1. “Normally when you are married, your wife or your husband is the one who takes care of you. … The group members became like my husband. When I fall sick, they are the first ones to come and visit me and help me in each and every thing. They support me emotionally, physically, and psychologically.” – Marthe Myiramuhire, Rwanda
   We love to see our clients stepping up to support one another and then hear them bragging on one another. Members of HOPE’s savings groups and community banks often become like families for one another, as this widowed woman from Rwanda testified.
    



2. “If you would give me 20,000 pesos [$525], I could buy clothes and food for my family, but then what? … Instead, Esperanza [HOPE’s partner in the Dominican Republic] gave me motivation.” – Angela Mercedes, Dominican Republic
   Our clients get it. They understand the difference between help for today and a long-term, sustainable investment in their dreams, and they count it a privilege to have the opportunity to work hard to meet their own needs.
    
3. “As a result of getting loans from HOPE and using them in our business, we can show society that we are … helping ourselves and we are not indebted or dependent to someone else. … As a result of taking loans now my two children are going to school.” – Farshad*, Afghanistan
   Parents express true dignity when they’re providing for their own children. We believe that work is part of God’s plan for provision and that dignity and independence are the result.
    
4. “We are not afraid of difficulties. Let difficulties be afraid of us!” – Svetlana Shepeleva, Ukraine
   Part of what microfinance does so well is create safety nets. Before coming to HOPE, most of our clients had reason to fear challenges they might confront: One illness, natural disaster, or financial misstep might mean pulling their children from school, going without needed food or medication, or becoming indebted to a loan shark. Now many clients have savings, support, and the means to withstand the challenges they might encounter.
    
5. “HOPE International’s loans solved the great and urgent need I had for capital for my business. But also the knowledge of HOPE International staff allowed me to come to know the Lord, and that is the most beautiful blessing.” – Cheng Sun*, China
   “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26) We are thrilled when we help a client escape material poverty—a departure from the abundant life God desires—but we realize that any physical change is temporary. It is our privilege to share the love of Jesus with our clients and see Him touch hearts and change lives for eternity!

*Names changed for security.

Emalinda, standing, and two employees make buko salad.

She contacted the owners of local factories and arranged to sell the buko juice in their cafeterias, where workers came to enjoy a mid-morning break or to eat lunch. It quickly became popular among the Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese managers, who were familiar with its health benefits. To meet increasing demand, Emalinda sought a loan from the Center for Community Transformation, HOPE’s partner in the Philippines, to purchase more coconut, sugar, and plastic cups in which to serve her juice.

As the business grew, Emalinda continued to look for ways to increase productivity. The juice used only part of the coconut, and while she was able to give some of the unused coconut meat to neighbors or local piggeries, most was discarded. To avoid this waste, Emalinda began selling buko salad, a popular dessert in the Philippines made from coconut meat. And because the salad was difficult to eat without silverware, Emalinda invented a frozen buko salad that could be eaten much like a popsicle. In 2007, Emalinda sought a larger loan from CCT to buy a truck, which she uses to transport fresh, whole coconuts more than 50 miles from the farms of Batangas to the markets of metro Manila.

For Emalinda and her husband, one of the biggest blessings of the loans has been the ability to reunite their family. Because of limited employment opportunities in the Philippines, her husband had joined the many Filipinos seeking work in other countries in order to support their family. Thanks to Emalinda’s business growth, he was able to return home from Saudi Arabia and play a more active role in raising their three children.

Today Emalinda employs seven workers in addition to her husband. Her school-age children are receiving an education, as are her employees’ children. Emalinda strives to honor God in her business, closing each Sunday. “I want myself and the workers to have time for God,” Emalinda explains. “I can see God moving in my life, and I want the workers to also experience this.”

*Names withheld for security.

If the blog post 9 things you should know about HOPE’s staff resonated with you—or you know someone who would be a great fit for HOPE’s team—check out a few of our current open positions. For a complete list, visit www.hopeinternational.org/jobs.

To apply for an open position, please send a current resume/CV along with a cover letter to Rachel Weaver, Recruitment Assistant, at jobs@hopeinternational.org.

