In April, Head Teacher Ng’oma from Hope Community School in Zambia arrived at the Chicago airport with one checked bag and a backpack. Two weeks later, he arrived back in Zambia with two checked bags, a backpack, and a carry on!...
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At Hope Community School, vulnerable students receive incredible educational opportunities that change lives. Dedicated educators, staff, and Spark volunteers inspire students to learn, grow, and dream about their futures. Hope prepares its students for success in and out of the classroom;...
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Entreamigos has a widespread impact on the personal community of San Pancho, but their reach continues to extend even further. For over ten years, Entreamigos has partnered with universities in Mexico, the United States, and Europe to provide internship opportunities to college students. For six...
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Rich Johnson co-founded Spark Ventures in 2007 after a trip to Zambia. Fast-forward 15 years later to the fall of 2022, when Rich had the opportunity to travel back to Zambia and visit Hope Community School for the first time...
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We are thrilled to welcome our newest team member: Martha Vargas! In her new role as Program Manager, Martha is bringing over 20 years of experience as well as a passion for empowering families towards economic self-sufficiency. Let's get to know Martha a bit better...
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We are excited to introduce you to our newest team member, Tobi Agurkis, working with Spark part-time as a Marketing Consultant. She joined us in early August and is looking forward to partnering with the team to further Spark’s mission. Here’s Tobi with a little bit...
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In 1989, after the Nicaraguan Revolution, many children were alone and hungry on the streets of León, the second largest city in Nicaragua. A group of eight business women noticed some of these children stealing food from market stalls. Instead of chasing them away, the...
Read MoreWhen people ask us about Spark Ventures' business driven philanthropy model or the impact this model has on hundreds of children in Nicaragua and Zambia, we often find ourselves saying at some point in the conversation: "Come and see for yourself!" Last week we had...
Read MoreWe are thrilled to announce the newest member of our team, Arnold Duijzer! To help you (and us!) get to know Arnold a little better, we had a little Q&A session with him. Where are you from and what did you study? I was born and raised in a...
Read MoreWhat's better than traveling with Spark to engage with our partner organizations? Traveling with us twice! It seems that some Spark supporters have been bitten by a very specific travel bug...
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