Insight Trips 2019

INSIGHT E x plore th e world with O ppor tunity Intern ation al

“ We travel , initiall y, to lose our sel ves; an d we travel , n ex t , to fin d our sel ves .

We travel to open our h ear t s and eyes an d l ear n more about th e world than our n ews paper s will accommodate . ”

Clockwise from top left: Mary Mapepa, a snack vendor in Malawi, and her granddaughter; Rachna, a repair shop owner from India; farmer at the yucca processing plant in Nicaragua.

–Pico Ayer

When you travel on an Opportunity Insight Trip, you will get a firsthand look at both the beauty and the challenges of our world. Our local staff will guide you through neighborhoods, teach you about history, and introduce you to entrepreneurs in their homes and businesses. You’ll build relationships with fellow travelers, and count clients as dear new friends.

You’ll spend time with experts in the field who know the culture inside and out. Their personal perspective will give you an intimate understanding of the communities you visit and will demonstrate how we work alongside our clients to create opportunity, fight extreme poverty, and ignite significant and lasting transformation.

When you’re on an Insight Trip, you aren’t a regular tourist. You’re an explorer.

You’re a student of the world. And you’ll return home inspired, encouraged, and changed.

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T R AV E L W I T H OPPORTUNITY “T ravelin g — it l eaves you s peechl ess, th en tur ns you into a storytell er. ” –Ibn Battuta

Explore Ghana

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Explore Uganda

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Explore Colombia

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Explore Nicaragua

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Explore the World with Opportunity

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Virunga National Park, Rwanda

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G H ANA

“ I n ever kn ew of a mor nin g in A frica wh en I woke up th at I was not h appy. ” –Ernest Hemingway, True at First Light

Celebrated as West Africa’s “golden child,” Ghana is a beautiful country filled with bustling cities, peaceful beaches, rich culture, and kind people. Nestled between the coast in the south and national parks in the north, you’ll find communities full of hardworking entrepreneurs, successful farmers harvesting yams and sugar cane, and parents raising their children. Despite a tumultuous history marked by the slave trade and economic poverty, Ghana is now in a season of economic growth and looking ahead to a bright future. As famous Ghanaian Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, said, “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.”

Traveling to Ghana with Opportunity will open your eyes to both the beauty and challenges of this incredible place. Experience the origin of your favorite chocolate bar by meeting cocoa farmers, practice your math problems and spelling lists with students, and visit the workshops of talented craftsman. Fall in love with the country, and return home transformed.

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E x plore G h an a Sample Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Accra, Ghana. Local Opportunity staff will meet you upon your arrival and take you to your hotel for a good night’s rest.

Day 2

Begin your day at the main Opportunity office with breakfast and a briefing by local senior leadership. Head into the community to be inspired by a Trust Group meeting and meet our clients.

Day 3

After breakfast, visit local schools supported by Opportunity, and meet school proprietors and their students. Hear about all the ways our EduFinance program has helped make schools more accessible and effective.

Day 4

Catch an early flight to Kumasi, where you will meet Opportunity staff and leaders at our branch. Walk the fields with smallholder farmers and discover the challenges they face. Learn how our Agricultural Finance and rural savings programs are helping them expand their farms and grow more food to feed their families and communities.

Clockwise from top left: Adwoa Kwatemaa, shop owner; Elizabeth Afrakome, farmer; Abena Agyakowa and Nketha Sarpong, farmer and loan officer; Akosua Nhyira Mireko, student.

Day 5

Check out of the hotel for a return flight to Accra. Take a trip to Elmina Castle and the Slave Fort on the Cape Coast to remember this important part of Ghana’s history. We will end the day with a debrief dinner with fellow travelers and Opportunity Ghana leaders.

Day 6

Experience the colorful, crowded marketplace in Accra and hear stories from Opportunity clients. Depart for home with a new respect for the courage and dignity of our clients and a new appreciation for the importance of Opportunity’s work in Ghana.

Learn more and register at opportunity.org/exploreghana

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U GANDA

“ For m agnificence , for variety of form an d colour, for profusion of brilliant life … Uganda is trul y th e pearl of A frica . ” –Winston Churchill, My African Journey

Winston Churchill’s words were penned more than a century ago, but they still ring true. Home to breathtaking landscapes, world-renowned wildlife, soaring mountains, and the source of the Nile River, Uganda is an incredible country. Couple this natural beauty with warm and welcoming people, and you have a place that is easy to love.

Don’t just take our word for it—famous travel publication Rough Guides listed Uganda as one of its "Top 10 Countries to Visit in 2017."

