I found this book's theme of how to help other people help themselves around the globe very relevant to today's world. Although the book is business-oriented, it is very much a story about the author's learning about how to best apply her talents in helping others and honoring their dignity.

Ms. Novogratz is an inspiring woman who went from a position of privilege and an idea to change the world, in a way that I could only describe in modern vernacular as “white savior”, to working with the poorest in Rwanda (pre-genocide) and Ghana, where she fought to found a woman run bank that specialized in microfinancing loans for women to finance ways to establish their own businesses to provide for their families. She then returned back to the United States and at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she realized that what is needed in philanthropy and charity is what we at the Community Foundation refer to as “centering on community voice.” It’s all well and good to fund a flour processing mill’s construction – but when you do not provide the means to teach the workers how to repair the equipment or factor in “how are they going to obtain the fuel to run the machines”, your money and time are wasted and often resented by those you are trying to help.

She went on to found the Acumen Fund – a Not-for-profit that provides grants and loans to low income/poverty level entrepreneurs around the world to help bring dignity and independence to those who need it the most.

+++++

I cannot even tell you how this book landed on my radar, but somehow, I had requested it from the library and then promptly forgot about it. But when it became available, I trusted that past me had a reason for wanting to read it. And I am glad I did.

This was a good book that looks not only into the life of a rather extraordinary woman, but makes you think on just how much the global community is interconnected and how one small act can make a HUGE change in not only the world but also just one person. And you never know how changing the life of that one person can in turn, change the world.

This is a good read for anyone interested in global poverty/development as well as for insight into effective philanthropy and private/public partnerships. Novogratz has had incredible experiences and she's very inspiring. I'm being picky with criticism b/c i had an allergic reaction to some of the language that tended to sound like cover-letter/application-speak and b/c I'm left with the feeling that we missed out on a lot of insights/lessons/other commentary on things she chose not to give a lot of air-time to - maybe that's for another book or b/c this one was part-memoir. Still, a bolder edit would have made this better.

I found this book to be inspirational. The author writes from a place of admiration and respect for the many people and places with whom she has worked. In the midst of a description of any one of these, she will insert a profound truth, like, "It is only when some people refuse to play that the game has any chance of changing." With its multi-decade scope, the book is a highly readable explanation of one example of international aid work. I definitely recommend it.

Inspiring book by an incredibly bright and optimistic woman who thinks outside the box and stresses the dignity, worth, and inherent creativity of people in the developing world. She at times disparages aid organizations for not listening to the people targeted by their aid, which leads often to irrelevant programs and needless waste or even harm. This is a resounding theme in much of the more recent development literature I've read; she doesn't say aid is useless (it definitely has its place), but alongside aid there needs to be a promotion of long-term, sustainable business, which will ultimately allow true development to take place. Poor people need access to credit, which empowers them to put their creativity to use and take control of their own lives without waiting for handouts. Her organization, Acumen, provides grants to social entrepreneurs who are developing for-profit solutions to problems that affect the poor and which helps to keep them mired in poverty. The for-profit solution treats the poor as consumers able to make their own decisions instead of beggars accepting whatever handouts they can get. It was especially fascinating to see how a product such as a bed net was marketed to the poor, who may not truly grasp the medical need but might appreciate the added prestige the product would give the owner. The narrative was made even richer by an exploration of Novogratz' feelings about being a privelaged rich white woman in a land where there is so much obvious need, and how she coped with that, as well as by a kind of digression where she explores the effects of the Rwandan genocide on the people she had known and worked with years before and relaying her own emotional response.

In the places where there is no social safety net for people experiencing disease, war, famine and other misfortunes outside of their immediate control, aid will always be necessary. Novogratz does not focus on this aspect of development, leaving this to others (with some mild criticism of the aid establishment peppered in); instead, she focuses on the diginity of the poor, that they are capable human beings who just need the opportunity to succeed and to make their own choices in life, rather than a passive people waiting on support and guidance from the rest of us. I don't think this tells the whole story of how development should/will work (capitalism to the rescue!), but I appreciated her perspective, her optimism and faith in people balanced with a good head on her shoulders.

I mostly really liked this. I think it raises some really good points about the hazards of charity. I found her experiences in Rwanda --both before and after the genocide-- fascinating. I don't know what kept me from loving the book, but I certainly liked it.

Novogratz has lived a fascinating life working with people in the developing world. I loved reading about the Acumen Fund and how it is changing the world of microfinance and helping create sustainable businesses in the developing world. Overall, very informative and interesting. I have so many comforts I take for granted every day.

So far, this is the first book I'm reading on my new Kindle (I got my mom's Kindle with all of her books on it).

I'm enjoying the writing style and the writer's recount of her experiences in Africa. This book is about microeconomics and social entrepreneurship in very poor countries. It made me want to go get and MBA and integrate my social work experience with business. Very inspiring.

What an inspirational read - Jacqueline gives an honest and open look into how she developed into the person she is by being willing to learn from her mistakes and LISTEN to others. The person she developed into started a great organziation - the Aumen Fund - to make a true difference in the world by providing people with the opportunities to take care of themselves by encouraging entrepenurship.