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...
Read More
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...
Read More
I’ve long admired people who know how to communicate their ideas or passions in a short and powerful pitch. I was given that opportunity at Technori, a gathering for the start-up community in Chicago. After two and a half years of hosting their monthly pitch...
Read More
If you are familiar with Spark Ventures, you likely know that our Partnership Trips provide the opportunity for Spark Investors to meet our international partners first-hand. Partnership Trips are an incredible way to join in cultural experiences, form new friendships, bond with the children...
Read MoreTired of battling the cold and hearing words like "polar vortex" on a daily basis? Consider joining us on an upcoming Partnership Trip to Nicaragua. We will be traveling to visit our (tropically located) partner, Las Tías, on April 21-27, 2014.In addition to an escape...
Read More
One of my favorite parts of working at Spark is meeting new people who travel with us internationally. The time we spend together is an intense itinerary of spending time with our local partners, volunteering with our partners' beneficiaries, and getting to know the country...
Read MoreOur Investor Spotlight series focuses in on engaged members of the Spark Ventures community. This month, we sit down with Sue Bernstein who is one of the growing number of Spark supporters to have traveled with us to Nicaragua and Zambia to meet both of...
Read More
Our safari in Chobe National Park in Botswana far exceeded anyone's expectations - including Rich, who has taken this trip countless times before.The animals of all kinds are always impressive and breathtaking, but undoubtedly the highlight for everyone yesterday was catching a whole pride of...
Read More
On our Partnership Trips, we spend the vast majority of our time with the children at Hope Village. Their smiles and laughter and friendship are so very powerful and memorable. But, there's another piece to the Spark story here in Zambia that we are overwhelmingly...
Read More
Teacher Judy got tears in her eyes when she told us the family we were visiting did not even have blankets to sleep under.Transformation stories, like the one our travelers experienced yesterday, have long formed a critical piece of our Partnership Trip itinerary. On these...
Read More
“If I travel with Spark, what will I be doing?” It’s a question that we get often and one of the reasons we created this blog was for the opportunity to share about the activities and adventures we have while visiting our partners in Zambia...
Read More
Our January group of travelers has already made a whole school-worth of new friends here in Zambia. Check out just a few photos from our first two days here:...
Read More
I spent the last three days working with the team here in Zambia responsible for the poultry farm. Spark made the initial financial investment back in 2011 and the Hope Ventures poultry farm was born. Even though I’ve visited the farm every six months since...
Read More
When I arrived at Hope Community School mid-afternoon for the second day of computer training with Teacher Lewis and Teacher Angela, I found the students just leaving their classrooms and heading out to the big open yard in front of the school to participate in...
Read More
Driving around Ndola today, the radio kept playing the same ad, one for ZamTel (a cell phone service provider around here). I wasn’t so captivated by their offer of discounted talk-time (cell phone minutes for the phones here), but the catch phrase they closed each...
Read More
This is the spot. With a handful of travelers boarding planes this week, we're poised to launch yet another transformative Partnership Trip adventure in Zambia. And, we'll be chronicling all the fun right here, on the Spark blog.Rich and I both landed in Zambia today....
Read More
Sunday, January 12th, 2014 7:00pm-ish León, Nicaragua Sitting in a corner Italian restaurant, one of the few places open in León on a Sunday night, a number of thoughts pop up as I observe the people around me. To my direct right is what looks like a married...
Read More
Congratulations Hope Ministries Grade 7 (& their teachers!)Back in November, when we were planning our Thanksgiving dinner, the 7th grade students at Hope Community School were deep in their studies, preparing for their national exams. The results are in, and what better way to ring...
Read More
It has been a tremendous year. Our partnerships are benefiting hundreds of children in Zambia & Nicaragua. And, thanks to supporters like you, we are more energized than ever. We look forward to sharing our plans for an exciting 2014 and working with you to...
Read More
Three weeks ago, 12,000 chicks arrived at the poultry farm in Zambia, the first large scale cycle in the farm's history. The Chair of the Hope Ventures Board was there to to give them a warm welcome!Roy Kaonga, Chair of the Hope Ventures Board greeting...
Read More