Administrative Assistant – Homes for Hope
Dallas, TX
The Administrative Assistant is responsible to provide administrative and project support to the H4H Executive Director and, as necessary, to the other members of the Homes for Hope team; this consists of the Executive Director, Local Area Reps, and the Founder of Homes for Hope. Read full job description. Application closing date is ongoing, or until a suitable candidate has been selected.

Director of Internal Audit
Lancaster, PA
The Director of Internal Audit is responsible for developing and managing HOPE International’s global Internal Audit function. The incumbent will have responsibility for Internal Audit people, methodologies, planning, and delivery. This Leader, reporting to the Audit Committee, will support country and regional leadership by assessing risk, evaluating internal controls, and assuring compliance with internal procedures, regulatory pronouncements, and financial accounting standards. This person will be responsible for direct management of a team and will have oversight of internal audits across HOPE International. Read full job description.

Web Designer
Lancaster, PA
The Web Designer will be responsible for the digital face of HOPE International. This person will work closely with the Senior Designer and Communication Specialists to concept, design, code, launch, and maintain HOPE’s current and future online initiatives. They will play a key role in the future of HOPE’s online presence. As part of a small in-house marketing and creative team the ideal candidate will exhibit flexible skills that will allow them to participate in other tasks, including graphic design, video production and editing, and other multimedia projects. Read full job description. Your resume package must include a link to your online portfolio.

Chief Financial Officer
Kabul, Afghanistan
The CFO is responsible for all financial and fiscal management aspects of HOPE Afghanistan’s operations. The CFO provides leadership and coordination in all administrative, business planning, accounting, and budgeting efforts of HOPE Afghanistan. The CFO supervises the finance manager and MIS manager and is part of HOPE Afghanistan’s Executive Team. Read full job description. Application closing date is ongoing, or until a suitable candidate has been selected.

Director of Technical Assistance
Lancaster, PA
The role of the Director of Technical Assistance (TA) is to promote and fulfill the mission and vision of HOPE International by leading a set of centers of excellence that provide support and resources to HOPE programs worldwide, to promote operational excellence, financial success, and fulfillment of our spiritual mission. HOPE International believes that TA is a source of competitive advantage in fulfilling our mission, and to that end the TA function provides technical support to both HOPE-owned entities as well as our partners around the world. Read full job description.

You recently spoke at the Christian Alliance for Orphans’ annual Summit at Saddleback Church. As president of HOPE, how does your work tie to the global orphan crisis?
Adoption has forever changed our family. But as powerful as international adoption is, and as much as it has changed our family, we know that it only reaches a small number of the children globally who need a home. My “day job” at HOPE helps mothers and fathers start or expand small businesses so that they can work their way out of poverty and provide for their children. My hope is that the faith-based adoption community and the faith-based development community will realize how much overlap they have in heart and desired outcomes.

What did you speak about at the conference?
According to UNICEF, there were 132 million orphans living in developing countries in 2008—132 million children dearly loved by God who need a home. But studies have also found that many children in orphanages have a surviving family member who could provide them that home. In Zimbabwe, for example, 40 percent of children in orphanages have a surviving parent, and nearly 60 percent have a contactable relative. The orphan crisis is interconnected with poverty. Parents put their children in institutional care because they don’t have enough money to care for their children. The solution isn’t building more orphanages but rather helping parents earn enough income so that they can care for their children. What parent would prefer for their child to grow up in an orphanage if they had the resources to care for them on their own? We need to broaden the discussion about the orphan crisis to include employment-based solutions that help families work their way out of poverty.

What are some examples you’ve seen of access to financial services leading to better care for orphans?
Some of the best examples I’ve seen are HOPE’s clients. I think of Mama Atiya in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who was left with no resources to provide for her six children when her husband died. A $55 loan from HOPE helped Mama Atiya break into the smoked fish business. She buys fish in bulk, enabling her to offer good prices and function as a wholesaler. Two years and seven loans later, she is the proud owner of an apartment and can afford to educate all her school-aged children. But not only is she taking care of her own children, she has also adopted four children from her community. What an amazing example of low-cost, local orphan care!

You also recently published Mommy’s Heart Went POP! An Adoption Story, a children’s book on international adoption. What led you to write this book?
When my wife, Laurel, and I were in the process of adopting our son Myles from Rwanda, our daughter asked why mommy’s belly wasn’t getting bigger like so many other mommies. We used the language that adoption causes mommy’s heart to get bigger. When we finally held our son, all the love that we had been holding came pouring out, and it literally felt like mommy’s heart popped.

