A Message From
Our Founder
I have traveled to Africa several times and have come to love the
continent. I have spent time in South Africa, Zambia, Botswana,
Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. I love the beauty of the landscape. I love
the wild animals. I love the people.
However, the lack of economic development has left many very poor.
Now that many of the countries are moving from socialist systems of
government towards democratic capitalism, they may have
an opportunity to improve their conditions.
The people I've met seem to know that economic development is
related to skills and knowledge, which come from education.
These parents have the same dreams as parents all over the world,
they want to improve the lot of their children. They want their children
to get a good education. However, opportunities for a good education
are limited by poverty and poor educational infrastructures in
these countries.
In order to help overcome these obstacles, I started a charitable
foundation called Opportunity Education.
J. Joe Ricketts
Foundation Director