You’ll meet farmers growing into successful business owners. You’ll befriend remarkable women and men who are overcoming difficult circumstances to build better lives. And you’ll see firsthand how Opportunity is transforming the future of Uganda by investing in the lives of its children. While winding through the alleys of bustling markets, bumping along red dirt roads, or tasting your first bowl of “ugali” corn porridge, you’ll come the same realization as Churchill—Uganda is magnificent.

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E x plore Ugan da Sample Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Kampala, where local staff will greet you with the welcoming spirit you will come to know and love in Uganda.

Day 2 A day to relax and replenish. You may attend a local church service with Opportunity staff or explore the city around you.

Day 3 Begin your day with a briefing by Opportunity Uganda’s senior leadership at the head office. Observe a Trust Group meeting to see the knowledge and support shared among members. Then visit clients in their homes and workplaces to hear their stories.

Day 4 After a drive through Uganda’s rural countryside, meet farmers using Opportunity’s EduFinance program. Learn how loans designed for farming communities have made it possible for farmers to send their children to school.

Day 5 Visit school proprietors who are supported by Opportunity, and learn how they are transforming the future of Uganda by educating children. Visit classrooms to observe EduFinance at work.

Day 6 Depart Kampala and travel by plane to Queen Elizabeth Park. Get ready for a safari!

Day 7 Experience the incredible beauty and wildlife of Uganda on a safari game drive.

Day 8 Depart for home with wonderful memories, lasting friendships, and a new perspective on the world.

Learn more and register at opportunity.org/exploreuganda

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Clockwise from top left: students at Naggalama Junior School; student at Top Care Junior School; Grace Nalwenga, farmer; Proscovia Kiweewa, farmer; Caroline Musoke, vegetable vendor, and her children.

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C O LOMB I A “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience .”

–Eleanor Roosevelt

Known for its incredible natural beauty, colonial cities and architecture, world-famous coffee, and impressive biodiversity, Colombia is a must-see destination. After decades of civil war, violence, and instability, Colombia is entering into a season of peace, which helped it earn Lonely Planet’s endorsement as the #2 Top Country on its "2017 Best in Travel" list. From Bogotá, nestled high in the Andes, to Cartagena, the walled historic city on the coast, Colombia has something for everyone. It’s home to beaches, mountains, and rainforests—made even more incredible by welcoming people and vibrant, colorful culture.

Visit Colombia with Opportunity and you’ll see both this impressive beauty that has driven the country to the top of the travel charts and the reality of a country that has struggled with poverty and uncertainty for decades. Meet resilient people who are overcoming unimaginable challenges—people whose hope and determination will inspire you. And learn how Colombia is promoting peace as it enters a bright new season. Fill your mind with rich and complex history, your belly with famous “ajiaco” soup, and your heart with new friends who will welcome you into their homes and lives.

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E x plore Colombia

Sample Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Bogotá, high in the Andes mountains. Local staff will meet you at the airport and travel with you into the city to your hotel. Rest and relax in preparation for an exciting week.

Day 2 Join your fellow travelers for an orientation breakfast, then begin your first day of experiencing Opportunity’s work. Visit our local branch and hear about our work from our Colombian leadership, then spend the afternoon visiting clients at their homes and businesses.

Day 3 Spend the day with inspiring clients as they proudly demonstrate their work and share their life stories.

Return to the airport and catch an afternoon flight to the coastal city of Cartagena.

Day 4 In the morning, learn about the economics and politics of present-day Colombia from a local community leader.

Later, head to a nearby neighborhood to witness financial literacy training with our clients at a Trust Group meeting.

Clockwise from top left: Views from Cajicá; Alcira Romero, food vendor; the Girasoles community; Nubia Usache Galindo, paper supplies shop.

Day 5 After visiting more clients in the morning, spend time exploring Cartagena, a beautiful historic city known for the cobbled streets winding within the ancient fortress walls.

Day 6 Depart for home encouraged, challenged, and inspired as you reflect on your role in Opportunity’s work to end poverty.

Learn more and register at opportunity.org/explorecolombia

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N I CARAG UA “Bright green hills never looked so welcome, so enchanting, so altogether lovely, as these do that lie here.”

–Mark Twain, Travels with Mr. Brown, a collection of letters to the Alta California about his visit to Nicaragua

Beaches, volcanoes, lakes, and mountains provide the backdrop for colonial cities in Central America’s largest country, Nicaragua. This natural beauty and the nation’s rich history have made Nicaragua a popular destination for travelers of all kinds, topping 2017 lists by Travel and Leisure and Rough Guides. Peer inside an active volcano, try the delicious rice and beans dish called “gallo pinto,” and admire the impressive colonial architecture that has been emblematic of Nicaragua for centuries.

