me! Human beings live in stories. Today, Opportunity International’s Board of Governors begins its fall conference – Share her story, Change your world. Daniel Taylor, a professor of literature and writing at Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation
Tagged #BOG09, Board of Governors, Board of Governors Conference, Client Stories, Conference, Daniel Taylor

Live From The Opportunity International Board of Governors Conference Fall 2009

By Sonja Egeland Kelly on October 2, 2009

It’s about encouragement. It’s about inspiration. It’s about coming together on behalf of those living in chronic poverty. The Opportunity International Board of Governors Conference brings Opportunity supporters from all over the country to one location for one common purpose: to serve the poor. They hear stories from the field, learn about new trends in Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, Our Work, Strategic Partners
Tagged Adrian Merryman, Board of Governors, Caterpillar Foundation, CEO, CIDRZ Foundation, Clients, Conference, Dale Hanson Bourke, Golda Osekre-Mensah, Henrietta Isaac, Kadita "A.T." Tshibaka, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Roger Thurow, Speakers, Ward Brehm, William Ball

Spotlight from the Field: Naomi and her Royal Seed Orphanage

By Sonja Egeland Kelly on September 30, 2009

Naomi. I have never met a woman so determined to make a difference. Her bright eyes sparkled, her hands showed the toughness that comes from work, and from her mouth poured words of encouragement and empowerment. I had the pleasure to meet Naomi and tour her Royal Seed Orphanage in Ghana while on an Insight Read more…

Posted in Faith in Action, Insight Trips, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work
Tagged Client Stories, Education, Ghana, Insight Trip, Loans, Opportunity International, Orphanage, Orphans, Schools, Women

Painters, Activists & Engineers at the Clinton Global Initiative

By Rob Meloche on September 25, 2009

On the last evening of The Clinton Global Initiative, I ended up chatting with the following three people: a painter who uses his art to teach children in Mexico about tolerance and peace, a small business loan officer who works for a community development organization in Harlem, and an engineer who is piloting a solar Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Mission and Vision
Tagged Activists, Banking on Education, Clinton Global Initiative, Harlem, Laureate Wangari Maathai, Mexico, Nobel Peace Prize, Pakistan, Poverty, Social Change

Investing in Women and Girls

By Ruth-Anne Renaud on September 24, 2009

According the to the UN, women undertake 66% of the world’s work. They produce 50% of the worlds food. In spite of this, they earn only 10% of the world’s income. And they own only 1% of the world’s property. With statistics like these, it is no wonder that the Clinton Global Initiative emphasizes the Read more…

Posted in Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Our Motivation, Our Work, Women's Opportunity Network
Tagged #CGI09, Banking on Education, Clinton Global Initiative, Education, Kadita "A.T." Tshibaka, Madeline Albright, Secretary of State, Women

Initiating Change in Education: Opportunity’s CGI Commitment at 2:45 p.m. EST #cgi09

By Sonja Egeland Kelly on September 23, 2009

Ambitions soar, hope floats, and change hangs in the air each year at the Clinton Global Initiative. This year is no exception. Today (Wednesday), at 2:45 p.m. EST, Madeline Albright will spotlight Opportunity International as a key player in the advancement of opportunities for children in the developing world. By introducing tuition savings accounts, school Read more…

Posted in Events, Our Leadership, Our Mission and Vision, Our Work
Tagged #CGI09, Children, Clinton Global Initiative, Community, Education, Ending Poverty, Kadita "A.T." Tshibaka, Madeline Albright, Opportunity International, Savings, School fee loans, School financing, Schools, Secretary of State, Tuition savings accounts

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