We discovered that there are so few resources available for families who adopt internationally. When our friend Christina Kyllonen sent us this story after we brought our son home, we felt that it needed to be shared with many more people. We have had the joy of working with friends to bring the book to life, and our hope is that it will touch many! The funds we raise through this book all go to the rubymyles fund to help other families adopt or to support local initiatives like HOPE that help bring children into homes.

In addition to serving as president & CEO of HOPE International, Peter is co-author of The Poor Will Be Glad (Zondervan, 2009) and blogs at www.peterkgreer.com. Peter and his wife, Laurel, have three children, two biological and one adopted from Rwanda, and they live in Lancaster, Pa. Follow him on Twitter @peterkgreer.

“We can’t drive through the area where the explosions happened—security risks. The closest we can get is about 1.5 kilometers [about 1 mile] from it.” Upon my request, the staff had offered to give us a sense of the devastation in the area where explosions had rocked the city on March 4, when a munitions depot exploded in the middle of the city of Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. As we approached the 1.5-kilometer perimeter, the effects of the tragedy—even over a month later—were clearly evident. All windows were either boarded up or missing, and smaller houses with less-solid structures had collapsed altogether. As we looked in the direction of the explosion, we couldn’t make out any structures that resembled buildings. “This does not look like a conventional munitions depot exploded,” I commented. Our companion simply raised his eyebrows and nodded thoughtfully. The explosions happened at 8 a.m. on a Sunday, so most people were in their houses when it happened. Later, back in our accommodations, a friend showed me a picture of their room, with glass on the bed next to the window. “If it was not for the curtain in front of the window,” my friend said, “I’m not sure what would have happened to me.” The house was about three miles away from the explosions.

Now, comfortably waiting for my next flight in the Paris airport with coffee in hand, I’m struck once again by how different our worlds are. My life in the U.S. is primarily based on routine: waking up in the morning, going to the gym, work, lunch, dinner, running errands in the evening, hanging out with family and friends. Yes I do have worries. There are crises at times, but there are also a lot of safety nets: There is insurance, a government that tries to help when a disaster happens, and the opportunity to find a new job. My worries are more related to the longer-term future, and they are less about actual survival than about comfort and happiness.

The worries of our clients, it seems to me, are more about managing the daily crises of their everyday lives. The explosions in Brazzaville are, of course, an extraordinary occurrence, but it does remind me that sickness and the resulting loss of income, poor health care, the loss of a job, and the burning down of a market where clients have their business are actually crises that do happen, posing a grave threat to one’s family.

Someone once said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I think if there is one thing that we are all learning, it is that small changes implemented consistently over a long time make a big difference. If we rely on our government—or anyone else—to make big changes overnight, we are bound to be disappointed. Our clients make small changes to their own lives by saving small amounts of money every week for an emergency or business capital, or by taking out a small loan to grow their business just a bit. And they are seeing big changes over time. It gives me hope that with consistency, they are building their own safety nets. I count it a privilege that we can be part of this solution.

Photos by Silent Images

Walter has served in a variety of roles on the operations team in his two years at HOPE. In his current position as compliance director, he travels frequently to HOPE’s programs around the world, where he appreciates the opportunity to interact with HOPE’s local staff and clients.

“People that give are so blessed by their giving that it’s contagious. They want to talk about it. They’re excited to talk about it.” – Pastor Chris Seay at Compassion International chapel

“Contagious” is a word not often associated with generosity. And when it is, it’s often not in a positive way. I remember a moment several years ago when I purposefully made a call on my cell phone as I walked past a Christmas bell ringer, wanting to bypass the bell ringer completely as if I might catch a disease if I walked too close. Perhaps you’ve had a similar reaction to a fundraising support letter or a panhandler in your town. But when Seay describes contagious giving, he’s not articulating a pie-in-the-sky notion that it’s possible for generosity to be positively contagious. He’s seen it in a profound way.

In 2006, Pastor Chris Seay linked arms with two pastor friends and created Advent Conspiracy, a campaign to encourage Christians to recapture the story of Jesus when we celebrate Christmas. Advent Conspiracy invites Christians to kick the commercialized Christmas message to the curb and hold fast to the “reason for the season.” In doing so, Advent Conspiracy encourages us not to focus on the next great trinket, but to fix our eyes on our Savior and Lord. Their challenge: “Worship fully. Spend Less. Give more.”

