HOPE International

By Angelo Marasigan, HOPE supporter

I spent the first 25 years of my life in the Philippines, where limited job opportunities push many people to start their own small businesses to provide for their families.

But access to business loans—and the chance to make a living—often comes at a high cost.

In the Philippines, and many other communities around the world, predatory lending is common. With little to no other options available to grow their businesses, many entrepreneurs must borrow at soaring rates of 20% interest per week or more. I’ve seen it up close. I met a lady this past February who was paying 120% annual interest on her loan just to keep her business.

But for some, the cost can be much more devastating. Someone close to my family once borrowed money the same way. After a while, she got deeper and deeper into debt and couldn’t pay. One day, she went missing and was never found.

The model of borrowing money from these loan sharks is not designed to help. It’s designed to keep people in oppression.

Another kind of lending—one meant to promote people’s wellbeing—is needed. And I’d encourage you to read the article by HOPE International’s CEO, Peter Greer, on the difference between predatory lending and HOPE’s holistic approach to microfinance that equips and empowers people. Continue Reading…

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…

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.

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…

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

HOPE Intl

Loans that keep people trapped—and ones that set them free

HOPE Intl

HOPE Intl

Change begins with a prayer: Ruminata’s story

HOPE Intl

HOPE Intl

It started with a loan—and a wall in front of her house

HOPE Intl

HOPE Intl

How one father’s success is creating jobs and strengthening his community

HOPE Intl

HOPE Intl

Raising compassionate kids: questions to start conversations about poverty

HOPE Intl

HOPE Intl

How HOPE invests in parents to empower kids

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