The Girl Effect - its a global movement, and Spark is proud of how our partner's work is moving the dial! The statistics are alarming...
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Every day in Zambia is new and exciting, even for those who have made the trip to visit our partner in Ndola many times before. It's wonderful to see Ndola develop economically over the years.Ndola development - new mall with a Subway, grocery store and...
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Our first full day in Zambia began early and (as always) was filled with learning, dancing, and eating with the children and staff at Hope Ministries. Upon arrival at the Hope campus, we were greeted with a joyous welcome program. Staff and students alike enjoy...
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Before our partnership trip participants arrived in Zambia, Spark CEO, Rich and Finance Manager, Marcia, met with our partners at Hope Ministries and at the Poultry farm to carry out a financial audit and take care of other Spark work. They also spent time preparing...
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After months of planning and preparation, the time has finally come! Spark CEO, Rich, and our Finance Manager, Marcia, have bid farewell to America and are finally on their way to Zambia for our July Partnership trip. Although our 14 trip participants won’t be arriving...
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*Updated May 2020. Please note that the most recent information regarding our farm initiative in Nicaragua can be found here. We are at a critical phase in our launch of the Nicaraguan agribusiness, so I was in the country for a few days last week. Lucy,...
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They want to be teachers, pilots, the first in their family to be a doctor...
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Spark Ventures partners with local organizations that help vulnerable children, with current partnerships in Zambia and Nicaragua. Spark's unique partnership model focuses on sustaining the organizations it works with. Spark's partners receive on-going training and consultation in areas of personnel management, infrastructure, organizational growth and...
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A team of nursing students from North Park University have just completed one of the biannual clinics at our partner organization in Zambia supported by Spark. The nursing students, working alongside a Zambian doctor and nurses treated over 350 children from Hope House Orphanage and...
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Have you met Cecilia yet?Cecilia is a vibrant girl, one of those characters that is hard to miss. This year she will graduate from 7th grade at Hope Community school, likely at the top of her class. Cecilia wants to be a doctor or a...
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Every day seems more busy than the last on a Spark Ventures partnership trip. It is always fun to relax at the end of each day to reflect on experiences and get to know other travelers. On this recent trip to Nicaragua, we...
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With only four full-time employees, Spark’s board members play an incredibly important role in expanding our capacity as an organization. That’s one reason we are very excited to have added four new directors in the last year. Let us introduce you to them….Jeff Plaisted has...
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While visiting our partners, Spark trip participants are able to be a part of ongoing programs as well as special activities. At the core of our partner programs is the Las Tias daily meal program. Most of the children come from homes...
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One of the incredibly important activities, included in every Partnership Trip Spark facilitates, is what we call a "Transformation Story." In Nicaragua, this is an opportunity to visit one of the beneficiaries of Las Tías in their home. Their generous families invite our travelers into...
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Day two was a full one as our nine trip participants spent the morning at the young kids center, the afternoon with the adolescents and the evening with the Las Tias team cooking (and eating!) dinner at the home of founder, Corina Alvarez. (Oh and...
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Check out a glimpse of the first full day of our travels in Nicaragua...
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The Zambian Poultry Farm has hit and surpassed quite a few milestones over the past months. After starting with 2,500 chickens, the Poultry Farm scaled production and welcomed 12,000 chicks last December. The farm’s strategic partnership with Zambeef - one of the largest poultry...
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A warm Spark welcome from lookout point at Lake Managua with Momotombo Volcano in the backgroundIt was great to meet all nine of our trip participants at the Managua airport on Monday for Spark’s April Partnership Trip. Despite the recent earthquakes, everyone chose to join...
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At Spark, we measure our impact in the long term success of our partnerships. We want children served by our partners to have access to the resources they need to achieve their potential, and we do this by strengthening and sustaining amazing community programing.To reach...
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The Young Professionals of Spark (YPS), a community of young professionals dedicated to spreading awareness and raising support for Spark Ventures, recently held a delicious event! On Saturday, March 21st, the group got together with friends, family and others interested in international development to discuss Spark's mission...
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