Ruminata lives in a Batwa community in rural Burundi with her husband Gaspard, their teenage daughter, Pascaline (18), and two sons, Cédric (12), and Régis (10). For many years, their family survived by making traditional Batwa clay pots, which sell for only a few cents each. Ruminata shares, “We had to go beg wherever we could to get something. My children did not have even the cheapest shoes. … Our shelter was covered with grass, we could not purchase even a single iron sheet (for the roof). We used to plan for one day because we had no resources to think of many days or weeks ahead. We were hopeless.” Continue Reading…
HOPE Intl
Jun 4 2026
HOPE Intl
Stories we love
In 2024, Diaconía—HOPE International’s partner in Paraguay—asked the entrepreneurs they serve a simple question: What do you need most?
The answer was surprising. Instead of pointing to business loans or training, clients repeated again and again that they needed access to capital to build or improve their homes. In Paraguay, it’s common for homes to be made from temporary materials and lack the space or stability to safely support family life and a growing business.
Diaconía—rooted in their desire to share the Gospel by meeting the practical needs of the people they serve—listened. And by August 2025, they were ready to respond.
HOPE Intl
May 27 2026
HOPE Intl
Stories we love
When Marc first joined Fraternite (“fellowship”) savings group through his local church in Les Cayes, Haiti in 2019, he expected it to help him grow his business. But when he joined at the encouragement of his wife, who was already a member, he quickly realized it was far more than a financial tool. Continue Reading…
God cares deeply about each person living in spiritual and material poverty—and He calls us to love and serve them. Many of you are already responding to that call, but you might also be wondering: How can I help the next generation care about these same things?
Maybe you have kids, grandkids, nieces, or nephews who love Jesus and love others, but haven’t yet encountered the realities of global poverty. Inviting them into this conversation can feel daunting. How do you share honestly without overwhelming them?
Questions are a fantastic place to start. They create space for kids to wonder, process, and respond in their own way.
Here are a few questions to initiate those conversations in everyday moments, whether on a walk, in the car, or around the dinner table. Continue Reading…
HOPE Intl
Mar 27 2026
HOPE Intl
News Stories we love
Poverty doesn’t just limit a child’s present—it threatens their future. Around the world, 412 million children are living on less than $3 per day, lacking the essentials they need to grow, learn, and thrive (UNICEF, 2025).
And poverty’s impact goes far beyond income. Across six things a child needs to thrive—education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation, and water—more than one in five children in low- and middle-income countries are severely deprived of at least two (UNICEF, 2025).
Yet we know that God cares deeply about kids. So how do we protect them from poverty and provide what they need to lead healthy lives that set them up for bright futures?
At HOPE International, we’ve seen that one of the best ways to support children living in poverty is empowering their parents. Here’s how investing in mothers and fathers helps them invest in brighter futures for their children and grandchildren.
HOPE Intl
Mar 24 2026
HOPE Intl
Microfinance Stories we love
Liz Fretes is an experienced and talented artisan living in the outskirts of Asunción, Paraguay’s capital city. For 20 years, she’s practiced the craft of Ñandutí (“spider web”) pieces, a traditional Paraguayan lace.
Liz would sell her Ñandutí crafts, but it didn’t bring in enough money to provide for her family as a single mother, including her daughters, grandchildren (one of whom is pictured above), and her elderly father. She would take on odd jobs—cleaning homes and selling goods on the street—to try and make ends meet, but she couldn’t leave her children alone for long and paying for childcare was impossible.
When a doctor diagnosed one of her children with asthma, Liz’s money problems only worsened. Determined to get the necessary medication, Liz took on more physically demanding work despite her chronic back pain—sacrificing her own health to preserve her child’s. “There was no other option,” she remembers. Continue Reading…
