The Blue Sweater Bridging the Gap between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World

by Novogratz, Jacqueline

• ISBN13: 9781605294766
• ISBN10: 1605294764
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-16
• Publisher: Rodale Books

Summary

The Blue Sweateris the inspiring story of a woman who left a career in international banking to spend her life on a quest to understand global poverty and find powerful new ways of tackling it. It all started back home in Virginia, with the blue sweater, a gift that quickly became her prized possession--until the day she outgrew it and gave it away to Goodwill. Eleven years later in Africa, she spotted a young boy wearing that very sweater, with her name still on the tag inside. That the sweater had made its trek all the way to Rwanda was ample evidence, she thought, of how we are all connected, how our actions--and inaction--touch people every day across the globe, people we may never know or meet. From her first stumbling efforts as a young idealist venturing forth in Africa to the creation of the trailblazing organization she runs today, Novogratz tells gripping stories with unforgettable characters--women dancing in a Nairobi slum, unwed mothers starting a bakery, courageous survivors of the Rwandan genocide, entrepreneurs building services for the poor against impossible odds. She shows, in ways both hilarious and heartbreaking, how traditional charity often fails, but how a new form of philanthropic investing called "patient capital" can help make people self-sufficient and can change millions of lives. More than just an autobiography or a how-to guide to addressing poverty,The Blue Sweateris a call to action that challenges us to grant dignity to the poor and to rethink our engagement with the world. Jacqueline Novogratzis founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, a nonprofit venture capital firm for the poor that invests in sustainable enterprises bringing healthcare, safe water, alternative energy, and housing to low-income people in the developing world. A serial entrepreneur in the social sector, she travels frequently and currently resides in New York City. For the first 5,000 copies ofThe Blue Sweaterpurchased, a $15 donation per book will be made to Acumen Fund, a nonprofit that invests in transformative businesses to solve the problems of poverty. Jacqueline Novogratz left her career in international banking to begin a quest to understand global poverty and find powerful new ways of tackling it. Her story started back home in Virginia, with the blue sweater, a gift that became her prized possession--until she outgrew it and gave it away to Goodwill. Eleven years later in Africa, she spotted a young boy wearing that very sweater, with her name still on the tag inside. That the sweater had made its trek all the way to Rwanda was ample evidence, Jacqueline thought, of how we are all connected, how our actions--and inaction--touch people every day across the globe, people we may never know or meet. From her first stumbling efforts as a young idealist venturing forth in Africa to the creation of the trailblazing organization she runs today, Novogratz tells real stories with unforgettable characters--women dancing in a Nairobi slum, unwed mothers starting a bakery, courageous survivors of the Rwandan genocide, entrepreneurs building services for the poor against impossible odds. She shows, in ways both hilarious and heartbreaking, how traditional charity often fails, but how a new form of philanthropic investing called "patient capital" can help make people self-sufficient and can change millions of lives. More than an autobiography or a guide to addressing poverty,The Blue Sweateris a call to action that challenges readers to grant dignity to the poor and to rethink their own engagement with the world. "The decency of Jacqueline Novogratz shines through these pages and so does her strength. The stories she shares about

Author Biography

JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ is founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, a nonprofit venture capital firm for the poor that invests in sustainable enterprises in the developing world.

Table of Contents

Prologue	p. xi
Innocent Abroad	p. 1
A Bird on the Outside, a Tiger Within	p. 20
Context Matters	p. 36
Basket Economics and Political Realities	p. 54
The Blue Bakery	p. 72
Dancing in the Dark	p. 89
Traveling without a Road Map	p. 106
A New Learning Curve	p. 126
Blue Paint on the Road	p. 146
Retribution and Resurrection	p. 165
The Cost of Silence	p. 181
Institutions Matter	p. 198
The Education of a Patient Capitalist	p. 213
Building Brick by Brick	p. 235
Taking it to Scale	p. 255
The World We Dream, the Future We Create Together	p. 272
Acknowledgments	p. 285
Reader's Guide	p. 289
Suggested Reading	p. 293
Index	p. 299
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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