Visiting Nicaragua with Opportunity is a chance to experience one of the most innovative poverty alleviation programs in the world. As a leader and a pilot of Opportunity’s Community Economic Development initiative, our partners in Nicaragua have not only invested in schools, farmers, and entrepreneurs, but have also partnered with community leaders to complete infrastructure projects, gather yucca farmers into cooperatives, and create jobs through an Eco Resort. Experience Nicaragua’s impressive scenery, historic cities, and joyous people as you learn about innovative ways to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges.

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E x plore Nicaragu a Sample Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Managua, where local staff will meet you at the airport. Try the local cuisine before returning to your hotel for a good night’s rest.

Day 2 Explore the capital city and Masaya, a nearby town known for the many artisans who live and work there.

Visit clients, sit in on a Trust Group meeting, and chat with local staff.

Day 3 Meet a family on their farm for a firsthand perspective about how Opportunity is transforming lives and providing opportunities for farmers in rural Nicaragua.

After lunch, spend time with leaders and participants at the La Laguna community leadership initiative that is working to bring clean water to their neighborhood.

Day 4 Meet students and teachers at the Emprendedora School to learn about the innovative curriculum model that they created. Visit artisan workshops and shop for handmade products that reflect Nicaraguan culture and traditions. In the afternoon, tour downtown Granada.

Day 5 Head home with a camera full of photos, a mind full of memories, and a heart full of new relationships.

Learn more and register at opportunity.org/explorenicaragua

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Clockwise from top left: Jose Emiliano Urbina, yucca farmer; Jacqueline, senior at the Emprendedora School; Antonia Blandon, vegetable vendor; Julia, shop owner.

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START PLANNING YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE!

MALAWI

KENYA

Malawi

A country that is small in size, but big in beauty, adventure, and heart

Learn more & register for an Opportunity International

Kenya

Home to one of the largest cities in Africa and the incredible Maasai Mara, one of the top safari locations in the world

Insight Trip.

Where life with one billion of our neighbors is always colorful, exciting, and vibrant

opportunity.org/insight

Opportunity International Insight Trips are safe, eyeopening, and unforgettable adventures. You will be in expert hands when you travel with our experienced team of field staff and trip leaders. They will give you the insider’s view to the places you visit and take you beyond the typical tourist traps for a true local experience.

Come journey with us. We’ll take care of all the details and ensure you have the trip of a lifetime. It will be an experience unlike any other—one that will change you forever.

INDIA

India

Rwanda

The land of a thousand hills that has overcome unimaginable pain and violence to become a country that embodies reconciliation, peace, and beauty

TANZANIA

RWANDA

Philippines

Comprised of more than 7,000 islands, where bustling cities, small villages, idyllic beaches, and beautiful rainforests are all within reach

Tanzania

Explore the world with Opportunity

Home to Mount Kilimanjaro, impressive wildlife, and the tropical island paradise of Zanzibar, where the natural beauty is only rivaled by the bright and lively culture

In addition to Ghana, Uganda, Colombia, and Nicaragua, we also travel to many other countries around the world.

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MOZAMBIQUE

Mozambique

Known for an impressive coastline that draws travelers from around the world and a unique culture shaped by Portuguese influences

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Ahobrase Academy, Ghana

Travel th e world with O ppor tunity Challenge yourself. Meet new friends. Learn about unique cultures and traditions. Taste delicious foods. Check an adventure off of your bucket list.

Somewhere between bowls of rice and wild bus rides, traditional dances and language barriers, beaming smiles and beds nestled under mosquito nets, you will realize that something fundamental has shifted. You are braver and more curious; you have a new perspective. You have become an explorer, an adventurer, a citizen of the world.

An Insight Trip will change your life, and you will never be the same.

“An Insight Trip of fer s a chance to form conn ections across barrier s and border s that you just don ’t get with oth er tour s . ” - Linda Martens, Insight Trip Traveler

“ Th e Insight Trip gave m e a uni que oppor tunity to see our impact ful work through th e eyes and h ear t s of our client s, th eir families, and communities . ” - Carol Pelino, Board of Governors Vice Chair

Front cover photo: Cyclists headed to the market in Rwanda

550 W. VAN BUREN ST., SUITE 200 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60607 800.793.9455 opportunity.org Printed on paper containing post-consumer content. ©2019 Opportunity International

Opportunity International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and serves all people regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or gender.

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