Practically, Advent Conspiracy asks us to give more of our time, talent, and treasure toward significant moments and meaningful gifts for our family, friends, neighbors, and ministries. The message of Advent Conspiracy is a message of generosity. And it has been contagious … in a good way. What started as a simple experiment in 2006 with five churches has grown to a movement in over 1,500 churches around the world.

This month, HOPE is privileged to host Pastor Chris Seay at our annual Celebrating HOPE spring dinner on May 17. Join us in discovering the contagious joy of generosity as we commemorate the great work God has done through HOPE around the world.

Chris spent time doing microfinance work in Romania and has visited many of HOPE’s programs across the globe. He completed his undergraduate degree in business at Taylor University (Indiana) and his MBA at Bakke Graduate University. He currently lives and works for HOPE in Denver, Colo. Chris and his wife, Alli, are parents to one son, Desmond, and active members at City Presbyterian Church. Chris & Alli write on their blog, Smorgasblurb.

There is a lot that has changed at HOPE since our founding in 1997. We’ve built our team. Added 15 more countries of service. Diversified our services. But our core beliefs have remained consistent.

• Charity is broken. Necessary for short-term relief, charity is like putting a Band-Aid on a broken bone. It doesn’t address the underlying issues of poverty—hopelessness, helplessness, and voicelessness. Instead it reinforces these mindsets long term. Our help can actually hurt those we’re attempting to serve.

• Job creation is a proven way out of financial poverty. Poverty was cut in half—from 52 to 26 percent—between 1981 and 2005. What happened? Economic opportunity in China, Brazil, and India have revolutionized poverty reduction. But it’s also common sense. A job is simply superior to a handout. Consistently, we hear this when we listen to the families we serve. They don’t want to be thrown another fish, but rather given the opportunity to start a fishing business.

• You can gain the whole world, yet lose your soul. Poverty is more than financial. At its heart, poverty is about relational brokenness: our separation from God and from each other. Jesus Christ calls us to restore relationships and has given us the message and the model through his life, death, and resurrection. We are fully committed to addressing not only physical poverty, but also spiritual poverty in all we do.

• Do one thing – and do it well. HOPE’s model works because it’s simple. We focus on one thing: excellent Christ-centered microenterprise development. Our model includes teaching biblically based business training, sharing the Word of God, providing access to small loans and savings services to those excluded from the formal financial sector.

Fifteen years ago, HOPE offered 12 loans to people in poverty. While so much has changed since then, our core beliefs have kept us anchored.

by Becky Svendsen

At this point in the trip, I’ve had the privilege to meet with seven savings groups. These groups have been about 99 percent female and predominantly Christian but have included many Hindus as well. Through my time with them, I’ve noticed that prayer—personal prayer time, prayer as a group, asking others for prayer—is enormously important to them. I’ve also noticed some recurrent prayer requests that I’ll share with you so you can know more specifically how to pray for clients who are saving to escape poverty in India:

• Pray that God would end domestic abuse in our communities.
• Pray for my family’s health problems (diabetes, thyroid problems, fever, chronic illnesses, work injuries, etc).
• Pray that we grow closer to God.
• Pray that my business would grow.
• Pray that life will be different for my children. Pray that their lives are not like mine.
• Pray that our husbands will be freed from alcoholism.
• Pray that our husbands’ and children’s hearts will be transformed by the Gospel.
• Pray my kids will do well on their exams and get good jobs.
• Pray that we can build a bigger church.
• Pray that we can start good businesses and get regular work.
• Pray that we can stop being so poor.
• Pray that God blesses my family with a child.
• Pray that I would be able to pay off all my debts.
• Pray that my family would be able to live a joyful life.
• Pray that we can stand strong as Christians, even with persecution from all directions.
• Pray for our Hindu neighbors to come to know the one true God.
• Pray that we have unity and trust as a group.
• Pray that more people will form savings groups in our area.

Becky has worked for HOPE for four years, specializing in grant writing and impact reporting. One of her greatest joys has been getting out from behind her computer to interact with HOPE’s clients and field staff and see the impact of Christ-centered microfinance firsthand.