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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In the United States, many of us who attended school share some very specific memories, no matter the time or place. Some of those might be “too much homework”, “sharing snacks at lunch”, or even, “dissecting an owl pellet in science class”. Along with the...
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Hope Community School’s Village Banking program is continuing to educate and empower members of their community in Twapia, Zambia. In addition to providing fresh vegetables from the Hope Community School Farm for participants to sell, this impactful program teaches aspiring entrepreneurs how to attain financial...
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You've Made Your Mark Every August, we take a moment to thank our community of supporters for making our work possible. On behalf of all of us at Spark Ventures and our partner organizations, we'd like to extend our sincere gratitude for your generous support. Thanks...
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While life seems to be getting back to normal in the U.S., our partners are still dealing with the crushing impact of the pandemic. Developing countries like Zambia, Mexico & Nicaragua and underserved neighborhoods like Englewood on Chicago’s south side, are still experiencing staggering unemployment...
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The pandemic has disrupted the world in many ways. It has led to a dramatic loss of life and created an unprecedented challenge to public health systems, employment, and food security. Unfortunately, the communities that have been most impacted are also the ones least equipped...
Read MoreDear Spark Community, Over the past month, we shared that there were several confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Hope community in Zambia, and that Charles Mumba, the Executive Director of Hope, was being treated for COVID-19 in the hospital. Today we have wonderful news to share...
Read MoreDear Spark Community, Over the past two weeks, we’ve sent updates to let you know about several confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Hope community in Zambia, one of whom was Charles Mumba, the Executive Director of Hope. Thank you so much for your many messages...
Read MoreDear Spark Community, Last week we sent an update to let you know that there were several confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Hope community in Zambia. Charles Mumba, the Executive Director of Hope, was one of the people who tested positive. Out of respect for...
Read MoreDear Spark Community, Over the last year, it's been our commitment to keep our supporters updated on how the global pandemic is affecting our partners. Thanks to you, our emergency response fund has provided PPE, sanitation supplies, food and additional program support to our international partners....
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