For the past three weeks, a team of four MIIS graduate students on the west coast has been working remotely with Spark on an intense amount of research, in what is quickly growing to be the foundation of blue prints for a social enterprise that we’ll be...
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We’re excited to welcome our new Finance Manager, Marcia, to the Spark team! We asked Marcia a few questions to help us get to know her and the background she comes from.Where are you from?I grew up on a farm in a pretty small town...
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Coming to Zambia was my first time leaving theUSA in my 20 years of life. As you can imagine I was pretty nervous for the trip. Over 24 hours of travel as well as immersing myself in the culture of a new foreign country were...
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Last week, we held a Nutrition Training for the moms and guardians of Hope children. Overall, the event was very successful and provided a new means for nutritional and community outreach.The training was facilitated by two local nurses and led in a participatory, interactive style,...
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This week, we opened the doors to one of the biannual clinics during which Hope provides medical care to the 350 children they serve. The lack of healthcare for children in Zambia is one of the most difficult challenges this country faces. Supported by a...
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The capacity building efforts that Spark Ventures supports in Zambia run the gambit. This includes supporting professional development opportunities for the teachers at Hope Community School, lending the expertise of a Spark board member to conduct financial audits, and, most recently, funding the construction of...
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Whenever I travel, these days that being mostly for Spark, I tend to write quite a bit. Whether in an electronic format, paper journal, or leaving notes for myself in my iPhone, I carry either pages or fragments of information and thoughts. The last time...
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If you ever fly United Airlines, their Hemispheres magazine has a great feature in each issue called “Three Perfect Days in…”. Each month they highlight a different city and recommend restaurants, hotels and activities that make for a perfect vacation in places like Toronto, Munich,...
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Of course one of the most important aspects of Spark’s Partnership Trips is the time that we spend with the children served by the programs. In the case of Las Tias, there are two centers that are run on weekdays: one for adolescents and one...
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Thursday night’s dinner will be one I won’t forget for a while. Our team of six had a full day- in the morning we had gone to the Younger Children’s Project and had a chance to spend several hours playing games with the kids, making...
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