This is a subscriber-only article. Join Entrepreneur+ today for access

Learn More

Already have an account?

Sign in
Entrepreneur Plus - Short White
For Subscribers

Making A Difference <B></B>

By Janean Chun

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

At a water pump factory in Mexico, Noel Irwin-Hentschel noted aremarkable difference between two women who were the same age andhad grown up in the same village. One, who worked at the factory,"stood tall and had tremendous confidence,"Irwin-Hentschel says. "The other hadn't been given thesame opportunity, and her shoulders were bent over. She looked asthough she'd given up."

Though Irwin-Hentschel brings in about $150 million through hertravel business, Los Angeles-based AmericanTours International, hernonprofit organization provides an even greater commodity:hope.

"I've noticed the entrepreneurial spirit in the poorestwomen," says the founder of The Noel Foundation. "Whenthey have the opportunity to earn an income and have someself-respect, you see a major change in them."