by drew riley

we’re all so very insulated from the complexity of the world.  it’s often luck that we get fleeting moments of awareness.  even those of us who pride ourselves for our heightened consciousness can occasionally be surprised at our ignorance.

Jacqueline Novogratz is founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, a groundbreaking organization focused on building small businesses in some of our world’s most impoverished areas.  they do this not through charity or traditional microfinance.  Acumen Fund invests in businesses owned and operated by the less fortunate who cater and work to improve the lives of their neighbors.  Acumen fund does this with simple loan structures and flexible terms, a practice they like to call “patient capital”.  their model is proven and may work so well because Acumen accepts the complexities of the third world and recognizes failures as learning opportunities.

an organization like this doesn’t materialize out of nowhere.  The Blue Sweater is Jacqueline Novogratz’s journey, with the help of many, to get to where Acumen Fund is today.  she speaks of her time at Chase Manhattan Bank and her decision to leave to pursue a life devoted to uplifting the “invisible” people of our world.  whether skipping through fields of sunflowers in Pakistan or dancing in the slums of Kenya, the subjects of this book are treated with reverence, awe, and humor.  we meet a host of individuals who, through their acts of perseverance, love, and sometimes evil have shaped the author’s experiences and influenced the projects she has championed.

Ms. Novogratz offers her impressions of Rwanda in the years before and after the genocide.  her unique perspective is born of knowing men and women on both sides of the conflict. in sharing her experiences we may come no closer to understanding the horrors but are cautioned of the dangers of assuming an opinion of a situation too complicated for certainties.   the bulk of the book is, however, a collection of triumphs and a few setbacks of a quest to deliver a better quality of life to all people including those of us who enjoy a privileged existence.

if nothing else The Blue Sweater delivers the message that we are all connected. the story of the book’s namesake perhaps illustrates this point best.  at a young age Jacqueline Novogratz is gifted a blue sweater, one that becomes well worn and loved.  like most childhood possessions that are outgrown the sweater is donated to Goodwill only to resurface, eleven years later, on the back of a young boy in Rwanda, her name still written on the tag.

if you are looking for some inspiration and motivation look no further than this book.  if you’re merely looking to be entertained and engaged… look no further than this book.

+ share or save this post

tags: Acumen Fund, environment, India, Jacqueline Novogratz, Kenya, Pakistan, Rwanda, The Blue Sweater

this entry was posted on Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 at 7:36 am and is filed under book reviews, general, noteworthy organizations. you can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed both comments and pings are currently closed