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Cracking the Code on Food Security: YAO Leader Samantha Snabes Uses Technology to End Hunger
“The Opportunity International Conference changed my life,” says Young Ambassador Samantha Snabes. The fall 2011 conference, says the NASA “social entrepreneur in residence,” was the moment when she became inspired to take action to do her part to end global poverty. Shortly thereafter, she became part of Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO) and is currently working Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, app, crop yields, crops, David Kone, Dr. Norman Borlaug, Ending Hunger, Ending Poverty, Engineers Without Borders, Financial services, Food security, Geralyn Sheehan, Granada, Hunger, NASA, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Opportunity Nicaragua, Smallholder farmer, south america, USAID, world food prize, YAO, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity, yucca, yucca processing plant
Minnesota Supporters Spin, Discuss and Dine, Taking Action for our Clients
This November, Opportunity International supporters in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area were busy holding fundraising and awareness-raising events for the sake of our clients. Meet two Minnesota supporters — Cassie Burns and Steve Waters — who each share their experiences hosting recent get-togethers in their hometown. Cassie was co-host of a panel discussion with local women Read more…
Tagged Bogotá, Bonnie St. John, Cartagena, Colombia, donors, Ending Poverty, fundraisers, How Great Women Lead, Insight Trip, Loans, Microfinance, Minneapolis, Nicaragua, Noemi Vivas Ocaña, Online fundraising, Opportunity International, Opportunity Nicaragua, Vicki Escarra, women entrepreneurs, Women Leaders
It’s More Exciting than Landing a Movie with Tom Cruise
The following post was written by actress and Young Ambassador, Malin Akerman. A couple weeks ago in L.A., I had the pleasure of reuniting with two incredible women, Geralyn Sheehan, Program Director at Opportunity Nicaragua, and Debbie Levin, President of the Environmental Media Association (EMA). I met Debbie when I got involved with EMA’s School Read more…
Tagged Abbi Antablin, Agriculture, Blogs, Children, Education, Emprendedora School, Events, Facebook, Geralyn Sheehan, Granada, Latin America, Loan Officer, Loans, Los Angeles, Malin Akerman, Nicaragua, Online fundraising, Opportunity International, Opportunity Nicaragua, Schools, Social Media, Students, tourism, Twitter, YAO, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
Young Ambassador Malin Akerman at EMA Event on Opportunity Nicaragua at the Microsoft Experience
Environmentalists, Opportunity staff, and some of Hollywood’s finest came together to support entrepreneurship, microfinance and education at last week’s benefit hosted by Malin Akerman and the Environmental Media Association (EMA). The benefit raised funds for Opportunity Nicaragua’s Emprendedora School, located near Granada. Microsoft generously hosted the event at its new venue, The Microsoft Experience, and Read more…
Tagged Abbi Antablin, actress, Agriculture, Education, Emprendedora School, Geralyn Sheehan, Granada, Loans, Los Angeles, Malin Akerman, Microfinance, Nicaragua, Opportunity International, Opportunity Nicaragua, Schools, Students, tourism, Women, YAO, yao-los angeles, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
An 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 Read more…
Tagged Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Children, Community, Education, Emprendedora School, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Geralyn Sheehan, Girls, Granada, Latin America, Malin Akerman, Microfinance, Nicaragua, Opportunity International, Opportunity Nicaragua, Schools, Technology, Women, Women's Philanthropy, YAO, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
What We’re Reading: Darcy Deane on How Great Women Lead in Teen Vogue and More
Seventeen-year-old Darcy Deane and her mom, Bonnie St. John, wrote the book on inspiring female leaders. In How Great Women Lead: A Mother-Daughter Adventure into the Lives of Women Shaping the World, the co-authors profile some of the world’s most inspiring women–from Hillary Rodham Clinton; to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; to Sharon Allen, the first female Read more…
Tagged Board of Governors, Bonnie St. John, Darcy Deane, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Global Poverty, Hillary Clinton, How Great Women Lead, local staff, Microfinance, Nicaragua, Noemi Vivas Ocaña, Opportunity International, Opportunity Nicaragua, Poverty, what we're reading, Women, Women Leaders
Partnering with Nicaraguan Yucca Farmers to Increase Their Profits
A pungent, unfamiliar, almost rancid but still sweet, scent hit my nostrils: freshly ground yucca meets a growling grinder. Five men man the contraption: one filling the large funnel, one jamming a large stick into the funnel to feed the yucca chunks into the grinder, one scooping the pulp out of the bottom, one shoveling Read more…
Tagged Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Asset-Based Community Development, Cargill, Clients, Community, David Kone, Ending Poverty, Farmer, Financial services, Insight Trip, Latin America, Microfinance, Nicaragua, Opportunity International, Opportunity Nicaragua, starch, Technology, Training, YAO, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity, yucca
First Day of School in Nicaragua
The idea seemed almost too good to be true: a self-sustainable, private high school providing academic coursework in tandem with technical classes and apprenticeship within reach of people living in rural poverty. If it could be done, it would be completely in line with Opportunity Nicaragua’s Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) model. I was sold: hook, Read more…
Tagged Agriculture, Clients, Community, David Allman, David Kone, Education, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Geralyn Sheehan, Global Poverty, Granada, Latin America, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Nicaragua, Opportunity International, Opportunity Nicaragua, Poverty, Schools, Students, Training, YAO, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity, Youth
Opportunity Promotes Entrepreneurship for the Next Generation in Nicaragua
Opportunity International is launching a Technical High School to teach youth entrepreneurship skills in the agriculture and tourism industries as part of its community development initiative in Nicaragua. Opportunity recently broke ground on its Entrepreneurial Technical High School in Diriomo, Nicaragua. The school will provide rural students with the education and training they need to Read more…
Tagged Clients, Community, Community development, Education, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Global Poverty, Latin America, Nicaragua, Opportunity International, Opportunity Nicaragua, Poverty, Rural Outreach, rural schools, Schools, Students, Training
