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Tag Archives: hope
Man’s search for meaning
Based on last week’s post, Jeff kindly sent me to a wonderful four-minute lecture excerpt by Viktor Frankl. Even through the grainy recording you can see the twinkle in Frankl’s eye and his passion for humanity, with all its flaws … Continue reading
Posted in meaning
Tagged Goethe, hope, meaning, optimism, possibility, Viktor Frankl
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Landfill Harmonic
In Cateura, Paraguay, in a slum build on a landfill, a community has come together to make classical musical instruments out of old oil barrels, meat cleavers, even forks. From trash they have made cellos, violins, violas, clarinets. And they … Continue reading
Another face of Pakistan
I had the chance to spend last week in Karachi for the final round selection for the inaugural class of Acumen’s new Pakistan Fellows program. From more than 500 applicants from all corners of this country of 175 million people, … Continue reading
The glimpse
The thing that gets people over the line isn’t how persuasive your argument is. It’s certainly not because they see a big need in the world. The thing that gets them over the line is passion. Ultimately their passion, but … Continue reading
Posted in fundraising
Tagged connection, fundraising, hope, passion, possibility, potential
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What I wish
I wish the world could look at images of beauty and resilience and feel compelled to act. I wish people would see photographs by Nuru photographers, photos that capture the spirit and challenges of the life of the poor in … Continue reading
Posted in Nuru Project
Tagged Change, dignity, hope, Joy, Kony2012, Nuru Project, viral marketing
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One day to go – nothing to lose
Generosity Day is tomorrow, and it’s hard not to stare at the #generosityday twitter search results and feel a little bit excited. At the same time I’m realizing what a tricky thing expectation is. Last year, when I was hesitating … Continue reading
Posted in Generosity Day
Tagged #generosityday, expectation, fear, Generosity Day, hope, Linchpin, resistance
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There is nothing romantic about an empty farm
On a run this past weekend in Mississippi, I ran over the levee and past some dilapidated farming homes that had been abandoned after this springs’ floods. I was struck by the nobility of the structures and the spirit of … Continue reading
Posted in economy
Tagged hope, Joseph Stiglitz, Long Slump, narrative, recession, Vanity Fair
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Hot Sun in Kibera
How’s this for an idea: creating a film school in the heart of the Kibera slum. How’s this for a first impression: drive down a narrow dirt alley, pull the parking break, open the iron gate and duck through the … Continue reading
Hope, Pakistan, and the power of storytelling
From Acumen Fund’s *spark! event last month. Getting to work with people like Jawad Aslam gets me out of bed in the morning. I promise this is worth seeing through to the end. : : : : : : : … Continue reading
Posted in Acumen Fund
Tagged Ansaar Management Company, hope, Jawad Aslam, KKB-4, Pakistan, storytelling
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The other 690
Last week when speaking on the “Creating Private Capital Markets” Panel at the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference, I noted that one of the big opportunities for Acumen Fund and other organizations in our sector is to capitalize on a huge … Continue reading


