The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World tells the story of Acumen Fund founder and CEO Jacqueline Novogratz’s efforts to improve the quality of life in developing countries. The book is written as part memoir, part social activism guide, and Novogratz’s beloved blue sweater is the inspiration for the premise. Eleven years after donating the sweater to Goodwill, she discovers the same sweater on a young boy in Rwanda, demonstrating that people’s actions in the United States directly affect those living across the world. Chronicled in the book is Novogratz’s journey as she teaches her business methods to help poverty-stricken women start businesses.

One chapter from The Blue Sweater that is especially inspiring and harrowing is Novogratz’s recount of helping women in Rwanda sell doughnuts at the local market. She poses the questions “How would this survive in the long term? How would the women change their circumstances? I just want to give the women a chance. I have never unquestioningly accepted the status quo, so why should we do that in Rwanda, where change can be good?” The project became profitable after a few months, with the women earning $2 a day, an impressive amount of money in Rwanda, especially for women. And the business continued to flourish until the ethnic genocide in 1994.

It is important to note that for the first 5,000 copies of The Blue Sweater purchased, a $15 donation per book will be made to Acumen Fund, allowing readers to connect with the global community by purchasing a copy of the book.

takepart by being one of the first 5,000 people to purchase the book!