Stories
Romance in the Rainforest: Microentrepreneurs Make Time for Love
Saturday, May 25th, 2013
We're all working hard to pay the bills, feed the kids, and build the life and world of our dreams. This ordinary couple work night and day, but they share long-lasting chemistry and humor that keep the daily grind full of ... possibilities.
The World We Want
Saturday, May 18th, 2013
The end of poverty. Equal opportunity for all. We're just an ordinary family with a vision of a world where everyone has access to education, jobs, peace, and possibility.
Seeds of Hope
Sunday, April 28th, 2013
What is "Seeds of Hope"? World-changing social entrepreneurs; passionate nonprofit directors; and courageous students, survivors, and workers strive every day to build a better life. Their stories will feed your hope. Subscribe to get or stay on our mailing list.
India: My 5-Star Experience in Uttar Pradesh
Sunday, April 21st, 2013
Blistering sun beats down in a rural village far from plumbing, electricity, or comfort; yet we had an experience that far surpassed our expectations. Sometimes, travel brings the happiest surprises.
Making Sense of What's Senseless
Thursday, April 18th, 2013
A psychiatrist/professor puts the Boston Marathon into the almost-sacred cultural context many of us natives, visitors, and Boston-transplants know well, and asks, will heartbreak ever feel the same again?
Leader of Weavers
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013
A man in a north India village shows what happens after decades of scrounging for unsteady work and meager meals, when simple a change in his ecosystem brings orders to his door. The power of social entrepreneurship connects Shivanandan to his local social-mission weaving business in Bihar, to our jobs-creation partners at Upaya Social Ventures in Seattle, to our U.S. family—who also could not eat if not for a steady paycheck.
Frances Faces Her Fears, with Support from Hikers on the Same Path
Sunday, March 31st, 2013
17-year-old Frances grew up in a large, Mexican-American family so stressed by kids and bills that she learned just to be silent and smile. When her mentor kept asking, she began to think she might matter to the world, more than she'd imagined. It took the support of her hiking group in the mountains of Wyoming to convince her to trust them, and herself. Read her story in her own words.
Small Grant Makers Lead Gains in Foundation Giving, Says Study
Tuesday, March 19th, 2013
The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that the fastest-growing segment of philanthropy is among people just like us: the little guys. Skees Family Foundation believes that any old person, in any circumstances, can change the world one volunteer hour, one social-investment dollar, at a time. You're proving us right.
Recession Recovery, Microfinance Style
Monday, March 18th, 2013
Our San José, California friends at Opportunity Fund offer business, education, and immigration microloans to the working poor in the U.S. Through a 2:1 matching-grant program, their clients also have socked away $13 million in savings since 1998. And the rest of us are learning to save: from 1% of U.S.income during the pre-recession boom, to about 4% now. Read what innovative nonprofits can teach the rest of us about profits . . .
What's Next for Impact Investing: How to bridge the "Pioneer Gap" and support entrepreneurs in the earliest stages
Friday, March 8th, 2013
This piece by our partners at Upaya Social Ventures shares realtime case studies from three social enterprises to show what's needed in-between the desire to create jobs as a means toward poverty alleviation, and long-term, large-scale programs that actually succeed.
V-Day Update on Rising to End Violence in the City of Joy, Congo
Wednesday, March 6th, 2013
Eve Ensler, founder of our partner V-Day that works to end violence around the world, has been in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the last month. She shares her experiences with the women at the City of Joy center for healing education, and agriculture, and how the movement for peace feels youthful, vibrant, reaching far beyond the rain-soaked paths of Africa.
“The People’s Chef” launches affordable, nutritious cooking classes for low-income families
Friday, March 1st, 2013
“Breaking bread is so symbolic, all around the world. We’re going to have fun in this class and offer one new choice each day.”—Chef Anthony Head, “The People’s Chef”
A Taste of Africa in the Heart of America
Wednesday, February 13th, 2013
A small group gathers on a snowy winter's night to feast for peace.
Politics and Philanthropy in Bed Together
Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
Really, do we have to get political in order to effect social change? Spending a week in the capital listening to senators and advocates, journalists and filmmakers, we discovered a surprising alternative to polarized paralysis.
One American Family, United in Resilience, Equality, and Effort
Monday, January 21st, 2013
A moment in time: at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration, poet Richard Blanco, the first Latino and openly gay inaugural poet, tracks a ray of sun across the hills and valleys of America, retraces the steps of our ancestors, and maps out a constellation of hope for our future together.
The Myth of Universal Love Can Be Overcome, One by One
Monday, January 7th, 2013
A thought-provoking New York Times op-ed asks whether we truly can evolve to care for all of humankind.
It's the American Way: One Ordinary Woman Builds Equal Opportunity for Disabled Children
Monday, December 3rd, 2012
Today, on the United Nations' "Day for Persons with Disabilities," we celebrate one small woman who rallied resources she didn't even have to create equality and care for kids with disabilities, just like her son.
2012 Annual Report Celebrates Our Partnerships
Sunday, December 2nd, 2012
Gauging our progress this year in our foundation's triangle of intentions: seed-funding innovative programs to end poverty; engaging three generations of family members in collaborative giving; and telling stories of unsung heroes doing the real work to equalize opportunity and end poverty worldwide.
Indie Jazz Singer Sends Kids to School
Thursday, November 29th, 2012
Grammy-nominated musician Carolyn Malachi has launched her new video for "Free Your Mind" as a fundraiser: Every click buys one hour of class time for high school students in East Africa.
Kenyan Woman Transforms Herself from a Beggar into a Lender
Friday, November 23rd, 2012
Malawan Lejalle used to beg for credit at local shops so she could feed her family. Now she and her partners own a successful business in Northern Kenya, and they’re using their savings to send 17 kids to school.
It's Up to Me to Speak My Father's Last Words
Thursday, November 15th, 2012
Guest post by 17-year-old Aaron tells the story of how he was orphaned at 14 and quickly became the man of the family. He recalls yearning for his dad, sinking into sadness, and then pulling himself up toward his life goals—with a little help from Summer Search.
It's About Trust: Balancing Relationship with Risk in Social Entrepreneurship
Tuesday, November 13th, 2012
How do we choose among many social entrepreneurs in an increasingly blurred field of
for- and non-profits aiming for social good? Eavesdropping on two goat farmers in India, I wondered if our strategy had something in common with theirs.
for- and non-profits aiming for social good? Eavesdropping on two goat farmers in India, I wondered if our strategy had something in common with theirs.
Empowering India's Women through Education and Healthcare
Sunday, October 28th, 2012
On the road in India with guest blogger Gerry Levandoski: His second piece offers more detail on how and why we add education and healthcare to microfinance programs.
Finding Hope Against a Landscape of Dire Peruvian Poverty
Monday, September 24th, 2012
This is no Venice: shacks slide down toward the Amazon River in this east-side slum of Iquitos, Peru, a rainforest community of 65,000 facing crime, drugs, trafficking, domestic abuse, poverty, unemployment, 30% literacy, annual flooding, and lack of jobs, clean water, hygiene, and healthcare. What our team witnessed and why our partners can't wait to begin work here.
Outside the Walls: Two Views of Kolkata, India
Sunday, September 2nd, 2012
Guest blogger Gerry Levandoski gives a vivid tour of two cities—the sheltered and the street-dwelling—he glimpsed all at once, on our first day together traveling with Freedom from Hunger.
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