The blue sweater

the long version

The author left a career in international banking to embark on a quest to understand global poverty and find new ways of tackling it. From her first stumbling efforts as a young idealist venturing forth in Africa to the creation of the trailblazing organization she runs today, the author tells 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 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, This book is a call to action that challenges us to grant dignity to the poor and to rethink our engagement with the world. -- From book jacket.